Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 10294 |
| Journal | Scientific reports |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 16 Jul 2019 |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 16 Jul 2019 |
Abstract
Formation of mineral-organic associations is a key process in the global carbon cycle. Recent concepts propose litter quality-controlled microbial assimilation and direct sorption processes as main factors in transferring carbon from plant litter into mineral-organic associations. We explored the pathways of the formation of mineral-associated organic matter (MOM) in soil profiles along a 120-ky ecosystem gradient that developed under humid climate from the retreating Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand. We determined the stocks of particulate and mineral-associated carbon, the isotope signature and microbial decomposability of organic matter, and plant and microbial biomarkers (lignin phenols, amino sugars and acids) in MOM. Results revealed that litter quality had little effect on the accumulation of mineral-associated carbon and that plant-derived carbon bypassed microbial assimilation at all soil depths. Seemingly, MOM forms by sorption of microbial as well as plant-derived compounds to minerals. The MOM in carbon-saturated topsoil was characterized by the steady exchange of older for recent carbon, while subsoil MOM arises from retention of organic matter transported with percolating water. Overall, MOM formation is not monocausal but involves various mechanisms and processes, with reactive minerals being effective filters capable of erasing chemical differences in organic matter inputs.
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In: Scientific reports, Vol. 9, No. 1, 10294, 16.07.2019.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Microbial and abiotic controls on mineral-associated organic matter in soil profiles along an ecosystem gradient
AU - Mikutta, Robert
AU - Turner, Stephanie
AU - Schippers, Axel
AU - Gentsch, Norman
AU - Meyer-Stüve, Sandra
AU - Condron, Leo M.
AU - Peltzer, Duane A.
AU - Richardson, Sarah J.
AU - Eger, Andre
AU - Hempel, Günter
AU - Kaiser, Klaus
AU - Klotzbücher, Thimo
AU - Guggenberger, Georg
N1 - Funding information: We are especially grateful to Pieter Wiese, Ulrike Pieper, Silke Bokeloh, and Heike Steffen for laboratory support. Dr. Axel Steinhof is acknowledged for conducting the radiocarbon analyses at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (Jena, Germany). Thanks also to Roland Fuß who conducted the gas measurements of incubation samples at the Thünen Institute (Braunschweig, Germany). Funding was provided by the German Science Foundation (DFG) grants MI 1377/5-1 and SCHI 535/11-1 to RM and AS.
PY - 2019/7/16
Y1 - 2019/7/16
N2 - Formation of mineral-organic associations is a key process in the global carbon cycle. Recent concepts propose litter quality-controlled microbial assimilation and direct sorption processes as main factors in transferring carbon from plant litter into mineral-organic associations. We explored the pathways of the formation of mineral-associated organic matter (MOM) in soil profiles along a 120-ky ecosystem gradient that developed under humid climate from the retreating Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand. We determined the stocks of particulate and mineral-associated carbon, the isotope signature and microbial decomposability of organic matter, and plant and microbial biomarkers (lignin phenols, amino sugars and acids) in MOM. Results revealed that litter quality had little effect on the accumulation of mineral-associated carbon and that plant-derived carbon bypassed microbial assimilation at all soil depths. Seemingly, MOM forms by sorption of microbial as well as plant-derived compounds to minerals. The MOM in carbon-saturated topsoil was characterized by the steady exchange of older for recent carbon, while subsoil MOM arises from retention of organic matter transported with percolating water. Overall, MOM formation is not monocausal but involves various mechanisms and processes, with reactive minerals being effective filters capable of erasing chemical differences in organic matter inputs.
AB - Formation of mineral-organic associations is a key process in the global carbon cycle. Recent concepts propose litter quality-controlled microbial assimilation and direct sorption processes as main factors in transferring carbon from plant litter into mineral-organic associations. We explored the pathways of the formation of mineral-associated organic matter (MOM) in soil profiles along a 120-ky ecosystem gradient that developed under humid climate from the retreating Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand. We determined the stocks of particulate and mineral-associated carbon, the isotope signature and microbial decomposability of organic matter, and plant and microbial biomarkers (lignin phenols, amino sugars and acids) in MOM. Results revealed that litter quality had little effect on the accumulation of mineral-associated carbon and that plant-derived carbon bypassed microbial assimilation at all soil depths. Seemingly, MOM forms by sorption of microbial as well as plant-derived compounds to minerals. The MOM in carbon-saturated topsoil was characterized by the steady exchange of older for recent carbon, while subsoil MOM arises from retention of organic matter transported with percolating water. Overall, MOM formation is not monocausal but involves various mechanisms and processes, with reactive minerals being effective filters capable of erasing chemical differences in organic matter inputs.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85069499497&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-019-46501-4
DO - 10.1038/s41598-019-46501-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 31312015
AN - SCOPUS:85069499497
VL - 9
JO - Scientific reports
JF - Scientific reports
SN - 2045-2322
IS - 1
M1 - 10294
ER -