The influence of trigger events on bursts of soil microbial metabolism and N2O production and consumption

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Climate drives the biological processes occurring in soil yet is a poorly described and seldom considered part of nitrogen management in agriculture. This is due to the number and complexity of processes involved in the soil N cycle. In this proposal we examine the role of climatic triggers (thawing of frozen soil and wetting of dry soil) in stimulating bursts of microbial activity and causing soil N losses. Specifically this work focuses on the influence substrate availability on inorganic nitrogen processes that control the timing and relative importance of nitrification and denitrification in producing N2O emissions. My hypothesis is that environmental events trigger microbial metabolism through the release of substrates as a result of microbial cell-lysis and solubilization of soil organic matter. Further, it is the rate at which microbial metabolism acts on these substrates, as influenced by soil temperature and water content, and the architecture of carbon and nitrogen distribution which determines the location, intensity, and products of denitrification and therefore N2O emissions.