pH: A core node of interaction networks among soil organo-mineral fractions

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Bin Niu
  • Tianzhu Lei
  • Qiuyu Chen
  • Ming Shao
  • Xiaoqin Yang
  • Hongzhe Jiao
  • Yibo Yang
  • Georg Guggenberger
  • Gengxin Zhang

Research Organisations

External Research Organisations

  • Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
  • University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS)
  • Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources
  • University of Manchester
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number108058
JournalEnvironment international
Volume178
Early online date25 Jun 2023
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2023

Abstract

Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is the largest soil organic carbon (OC) pool with the longest turnover. MAOM is expected to have relatively little sensitivity to climate change due to mineral protection, but its persistence involves several organo-mineral fractions. The uncertainty in the response of specific organo-mineral fractions to climate change hampers the reliability of predictions of MAOM preservation in the future. Here, we applied a sequential chemical fractionation method integrated with network analysis to investigate MAOM stabilization mechanisms across five alpine ecosystems: alpine desert, alpine steppe, alpine meadow, alpine wetland, and alpine forest. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed grouping of seven extractable OM fractions in MAOM into three OM clusters: a cluster with weak bondings consisting of water-soluble OM (WSOM) and weakly adsorbed fractions (2.1–21.3% of total OC); a cluster with metal-bound complexes comprising Ca-OM complexes and Fe/Al-OM complexes (3.8–12.2% of total OC); and a cluster with strong bonding composed of Al oxyhydroxides, carbonates and Fe oxyhydroxides (12.2–33.5% of total OC). The relative percentages of OM from soils of the five ecosystems in the three clusters exhibited distinct pH dependence patterns. With the increase in pH, the cluster with weak bondings decreased, and that with strong bondings increased, while the one with metal-bound complexes showed a maximum at weakly acidic pH. Organo-mineral fractions and metal cations in MAOM constructed a complex network with pH as the central node. Results suggest that precipitation does not only alter vegetation type and microbial biomass but also regulate soil pH, which is balanced by specific metal cations, thus resulting in particular pH preference of specific OM clusters. These findings demonstrate that soil pH plays a central role in unveiling MAOM dynamics and can serve as a good predictor of soil organo-mineral fractions across alpine ecosystems.

Keywords

    Alpine ecosystems, Major metal cations, Network, pH, Precipitation, Sequential chemical extraction

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sustainable Development Goals

Cite this

pH: A core node of interaction networks among soil organo-mineral fractions. / Niu, Bin; Lei, Tianzhu; Chen, Qiuyu et al.
In: Environment international, Vol. 178, 108058, 08.2023.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Niu, B., Lei, T., Chen, Q., Shao, M., Yang, X., Jiao, H., Yang, Y., Guggenberger, G., & Zhang, G. (2023). pH: A core node of interaction networks among soil organo-mineral fractions. Environment international, 178, Article 108058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108058
Niu B, Lei T, Chen Q, Shao M, Yang X, Jiao H et al. pH: A core node of interaction networks among soil organo-mineral fractions. Environment international. 2023 Aug;178:108058. Epub 2023 Jun 25. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108058
Niu, Bin ; Lei, Tianzhu ; Chen, Qiuyu et al. / pH : A core node of interaction networks among soil organo-mineral fractions. In: Environment international. 2023 ; Vol. 178.
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title = "pH: A core node of interaction networks among soil organo-mineral fractions",
abstract = "Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is the largest soil organic carbon (OC) pool with the longest turnover. MAOM is expected to have relatively little sensitivity to climate change due to mineral protection, but its persistence involves several organo-mineral fractions. The uncertainty in the response of specific organo-mineral fractions to climate change hampers the reliability of predictions of MAOM preservation in the future. Here, we applied a sequential chemical fractionation method integrated with network analysis to investigate MAOM stabilization mechanisms across five alpine ecosystems: alpine desert, alpine steppe, alpine meadow, alpine wetland, and alpine forest. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed grouping of seven extractable OM fractions in MAOM into three OM clusters: a cluster with weak bondings consisting of water-soluble OM (WSOM) and weakly adsorbed fractions (2.1–21.3% of total OC); a cluster with metal-bound complexes comprising Ca-OM complexes and Fe/Al-OM complexes (3.8–12.2% of total OC); and a cluster with strong bonding composed of Al oxyhydroxides, carbonates and Fe oxyhydroxides (12.2–33.5% of total OC). The relative percentages of OM from soils of the five ecosystems in the three clusters exhibited distinct pH dependence patterns. With the increase in pH, the cluster with weak bondings decreased, and that with strong bondings increased, while the one with metal-bound complexes showed a maximum at weakly acidic pH. Organo-mineral fractions and metal cations in MAOM constructed a complex network with pH as the central node. Results suggest that precipitation does not only alter vegetation type and microbial biomass but also regulate soil pH, which is balanced by specific metal cations, thus resulting in particular pH preference of specific OM clusters. These findings demonstrate that soil pH plays a central role in unveiling MAOM dynamics and can serve as a good predictor of soil organo-mineral fractions across alpine ecosystems.",
keywords = "Alpine ecosystems, Major metal cations, Network, pH, Precipitation, Sequential chemical extraction",
author = "Bin Niu and Tianzhu Lei and Qiuyu Chen and Ming Shao and Xiaoqin Yang and Hongzhe Jiao and Yibo Yang and Georg Guggenberger and Gengxin Zhang",
note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by grants from the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP) ( 2019QZKK0503 ) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China ( 41871066 , 41471055 ). We also thank the Naqu Alpine Grassland Ecosystem National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station; the Motuo Observation and Research Center for Earth Landscape and Earth System, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and the Southeast Tibet Observation and Research Station for the Alpine Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SETORS), for field sampling. ",
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Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - pH

T2 - A core node of interaction networks among soil organo-mineral fractions

AU - Niu, Bin

AU - Lei, Tianzhu

AU - Chen, Qiuyu

AU - Shao, Ming

AU - Yang, Xiaoqin

AU - Jiao, Hongzhe

AU - Yang, Yibo

AU - Guggenberger, Georg

AU - Zhang, Gengxin

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by grants from the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP) ( 2019QZKK0503 ) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China ( 41871066 , 41471055 ). We also thank the Naqu Alpine Grassland Ecosystem National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station; the Motuo Observation and Research Center for Earth Landscape and Earth System, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and the Southeast Tibet Observation and Research Station for the Alpine Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SETORS), for field sampling.

PY - 2023/8

Y1 - 2023/8

N2 - Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is the largest soil organic carbon (OC) pool with the longest turnover. MAOM is expected to have relatively little sensitivity to climate change due to mineral protection, but its persistence involves several organo-mineral fractions. The uncertainty in the response of specific organo-mineral fractions to climate change hampers the reliability of predictions of MAOM preservation in the future. Here, we applied a sequential chemical fractionation method integrated with network analysis to investigate MAOM stabilization mechanisms across five alpine ecosystems: alpine desert, alpine steppe, alpine meadow, alpine wetland, and alpine forest. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed grouping of seven extractable OM fractions in MAOM into three OM clusters: a cluster with weak bondings consisting of water-soluble OM (WSOM) and weakly adsorbed fractions (2.1–21.3% of total OC); a cluster with metal-bound complexes comprising Ca-OM complexes and Fe/Al-OM complexes (3.8–12.2% of total OC); and a cluster with strong bonding composed of Al oxyhydroxides, carbonates and Fe oxyhydroxides (12.2–33.5% of total OC). The relative percentages of OM from soils of the five ecosystems in the three clusters exhibited distinct pH dependence patterns. With the increase in pH, the cluster with weak bondings decreased, and that with strong bondings increased, while the one with metal-bound complexes showed a maximum at weakly acidic pH. Organo-mineral fractions and metal cations in MAOM constructed a complex network with pH as the central node. Results suggest that precipitation does not only alter vegetation type and microbial biomass but also regulate soil pH, which is balanced by specific metal cations, thus resulting in particular pH preference of specific OM clusters. These findings demonstrate that soil pH plays a central role in unveiling MAOM dynamics and can serve as a good predictor of soil organo-mineral fractions across alpine ecosystems.

AB - Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is the largest soil organic carbon (OC) pool with the longest turnover. MAOM is expected to have relatively little sensitivity to climate change due to mineral protection, but its persistence involves several organo-mineral fractions. The uncertainty in the response of specific organo-mineral fractions to climate change hampers the reliability of predictions of MAOM preservation in the future. Here, we applied a sequential chemical fractionation method integrated with network analysis to investigate MAOM stabilization mechanisms across five alpine ecosystems: alpine desert, alpine steppe, alpine meadow, alpine wetland, and alpine forest. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed grouping of seven extractable OM fractions in MAOM into three OM clusters: a cluster with weak bondings consisting of water-soluble OM (WSOM) and weakly adsorbed fractions (2.1–21.3% of total OC); a cluster with metal-bound complexes comprising Ca-OM complexes and Fe/Al-OM complexes (3.8–12.2% of total OC); and a cluster with strong bonding composed of Al oxyhydroxides, carbonates and Fe oxyhydroxides (12.2–33.5% of total OC). The relative percentages of OM from soils of the five ecosystems in the three clusters exhibited distinct pH dependence patterns. With the increase in pH, the cluster with weak bondings decreased, and that with strong bondings increased, while the one with metal-bound complexes showed a maximum at weakly acidic pH. Organo-mineral fractions and metal cations in MAOM constructed a complex network with pH as the central node. Results suggest that precipitation does not only alter vegetation type and microbial biomass but also regulate soil pH, which is balanced by specific metal cations, thus resulting in particular pH preference of specific OM clusters. These findings demonstrate that soil pH plays a central role in unveiling MAOM dynamics and can serve as a good predictor of soil organo-mineral fractions across alpine ecosystems.

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KW - Major metal cations

KW - Network

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