Microbial activity in soils frozen to below-39 degrees C
(2006) In Soil Biology & Biochemistry 38(4). p.785-794- Abstract
- Recent research on life in extreme environments has shown that some microorganisms metabolize at extremely low temperatures in Arctic and Antarctic ice and permafrost. Here, we present kinetic data on CO2 and (CO2)-C-14 release from intact and C-14-glucose amended tundra soils (Barrow, Alaska) incubated for up to a year at 0 to -39 degrees C. The rate of CO2 production declined exponentially with temperature but it remained positive and measurable, e.g. 2-7 ng CO2-C cm(-3) soil d(-1), at -39 degrees C. The variation of CO2 release rate (v) was adequately explained by the double exponential dependence on temperature (T) and unfrozen water content (W) (r(2)> 0.98): v=A exp(lambda T+kW) and where A, lambda and k are constants. The rate of... (More)
- Recent research on life in extreme environments has shown that some microorganisms metabolize at extremely low temperatures in Arctic and Antarctic ice and permafrost. Here, we present kinetic data on CO2 and (CO2)-C-14 release from intact and C-14-glucose amended tundra soils (Barrow, Alaska) incubated for up to a year at 0 to -39 degrees C. The rate of CO2 production declined exponentially with temperature but it remained positive and measurable, e.g. 2-7 ng CO2-C cm(-3) soil d(-1), at -39 degrees C. The variation of CO2 release rate (v) was adequately explained by the double exponential dependence on temperature (T) and unfrozen water content (W) (r(2)> 0.98): v=A exp(lambda T+kW) and where A, lambda and k are constants. The rate of (CO2)-C-14 release from added glucose declined more steeply with cooling as compared with the release of total CO2, indicating that (a) there could be some abiotic component in the measured flux of CO2 or (b) endogenous respiration is more cold-resistant than substrate-induced respiration. The respiration activity was completely eliminated by soil sterilization (1 h, 121 degrees C), stimulated by the addition of oxidizable substrate (glucose, yeast extract), and reduced by the addition of acetate, which inhibits microbial processes in acidic soils (pH 3-5). The tundra soil from Barrow displayed higher below-zero activity than boreal soils from West Siberia and Sweden. The permafrost soils (20-30 cm) were more active than the samples from seasonally frozen topsoil (0-10 cm, Barrow). Finding measurable respiration to -39 degrees C is significant for determining, understanding, and predicting current and future CO2 emission to the atmosphere and for understanding the low temperature limits of microbial activity on the Earth and on other planets. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/410614
- author
- Panikov, NS ; Flanagan, PW ; Oechel, WC ; Mastepanov, Mikhail LU and Christensen, Torben LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2006
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- respiration, arctic soil respiration, kinetic analysis, psychrophiles, winter emission, CO2 entrapment, unfrozen water
- in
- Soil Biology & Biochemistry
- volume
- 38
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 785 - 794
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000237051600016
- scopus:33645229839
- ISSN
- 0038-0717
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.soilbio.2005.07.004
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 34004edf-c68c-4834-832b-2d923b4f7872 (old id 410614)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 16:44:07
- date last changed
- 2022-03-15 02:33:38
@article{34004edf-c68c-4834-832b-2d923b4f7872,
abstract = {{Recent research on life in extreme environments has shown that some microorganisms metabolize at extremely low temperatures in Arctic and Antarctic ice and permafrost. Here, we present kinetic data on CO2 and (CO2)-C-14 release from intact and C-14-glucose amended tundra soils (Barrow, Alaska) incubated for up to a year at 0 to -39 degrees C. The rate of CO2 production declined exponentially with temperature but it remained positive and measurable, e.g. 2-7 ng CO2-C cm(-3) soil d(-1), at -39 degrees C. The variation of CO2 release rate (v) was adequately explained by the double exponential dependence on temperature (T) and unfrozen water content (W) (r(2)> 0.98): v=A exp(lambda T+kW) and where A, lambda and k are constants. The rate of (CO2)-C-14 release from added glucose declined more steeply with cooling as compared with the release of total CO2, indicating that (a) there could be some abiotic component in the measured flux of CO2 or (b) endogenous respiration is more cold-resistant than substrate-induced respiration. The respiration activity was completely eliminated by soil sterilization (1 h, 121 degrees C), stimulated by the addition of oxidizable substrate (glucose, yeast extract), and reduced by the addition of acetate, which inhibits microbial processes in acidic soils (pH 3-5). The tundra soil from Barrow displayed higher below-zero activity than boreal soils from West Siberia and Sweden. The permafrost soils (20-30 cm) were more active than the samples from seasonally frozen topsoil (0-10 cm, Barrow). Finding measurable respiration to -39 degrees C is significant for determining, understanding, and predicting current and future CO2 emission to the atmosphere and for understanding the low temperature limits of microbial activity on the Earth and on other planets. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
author = {{Panikov, NS and Flanagan, PW and Oechel, WC and Mastepanov, Mikhail and Christensen, Torben}},
issn = {{0038-0717}},
keywords = {{respiration; arctic soil respiration; kinetic analysis; psychrophiles; winter emission; CO2 entrapment; unfrozen water}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{785--794}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Soil Biology & Biochemistry}},
title = {{Microbial activity in soils frozen to below-39 degrees C}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2005.07.004}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.soilbio.2005.07.004}},
volume = {{38}},
year = {{2006}},
}