Access

Letter

Nature Geoscience 1, 836–839 (1 December 2008) | doi:10.1038/ngeo361

Increased cuticular carbon sequestration and lignin oxidation in response to soil|[nbsp]|warming

Xiaojuan Feng , Andr|[eacute]| J. Simpson , Kevin P. Wilson , D. Dudley Williams & Myrna J. Simpson

Rising temperatures are predicted to accelerate the decomposition of labile soil organic compounds such as proteins and carbohydrates, whereas biochemically resistant compounds, such as lipids from leaf cuticles and roots and lignin from woody tissues, are expected to remain stable on decadal to centennial timescales. However, the extent to which soil warming changes the molecular composition of soil organic matter is poorly understood.