DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h9w0vt4t3
title: Mycorrhiza-dependent drivers of the positive rhizosphere effects on the temperature sensitivity of soil microbial respiration in subtropical forests

description: Tree roots and their fungal symbionts mediate the response of rhizosphere
 soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition to climate warming, specifically
 the temperature sensitivity of soil microbial respiration (Q10), which is
 a critical parameter for projecting the magnitude of terrestrial soil
 C-climate feedbacks. However, the intensity of the rhizosphere effects
 (RE; rhizosphere soils vs. bulk soils) on Q10 in forest soils associated
 with different mycorrhizal groups and their seasonal dynamics are poorly
 understood. Here, we selected nine tree species associated with either
 arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi in subtropical
 forests of China and collected bulk soil and rhizosphere soil in both the
 warm and cold seasons to explore the RE on Q10, respectively. Our results
 showed a positive RE on Q10 (ranging from 20.1% to 87.5%) for all tree
 species, independent of the season. For EM tree species, the RE on Q10 was
 64.5% higher in the warm season and 44.4% higher in the cold season,
 compared to AM tree species. The RE on Q10 of AM and EM tree species was
 44.8% and 65.0% larger in the warm season than that in the cold season,
 respectively. Fine root traits (including biomass, the carbon to nitrogen
 ratio, and soluble sugar content) predominantly controlled the RE on Q10
 in AM-dominated forests, whereas the RE on soil properties (such as NH4+
 and C availability) dominantly governed the RE on Q10 in EM-dominated
 forests. Furthermore, the RE on Q10 was also positively correlated with
 the RE on soil microbial phospholipid fatty acids in both AM- and
 EM-dominated forests. These findings suggest that rhizosphere soils in
 EM-dominated forests are more susceptible to C losses under climate
 warming than those in AM-dominated forests, compared to their respective
 bulk soils, potentially limiting rhizosphere SOC sequestration. The
 greater vulnerability of EM-dominated forests underscores the importance
 of accounting for root-soil interactions, mycorrhizal associations, and
 seasonal dynamics in C-climate models to improve predictions of SOC
 cycling and its feedback to global warming.
description: # Mycorrhiza-dependent drivers of the positive rhizosphere effects on the
 temperature sensitivity of soil microbial respiration in subtropical
 forests
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h9w0vt4t3](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h9w0vt4t3) ## Description of the data and file structure | RE, rhizosphere effects; e.g., RE on TN indicated the rhizosphere effect on soil total nitrogen | | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Q10, temperature sensitivity of SOC decomposition | | TN, soil total nitrogen content | | SOC, soil organic carbon content | | WEOC, water-extractable organic carbon content | | LOC, labile organic carbon content | | ROC, recalcitrant organic carbon content | | AP, available phosphorus content | | PPO, polyphenol oxidase activity | | UE, urease activity | | βGC, β-glucosidase activity | | CL, cellulase activity | | ACP, acid phosphatase activity | | NAG, N-acetylglucosaminidase activity | | LAP, leucine aminopeptidase activity | | Total B, total bacterial phospholipid fatty acid | | Total F, total fungal phospholipid fatty acid | | Brichness, bacterial richness | | Frichness, fungal richness | | FRB, fine root biomass |