Particulate organic matter as a functional soil component for persistent soil organic carbon

Kristina Witzgall (), Alix Vidal, David I. Schubert, Carmen Höschen, Steffen A. Schweizer, Franz Buegger, Valérie Pouteau, Claire Chenu and Carsten W. Mueller
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Kristina Witzgall: Soil Science, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich
Alix Vidal: Soil Science, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich
David I. Schubert: Institute for Organic Farming, Soil and Resource Management, Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture
Carmen Höschen: Soil Science, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich
Steffen A. Schweizer: Soil Science, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich
Franz Buegger: Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München (GmbH), German Research Center for Environmental Health
Valérie Pouteau: UMR Ecosys, INRA AgroParisTech, Bât. EGER
Claire Chenu: UMR Ecosys, INRA AgroParisTech, Bât. EGER
Carsten W. Mueller: Soil Science, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The largest terrestrial organic carbon pool, carbon in soils, is regulated by an intricate connection between plant carbon inputs, microbial activity, and the soil matrix. This is manifested by how microorganisms, the key players in transforming plant-derived carbon into soil organic carbon, are controlled by the physical arrangement of organic and inorganic soil particles. Here we conduct an incubation of isotopically labelled litter to study effects of soil structure on the fate of litter-derived organic matter. While microbial activity and fungal growth is enhanced in the coarser-textured soil, we show that occlusion of organic matter into aggregates and formation of organo-mineral associations occur concurrently on fresh litter surfaces regardless of soil structure. These two mechanisms—the two most prominent processes contributing to the persistence of organic matter—occur directly at plant–soil interfaces, where surfaces of litter constitute a nucleus in the build-up of soil carbon persistence. We extend the notion of plant litter, i.e., particulate organic matter, from solely an easily available and labile carbon substrate, to a functional component at which persistence of soil carbon is directly determined.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24192-8

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