Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e17024 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Global change biology |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Dec 2023 |
Abstract
Formation of mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) supports the accumulation and stabilization of carbon (C) in soil, and thus, is a key factor in the global C cycle. Little is known about the interplay of mineral type, land use and management intensity in MAOM formation, especially on subdecadal time scales. We exposed mineral containers with goethite or illite, the most abundant iron oxide and phyllosilicate clay in temperate soils, for 5 years in topsoils of 150 forest and 150 grassland sites in three regions across Germany. Results show that irrespective of land use and management intensity, more C accumulated on goethite than illite (on average 0.23 ± 0.10 and 0.06 ± 0.03 mg m−2 mineral surface respectively). Carbon accumulation across regions was consistently higher in coniferous forests than in deciduous forests and grasslands. Structural equation models further showed that thinning and harvesting reduced MAOM formation in forests. Formation of MAOM in grasslands was not affected by grazing. Fertilization had opposite effects on MAOM formation, with the positive effect being mediated by enhanced plant productivity and the negative effect by reduced plant species richness. This highlights the caveat of applying fertilizers as a strategy to increase soil C stocks in temperate grasslands. Overall, we demonstrate that the rate and amount of MAOM formation in soil is primarily driven by mineral type, and can be modulated by land use and management intensity even on subdecadal time scales. Our results suggest that temperate soils dominated by oxides have a higher capacity to accumulate and store C than those dominated by phyllosilicate clays, even under circumneutral pH conditions. Therefore, adopting land use and management practices that increase C inputs into oxide-rich soils that are under their capacity to store C may offer great potential to enhance near-term soil C sequestration.
Keywords
- fertilization, forests, grasslands, grazing, iron oxides and clay minerals, soil organic matter, thinning and harvesting, tree species selection
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Global and Planetary Change
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
- Environmental Science(all)
Sustainable Development Goals
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Global change biology, Vol. 30, No. 1, e17024, 08.12.2023.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Formation of mineral-associated organic matter in temperate soils is primarily controlled by mineral type and modified by land use and management intensity
AU - Bramble, De Shorn E.
AU - Ulrich, Susanne
AU - Schöning, Ingo
AU - Mikutta, Robert
AU - Brandt, Luise
AU - Poll, Christian
AU - Kandeler, Ellen
AU - Mikutta, Christian
AU - Konrad, Alexander
AU - Siemens, Jan
AU - Yang, Yang
AU - Polle, Andrea
AU - Schall, Peter
AU - Ammer, Christian
AU - Kaiser, Klaus
AU - Schrumpf, Marion
N1 - Funding Information: This work was funded by the DFG Priority Program 1374 ‘Biodiversity‐Exploratories’ (DFG project numbers 433273584 and 193957772) and the Max Planck Society. Funding for De Shorn E. Bramble, Alexander Konrad and Yang Yang was provided by the International Max Planck Research School for Biogeochemical Cycles (IMPRS‐gBGC), the Justus Liebig University Giessen and the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) respectively. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
PY - 2023/12/8
Y1 - 2023/12/8
N2 - Formation of mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) supports the accumulation and stabilization of carbon (C) in soil, and thus, is a key factor in the global C cycle. Little is known about the interplay of mineral type, land use and management intensity in MAOM formation, especially on subdecadal time scales. We exposed mineral containers with goethite or illite, the most abundant iron oxide and phyllosilicate clay in temperate soils, for 5 years in topsoils of 150 forest and 150 grassland sites in three regions across Germany. Results show that irrespective of land use and management intensity, more C accumulated on goethite than illite (on average 0.23 ± 0.10 and 0.06 ± 0.03 mg m−2 mineral surface respectively). Carbon accumulation across regions was consistently higher in coniferous forests than in deciduous forests and grasslands. Structural equation models further showed that thinning and harvesting reduced MAOM formation in forests. Formation of MAOM in grasslands was not affected by grazing. Fertilization had opposite effects on MAOM formation, with the positive effect being mediated by enhanced plant productivity and the negative effect by reduced plant species richness. This highlights the caveat of applying fertilizers as a strategy to increase soil C stocks in temperate grasslands. Overall, we demonstrate that the rate and amount of MAOM formation in soil is primarily driven by mineral type, and can be modulated by land use and management intensity even on subdecadal time scales. Our results suggest that temperate soils dominated by oxides have a higher capacity to accumulate and store C than those dominated by phyllosilicate clays, even under circumneutral pH conditions. Therefore, adopting land use and management practices that increase C inputs into oxide-rich soils that are under their capacity to store C may offer great potential to enhance near-term soil C sequestration.
AB - Formation of mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) supports the accumulation and stabilization of carbon (C) in soil, and thus, is a key factor in the global C cycle. Little is known about the interplay of mineral type, land use and management intensity in MAOM formation, especially on subdecadal time scales. We exposed mineral containers with goethite or illite, the most abundant iron oxide and phyllosilicate clay in temperate soils, for 5 years in topsoils of 150 forest and 150 grassland sites in three regions across Germany. Results show that irrespective of land use and management intensity, more C accumulated on goethite than illite (on average 0.23 ± 0.10 and 0.06 ± 0.03 mg m−2 mineral surface respectively). Carbon accumulation across regions was consistently higher in coniferous forests than in deciduous forests and grasslands. Structural equation models further showed that thinning and harvesting reduced MAOM formation in forests. Formation of MAOM in grasslands was not affected by grazing. Fertilization had opposite effects on MAOM formation, with the positive effect being mediated by enhanced plant productivity and the negative effect by reduced plant species richness. This highlights the caveat of applying fertilizers as a strategy to increase soil C stocks in temperate grasslands. Overall, we demonstrate that the rate and amount of MAOM formation in soil is primarily driven by mineral type, and can be modulated by land use and management intensity even on subdecadal time scales. Our results suggest that temperate soils dominated by oxides have a higher capacity to accumulate and store C than those dominated by phyllosilicate clays, even under circumneutral pH conditions. Therefore, adopting land use and management practices that increase C inputs into oxide-rich soils that are under their capacity to store C may offer great potential to enhance near-term soil C sequestration.
KW - fertilization
KW - forests
KW - grasslands
KW - grazing
KW - iron oxides and clay minerals
KW - soil organic matter
KW - thinning and harvesting
KW - tree species selection
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85177656966&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/gcb.17024
DO - 10.1111/gcb.17024
M3 - Article
C2 - 37986273
AN - SCOPUS:85177656966
VL - 30
JO - Global change biology
JF - Global change biology
SN - 1354-1013
IS - 1
M1 - e17024
ER -