Articles | Volume 11, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-991-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-991-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
28 Nov 2025
Original research article |
| 28 Nov 2025
| 28 Nov 2025
Availability of labile carbon controls the temperature-dependent response of soil organic matter decomposition in alpine soils
Dario Püntener
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Tatjana C. Speckert
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Yves-Alain Brügger
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Guido L. B. Wiesenberg
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Short summary
Alpine soils store much carbon but warming and changes in vegetation could reverse this by turning them into carbon sources. In a one-year laboratory study, we examined alpine forest and pasture soils and added fresh grass litter marked with a carbon tracer to track decomposition under different temperatures. Our findings reveal that fresh plant material drives soil breakdown more than temperature alone, offering new insights into how climate change may affect carbon storage in mountain regions.
Alpine soils store much carbon but warming and changes in vegetation could reverse this by...
