The temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon decomposition is greater in subsoil than in topsoil during laboratory incubation

Abstract The turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC) in cropland plays an important role in terrestrial carbon cycling, but little is known about the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of SOC decomposition below the topsoil layer of arable soil. Here, samples of topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil (20–40 cm) layers were obtained from paddy fields and upland croplands in two regions of China. Using a sequential temperature changing method, soil respiration rates were calculated at different temperatures (8 °C to 28 °C) and fitted to an exponential equation to estimate Q10 values. The average SOC decomposition rate was 59% to 282% higher in the topsoil than in the subsoil layer because of higher labile carbon levels in the topsoil. However, Q10 values in the topsoil layer (5.29 ± 1.47) were significantly lower than those in the subsoil layer (7.52 ± 1.84). The pattern of Q10 values between the topsoil and subsoil was significantly negative to labile carbon content, which is consistent with the carbon quality-temperature hypothesis. These results suggest that the high temperature sensitivity of SOC decomposition in the subsoil layer needs to be considered in soil C models to better predict the responses of agricultural SOC pools to global warming.