A meta-analysis of the temporal dynamics of priming soil carbon decomposition by fresh carbon inputs across ecosystems

Abstract Priming of soil organic matter decomposition by fresh carbon inputs is a key ecological process determining soil carbon (C) and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Although this priming effect (PE) has been studied under various environmental conditions, the conclusions are inconsistent across space and time and the underlying mechanisms unclear. We used a meta-analysis with extensive datasets of CO2 effluxes from soils with 13C or 14C labelled fresh C inputs and without fresh C inputs under various soil conditions to synthesize and assess the temporal dynamics of the PE. The results indicated that the PE declined in 20 days on average from 67 − 21 + 26 % (95% confidence interval) immediately following the fresh C inputs to less than 7.6 − 1.8 + 2.0 % and remained relatively stable thereafter. We also assessed the variability of the temporal dynamics of the PE in the collected datasets and the underlying drivers. The results showed that the magnitude of PE at a specific time (i.e., the instantaneous PE after the fresh C inputs) was significantly and positively correlated with the instantaneous quantity of remaining fresh C. Under the same quantity of remaining fresh C, the PE varied significantly across ecosystems (in the order of grasslands