Enzyme activity in soils at subzero temperatures

Urease activity, phosphatase activity, and sulfatase activity were detected in soils at ?10 and ?20°C. The occurrence of enzyme activity in soils at subzero temperatures is attributed to enzyme-substrate interaction in unfrozen water at the surfaces of soil particles. Support for this explanation was obtained from experiments showing that hydrolysis of urea by jackbean urease occurs at ?10 or ?20°C in the presence, but not in the absence, of clay minerals or autoclaved soils. No enzyme activity could be detected in soils at ?30°C.