Universal temperature sensitivity of denitrification nitrogen losses in forest soils

Soil nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and dinitrogen (N 2 ) emissions from denitrification are crucial to the nitrogen (N) cycle. However, the temperature sensitivities ( Q 10 ) of gaseous N losses in forest soils are poorly understood, with implications for prediction of N cycle responses to warming. Here, we quantify temperature sensitivities of denitrification-derived potential N 2 O and N 2 production. Using soils from 18 forest sites in China along a 4,000 km north–south transect we find that N 2 O and N 2 production rates increased with temperature, with large variations across soils. In contrast, the Q 10 values for N 2 O (2.1 ± 0.5) and N 2 (2.6 ± 0.6) were similar across soils. N 2 was more sensitive to temperature than N 2 O, suggesting that warming could promote complete denitrification. Moreover, the Q 10 for denitrification (2.3 ± 0.5) was comparable to Q 10 for aquatic sediments. This finding of universal temperature sensitivity of gaseous N losses from denitrification will facilitate modelling N losses in response to warming globally.