Deep soil flipping increases carbon stocks of New Zealand grasslands

Sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC) has been recognized as an opportunity to off‐set global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Flipping (full inversion to 1–3 m) is a practice used on New Zealand's South Island West Coast to eliminate water‐logging in highly podzolized sandy soils. Flipping results in burial of SOC formed in surface soil horizons into the subsoil and the transfer of subsoil material low in SOC to the “new” topsoil. The aims of this study were to quantify changes in the storage and stability of SOC over a 20‐year period following flipping of high‐productive pasture grassland. Topsoils (0–30 cm) from sites representing a chronosequence of flipping (3–20 years old) were sampled (2005/07) and re‐sampled (2017) to assess changes in topsoil carbon stocks. Deeper samples (30–150 cm) were also collected (2017) to evaluate the changes in stocks of SOC previously buried by flipping. Density fractionation was used to determine SOC stability in recent and buried topsoils. Total SOC stocks (0–150 cm) increased significantly by 69 ± 15% (179 ± 40 Mg SOC ha^‐1) over 20 years following flipping. Topsoil burial caused a one‐time sequestration of 160 ± 14 Mg SOC ha^‐1 (30–150 cm). The top 0–30 cm accumulated 3.6 Mg SOC ha^‐1 year^‐1. The chronosequence and re‐sampling revealed SOC accumulation rates of 1.2–1.8 Mg SOC ha^‐1 year^‐1 in the new surface soil (0–15 cm) and a SOC deficit of 36 ± 5% after 20 years. Flipped subsoils contained up to 32% labile SOC (compared to <1% in un‐flipped subsoils) thus buried SOC was preserved. This study confirms that burial of SOC and the exposure of SOC depleted subsoil results in an overall increase of SOC stocks of the whole soil profile and long‐term SOC preservation.     

Quantifying the effects of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) on deep organic C stocks using natural abundance 14C in three marginal soils

Perennial bioenergy crops have been shown to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, potentially offsetting anthropogenic C emissions. The effects of perennial bioenergy crops on SOC are typically assessed at shallow depths (<30 cm), but the deep root systems of these crops may also have substantial effects on SOC stocks at greater depths. We hypothesized that deep (>30 cm) SOC stocks would be greater under bioenergy crops relative to stocks under shallow‐rooted conventional crop cover. To test this, we sampled soils to between 1‐ and 3‐m depth at three sites in Oklahoma with 10‐ to 20‐year‐old switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) stands, and collected paired samples from nearby fields cultivated with shallow rooted annual crops. We measured root biomass, total organic C, ¹⁴C, ¹³C, and other soil properties in three replicate soil cores in each field and used a mixing model to estimate the proportion of recently fixed C under switchgrass based on ¹⁴C. The subsoil C stock under switchgrass (defined over 500–1500 kg/m² equivalent soil mass, approximately 30–100 cm depth) exceeded the subsoil stock in neighboring fields by 1.5 kg C/m² at a sandy loam site, 0.6 kg C/m² at a site with loam soils, and showed no significant difference at a third site with clay soils. Using the mixing model, we estimated that additional SOC introduced after switchgrass cultivation comprised 31% of the subsoil C stock at the sandy loam site, 22% at the loam site, and 0% at the clay site. These results suggest that switchgrass can contribute significantly to subsoil organic C—but also indicated that this effect varies across sites. Our analysis shows that agricultural strategies that emphasize deep‐rooted grass cultivars can increase soil C relative to conventional crops while expanding energy biomass production on marginal lands.     

Climate warming alters subsoil but not topsoil carbon dynamics in alpine grassland

Subsoil contains more than half of soil organic carbon (SOC) globally and is conventionally assumed to be relatively unresponsive to warming compared to the topsoil. Here, we show substantial changes in carbon allocation and dynamics of the subsoil but not topsoil in the Qinghai‐Tibetan alpine grasslands over 5 years of warming. Specifically, warming enhanced the accumulation of newly synthesized (¹⁴C‐enriched) carbon in the subsoil slow‐cycling pool (silt‐clay fraction) but promoted the decomposition of plant‐derived lignin in the fast‐cycling pool (macroaggregates). These changes mirrored an accumulation of lipids and sugars at the expense of lignin in the warmed bulk subsoil, likely associated with shortened soil freezing period and a deepening root system. As warming is accompanied by deepening roots in a wide range of ecosystems, root‐driven accrual of slow‐cycling pool may represent an important and overlooked mechanism for a potential long‐term carbon sink at depth. Moreover, given the contrasting sensitivity of SOC dynamics at varied depths, warming studies focusing only on surface soils may vastly misrepresent shifts in ecosystem carbon storage under climate change.     

Frankia strains of soil underBetula pendula: Behaviour in soil and in pure culture

A K/Rb isotope dilution method was used to determine the uptake of K from undisturbed subsoils. Rb was applied to the topsoil (0–30 cm) to trace the K taken up from the topsoil by crops. The K/Rb ratio in the crops increases when roots contact the Rb-free subsoil. This change in the K/Rb ratio enables the calculation of the uptake of K from the subsoil. Results of 34 field experiments on loess-parabrown soils in N. Germany showed that the subsoil (>30 cm) supplied, on average, 34% of the total K uptake by spring wheat (range 9–70%). The range between the experimental sites is considered in relation to the contents of K in the top and subsoils (as extracted by 0.025 N CaCl₂ solution), the proportion of the total root length in the subsoils, and competition for K between roots in the top and subsoil. In subsoils with similar K contents, uptake from the subsoil decreased significantly from 65 to 21% of total K uptake, as K contents in the topsoils increased from 4 to 8 mg K/100 g. On sites with the same K contents in topsoils (9 mg K/100 g), the subsoil supplied 12 to 61% of total K uptake as the K contents of the subsoil increased from 2 to 27 mg K/100 g. The contribution of uptake of K from the subsoil increased with the development of the crop, from 8% at first node stage to 35% at ear emergence, as the proportion of total root length in the subsoil increased. High root length densities in the topsoil (9 cm/cm³) resulted in competition for K between roots and increased uptake of K from the subsoil.     

Fine Root and Soil Organic Carbon Depth Distributions are Inversely Related Across Fertility and Rainfall Gradients in Lowland Tropical Forests

Humid tropical forests contain some of the largest soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks on Earth. Much of this SOC is in subsoil, yet variation in the distribution of SOC through the soil profile remains poorly characterized across tropical forests. We used a correlative approach to quantify relationships among depth distributions of SOC, fine root biomass, nutrients and texture to 1 m depths across 43 lowland tropical forests in Panama. The sites span rainfall and soil fertility gradients, and these are largely uncorrelated for these sites. We used fitted β parameters to characterize depth distributions, where β is a numerical index based on an asymptotic relationship, such that larger β values indicate greater concentrations of root biomass or SOC at depth in the profile. Root β values ranged from 0.82 to 0.95 and were best predicted by soil pH and extractable potassium (K) stocks. For example, the three most acidic (pH?<?4) and K-poor (<?20 g K m^?2) soils contained 76?±?5% of fine root biomass from 0 to 10 cm depth, while the three least acidic (pH?>?6.0) and most K-rich (>?50 g K m^?2) soils contained only 41?±?9% of fine root biomass at this depth. Root β and SOC β values were inversely related, such that a large fine root biomass in surface soils corresponded to large SOC stocks in subsoils (50–100 cm). SOC β values were best predicted by soil pH and base cation stocks, with the three most base-poor soils containing 34?±?8% of SOC from 50 to 100 cm depth, and the three most base-rich soils containing just 9?±?2% of SOC at this depth. Nutrient depth distributions were not related to Root β or SOC β values. These data show that large surface root biomass stocks are associated with large subsoil C stocks in strongly weathered tropical soils. Further studies are required to evaluate why this occurs, and whether changes in surface root biomass, as may occur with global change, could in turn influence SOC storage in tropical forest subsoils.

     

Fate and stability of dissolved organic carbon in topsoils and subsoils under beech forests

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from Oa horizons has been proposed to be an important contributor for subsoil organic carbon stocks. We investigated the fate of DOC by directly injecting a DOC solution from ¹³C labelled litter into three soil depths at beech forest sites. Fate of injected DOC was quantified with deep drilling soil cores down to 2 m depth, 3 and 17 months after the injection. 27 ± 26% of the injected DOC was retained after 3 months and 17 ± 22% after 17 months. Retained DOC was to 70% found in the first 10 cm below the injection depth and on average higher in the topsoil than in the subsoil. After 17 months DOC in the topsoil was largely lost (− 19%) while DOC in the subsoil did not change much (− 4.4%). Data indicated a high stabilisation of injected DOC in the subsoils with no differences between the sites. Potential mineralisation as revealed by incubation experiments however, was not different between DOC injected in topsoil or subsoils underlining the importance of environmental factors in the subsoil for DOC stabilisation compared to topsoil. We conclude that stability of DOC in subsoil is primary driven by its spatial inaccessibility for microorganisms after matrix flow while site specific properties did not significantly affect stabilisation. Instead, a more fine-textured site promotes the vertical transport of DOC due to a higher abundance of preferential flow paths.

     

Changes in Organic Carbon and Trace Elements in the Soil of Willow Short-Rotation Coppice Plantations

Short rotation coppice (SRC) is a biomass production system for energy usually grown on former agricultural land with fast-growing tree species. In Sweden, willow SRC has been grown since the late 1980s. SRC on arable soils may induce changes in some soil quality parameters due to differences in crop characteristics and management practices. In this study, pH, organic carbon (C), and trace element concentrations in the soil of 14 long-term (10–20 years) commercial willow SRC fields in Sweden were compared with those in adjacent, conventionally managed arable soils. The results showed that organic C concentrations in the topsoil and subsoil of SRC fields were, on average, significantly higher (9 % in topsoil, 27 % in subsoil) than in the reference fields. When comparisons were made only for the ten sites where the reference field had a crop rotation dominated by cereal crops, the corresponding figures were 10 % and 22 %. The average concentration of cadmium (Cd), which is considered the most hazardous trace element for human health in the food chain, was 12 % lower in the topsoil of SRC fields than in the reference fields. In the corresponding comparison of subsoils, no such difference was found. For chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), there were no significant differences in concentrations between SRC fields and the reference fields in either topsoil or subsoil. Negligible differences in pH in the same comparisons were found.     

Cadmium uptake by crops from the subsoil

Plant roots penetrate into the subsoil from which they may take up heavy metals, resulting in accumulation in the plant. The subsoil may contain heavy metals, possibly as a result of ploughing down contaminated topsoil. This is why the effect of Cd in the subsoil on Cd plant uptake was studied in outdoor miniplots in eight consecutive years. Cd (as Cd(NO3)2.4H2O) was added to four different layers of two soils (a sand and a sandy loam) at the start of the experiment. Nine arable and vegetable crops were grown and analysed for Cd. For most investigated crops Cd uptake increased linearly with increasing depth of Cd addition to the soils and for some crops (spinach and potato) the increase was exponential (decreasing increase). Cd uptake by crops on sand was higher than on sandy loam. As most investigated crops accumulated Cd from the subsoil, ploughing down a Cd-contaminated topsoil into the subsoil is a risk for the safe production of food and feed crops. It is concluded that acceptable Cd concentration levels in soils should not only be based an the Cd concentration in the topsoil but also on that in the rooted subsoil.     

Carbon cycling in eroding landscapes: geomorphic controls on soil organic C pool composition and C stabilization

Recent studies have highlighted the tight coupling between geomorphic processes and soil carbon (C) turnover and suggested that eroding landscapes can stabilize more C than their non‐eroding counterparts. However, large uncertainties remain and a mechanistic understanding of geomorphic effects on C storage in soils is still lacking. Here, we quantified the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and pool distribution along geomorphic gradients and combined data derived from soil organic matter fractionation and incubation experiments. The size and composition of the SOC pools were strongly related to geomorphic position: 1.6 to 6.2 times more C was stabilized in the subsoils (25–100cm) of depositional profiles than in those of eroding profiles. Subsoil C of depositional profiles is predominantly associated with microaggregates and silt‐sized particles which are associated with pools of intermediate stability. We observed a significantly higher mean residence time for the fast and intermediate turnover pools of buried C at depositional positions, relative to non‐eroding and eroding positions, resulting from the physical protection of C associated with microaggregates and silt particles. Conversely, significant amounts of C were replaced at eroding positions but the lower degree of decomposition and the lack of physically protected C, resulted in higher respiration rates. By considering C cycling at non‐eroding, eroding and depositional positions, we found that the eroding landscapes studied store up to 10% more C due to soil redistribution processes than non‐eroding landscapes. This is the result of the stabilization of C in former subsoil at eroding positions and partial preservation of buried C in pools of intermediate turnover at depositional positions. However, the sink strength was limited by significant losses of buried C as only a small fraction of the C was associated with stable pools.     

Distribution of spring barley roots in Danish soils,of different texture and under different climatic conditions

Summary Spring barley root profiles have been investigated in three years with different climatological conditions during the growing season. In total, 50 root profiles were determined by measuring cm root/ml soil in different 10 cm sections of the profile. The investigations, show that the root density was nearly identical for all soil types within the upper part of the plough layer. The decrease in root density with depth is most pronounced for the sandy soils and less for the loamy soils. The mean max. root depth in the sandy soils was roughly 70 cm, while it was roughly 140 cm for the loamy soils. A comparison between the clay and silt content in the subsoil and the thickness of soil layers with more than given root densities shows that there is no correlation between texture and thickness of soil layers with more than 1.0 cm root/ml soil, while there was a clear, positive correlation between thickness of soil layers with lower root densities and the clay and silt content in the subsoil. The different climatological conditions during the growing season give rise to differences in the root development. Very wet springs seem to impede root development in loamy soils with slowly permeable subsoils, while this is not the case in the sandy soils.     

Depth‐dependent soil organic carbon dynamics of croplands across the Chengdu Plain of China from the 1980s to the 2010s

Agricultural soils have tremendous potential to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC) and mitigate global climate change. However, agricultural land use has a profound impact on SOC dynamics, and few studies have explored how agricultural land use combined with soil conditions affect SOC changes throughout the soil profile. Based on a paired soil resampling campaign in the 1980s and 2010s, this study investigated the SOC changes of the soil profile caused by agricultural land use and the correlations with parent material and topography across the Chengdu Plain of China. The results showed that the SOC content increased by 3.78 g C/kg in the topsoil (0–20 cm), but decreased in the 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm soil layers by 0.90 and 1.26 g C/kg respectively. SOC increases in topsoil were observed for all types of agricultural land. Afforestation on former agricultural land also caused SOC decreases in the 20–60 cm soil layers, while SOC decreases only occurred in the 40–60 cm soil layer for agricultural land using a traditional crop rotation (i.e. traditional rice–wheat/rapeseed rotation) and with rice–vegetable rotations converted from the traditional rotations. For each agricultural land use, SOC decreases in deep soils only occurred in high relief areas and in soils formed from Q4 (Quaternary Holocene) grey‐brown alluvium and Q4 grey alluvium that had a relatively low soil bulk density and clay content. The results indicated that SOC change caused by agricultural land use was depth dependent and that the effects of agricultural land use on soil profile SOC dynamics varied with soil characteristics and topography. Subsoil SOC decreases were more likely to occur in high relief areas and in soils with low soil bulk density and low clay content.     

The effects of drying of the topsoil and of micronutrients in the subsoil on micronutrient uptake by an intermittently defoliated ryegrass

Summary A glasshouse experiment was conducted to study the effects of water content of the topsoil on the micronutrient nutrition of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) growing in a siliceous sandy soil of marginal micronutrient status, with and without a supply of micronutrients at lower depths. The main objectives were to investigate whether micronutrient supplies would be sustained for the regrowth of defoliated grass after the topsoil had dried, and to assess the contribution made by small amounts of micronutrients in the subsoil to nutrient supply.In the absence of supply from deeper layers, topsoil drying rapidly induced deficiency of micronutrients, particularly of manganese, resulting in significant yield depression. When small amounts of micronutrients were present in a deeper, wet layer there was little reduction in yield after the topsoil had dried.The evidence suggests that, provided the roots had access to water in the subsoils, significant amounts of manganese, zinc and copper can be absorbed from topsoils as dry or drier than wilting point. Supply of micronutrients to the subsoil appears to have enhanced the efficiency of manganese absorption from dry topsoil.     

Distinct microbial communities associated with buried soils in the Siberian tundra

Cryoturbation, the burial of topsoil material into deeper soil horizons by repeated freeze–thaw events, is an important storage mechanism for soil organic matter (SOM) in permafrost-affected soils. Besides abiotic conditions, microbial community structure and the accessibility of SOM to the decomposer community are hypothesized to control SOM decomposition and thus have a crucial role in SOM accumulation in buried soils. We surveyed the microbial community structure in cryoturbated soils from nine soil profiles in the northeastern Siberian tundra using high-throughput sequencing and quantification of bacterial, archaeal and fungal marker genes. We found that bacterial abundances in buried topsoils were as high as in unburied topsoils. In contrast, fungal abundances decreased with depth and were significantly lower in buried than in unburied topsoils resulting in remarkably low fungal to bacterial ratios in buried topsoils. Fungal community profiling revealed an associated decrease in presumably ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. The abiotic conditions (low to subzero temperatures, anoxia) and the reduced abundance of fungi likely provide a niche for bacterial, facultative anaerobic decomposers of SOM such as members of the Actinobacteria, which were found in significantly higher relative abundances in buried than in unburied topsoils. Our study expands the knowledge on the microbial community structure in soils of Northern latitude permafrost regions, and attributes the delayed decomposition of SOM in buried soils to specific microbial taxa, and particularly to a decrease in abundance and activity of ECM fungi, and to the extent to which bacterial decomposers are able to act as their functional substitutes.     

Surficial gains and subsoil losses of soil carbon and nitrogen during secondary forest development

Reforestation of formerly cultivated land is widely understood to accumulate above‐ and belowground detrital organic matter pools, including soil organic matter. However, during 40 years of study of reforestation in the subtropical southeastern USA, repeated observations of above‐ and belowground carbon documented that significant gains in soil organic matter (SOM) in surface soils (0–7.5 cm) were offset by significant SOM losses in subsoils (35–60 cm). Here, we extended the observation period in this long‐term experiment by an additional decade, and used soil fractionation and stable isotopes and radioisotopes to explore changes in soil organic carbon and soil nitrogen that accompanied nearly 50 years of loblolly pine secondary forest development. We observed that accumulations of mineral soil C and N from 0 to 7.5 cm were almost entirely due to accumulations of light‐fraction SOM. Meanwhile, losses of soil C and N from mineral soils at 35 to 60 cm were from SOM associated with silt and clay‐sized particles. Isotopic signatures showed relatively large accumulations of forest‐derived carbon in surface soils, and little to no accumulation of forest‐derived carbon in subsoils. We argue that the land use change from old field to secondary forest drove biogeochemical and hydrological changes throughout the soil profile that enhanced microbial activity and SOM decomposition in subsoils. However, when the pine stands aged and began to transition to mixed pines and hardwoods, demands on soil organic matter for nutrients to support aboveground growth eased due to pine mortality, and subsoil organic matter levels stabilized. This study emphasizes the importance of long‐term experiments and deep measurements when characterizing soil C and N responses to land use change and the remarkable paucity of such long‐term soil data deeper than 30 cm.     

Effects of straw carbon input on carbon dynamics in agricultural soils: a meta‐analysis

Straw return has been widely recommended as an environmentally friendly practice to manage carbon (C) sequestration in agricultural ecosystems. However, the overall trend and magnitude of changes in soil C in response to straw return remain uncertain. In this meta‐analysis, we calculated the response ratios of soil organic C (SOC) concentrations, greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission, nutrient contents and other important soil properties to straw addition in 176 published field studies. Our results indicated that straw return significantly increased SOC concentration by 12.8 ± 0.4% on average, with a 27.4 ± 1.4% to 56.6 ± 1.8% increase in soil active C fraction. CO₂ emission increased in both upland (27.8 ± 2.0%) and paddy systems (51.0 ± 2.0%), while CH₄ emission increased by 110.7 ± 1.2% only in rice paddies. N₂O emission has declined by 15.2 ± 1.1% in paddy soils but increased by 8.3 ± 2.5% in upland soils. Responses of macro‐aggregates and crop yield to straw return showed positively linear with increasing SOC concentration. Straw‐C input rate and clay content significantly affected the response of SOC. A significant positive relationship was found between annual SOC sequestered and duration, suggesting that soil C saturation would occur after 12 years under straw return. Overall, straw return was an effective means to improve SOC accumulation, soil quality, and crop yield. Straw return‐induced improvement of soil nutrient availability may favor crop growth, which can in turn increase ecosystem C input. Meanwhile, the analysis on net global warming potential (GWP) balance suggested that straw return increased C sink in upland soils but increased C source in paddy soils due to enhanced CH₄ emission. Our meta‐analysis suggested that future agro‐ecosystem models and cropland management should differentiate the effects of straw return on ecosystem C budget in upland and paddy soils.     

可溶性有机碳在米槠天然林不同土层中的迁移特征

选取我国中亚热带典型的常绿阔叶林米槠天然林(Castanopsis carlesii)为研究对象,采集林内米槠凋落物并通过挖剖面法分6个土层采集土样至1m。通过浸提米槠凋落物得到可溶性有机碳(dissolved organic carbon,DOC)溶液并在室内模拟其在不同土层的淋溶过程,不仅分析了土壤性质对DOC淋溶的影响,还研究了淋溶前后DOC化学结构的变化,以阐明DOC在不同土层中的迁移特征及影响因素,探寻米槠天然林土壤的固碳潜力和DOC在土壤有机碳循环中的作用。结果表明:(1)下层土壤比上层土壤吸附DOC的能力更强,亲水性DOC与疏水性DOC间会争夺土壤颗粒表面的吸附位点,而且芳香化合物和大分子物质等疏水性DOC组分会被优先吸附;(2)红外光谱表明,芳香类和醚类等疏水性物质会优先被吸附,烷烃类物质却不易被吸附,土壤中原有的酚、醇类亲水性物质会被初始DOC中的疏水性物质置换出来;(3)土壤DOC的截留能力与粘粒、游离氧化铁含量呈极显著正相关,而与土壤有机碳和砂粒含量呈极显著负相关,其中土壤有机碳的含量是影响米槠天然林不同土层DOC截留量的关键因素。     

Increase in soil organic carbon stock over the last two decades in China's Jiangsu Province

Estimates of regional and national topsoil soil organic carbon (SOC) stock change may help evaluating the soil role in mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through carbon (C) sequestration in soils. However, understanding of the exact mitigation role is often constrained by the uncertainty of the stock estimation associated with different methodologies. In this paper, a soil database of topsoil (0–20 cm) SOC measurements of Jiangsu Province, China, obtained from a soil survey in 1982, and from a geological survey in 2004, was used to analyze the variability of topsoil SOC among soil groups and among soil regions, and to estimate the change in SOC stocks that have occurred in the province over the last two decades. The soil survey data was obtained from measurements of 662 690 randomly collected samples, while the geological survey data was from 24 167 samples taken using a 2 km × 2 km grid. Statistical analysis was conducted on SOC values for 1982 and 2004 for different categories of soil groups, soil regions, and administrative municipalities, respectively. Topsoil SOC storage was then calculated and the provincial topsoil SOC stock was estimated for each sampling time. There were remarkable differences in SOC levels between soil groups and soil regions and different municipalities. The grid sampling with the geological survey in 2004 yielded smaller variability of topsoil SOC averages, both with soil groups and with soil spatial distribution than the random sampling method used in 1982. Variation of SOC was greater with soil groups than with soil regions in both sampling times, although it was less variable across soil taxonomic categories than within a spatial category. Little variance of the SOC level with soil groups could be explained by clay content. However, the prevalence of paddy fields in the total cropland area governed the regional and municipal average SOC levels. The average provincial topsoil SOC content increased from 9.45 g kg⁻¹ in 1982 to 10.9 g kg⁻¹ in 2004, and the total provincial topsoil SOC stock was enhanced from 149.0±58.1 Tg C in 1982 to 173.2±51.4 Tg C in 2004, corresponding to a provincial average SOC sequestration rate of 0.16±0.09 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. The SOC sequestration trend for the last two decades could be, in part, attributed to the enhanced agricultural production, symbolized by the grain yield per hectare. The results of SOC stock changes suggest a significant C sequestration in soils of Jiangsu, China, during 1980–2000, with paddy management playing an important role in regional SOC storage and sequestration capacity.     

Deepened snow cover increases grassland soil carbon stocks by incorporating carbon inputs into deep soil layers

Climate-induced changes in snow cover can greatly impact winter soil microclimate and spring water supply. These effects, in turn, can influence plant and microbial activity and the strength of leaching processes, potentially altering the distribution and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) across different soil depths. However, few studies have examined how changes in snow cover will affect SOC stocks, and even less is known about the impact of snow cover on SOC dynamics along soil profiles. By selecting 11 snow fences along a 570 km climate gradient in Inner Mongolia, covering arid, temperate, and meadow steppes, we measured plant and microbial biomass, community composition, SOC content, and other soil parameters from topsoil to a depth of 60 cm. We found that deepened snow increased aboveground and belowground plant biomass, as well as microbial biomass. Plant and microbial carbon input were positively correlated with grassland SOC stocks. More importantly, we found that deepened snow altered SOC distribution along vertical soil profiles. The increase in SOC caused by deepened snow was much greater in the subsoil (+74.7%; 40–60 cm) than that in the topsoil (+19.0%; 0–5 cm). Additionally, the controls on SOC content under deepened snow differed between the topsoil and subsoil layers. The increase in microbial and root biomass jointly enhanced topsoil C accumulation, while the increase in leaching processes became critical in promoting subsoil C accumulation. We conclude that under deepened snow, the subsoil had a high capacity to sink C by incorporating C leached from the topsoil, suggesting that the subsoil, originally thought to be climate insensitive, could have a higher response to precipitation changes due to vertical C transport. Our study highlights the importance of considering soil depth when assessing the impacts of snow cover changes on SOC dynamics.     

Storage and sequestration potential of topsoil organic carbon in China's paddy soils

Carbon (C) storage and sequestration in agricultural soils is considered to be an important issue in the study of terrestrial C cycling and global climatic change. The baseline C stock and the C sequestration potential are among the criteria for a region or a state to adopt strategies or policies in response to commitment to the Kyoto Protocol. Paddy soils represent a large portion of global cropland. However, little information on the potential of C sequestration and storage is available for such soils. In this paper, an estimation of the topsoil soil organic carbon (SOC) pool and the sequestration potential of paddy soils in China was made by using the data from the 2nd State Soil Survey carried out during 1979–1982 and from the nationwide arable soil monitoring system established since then. Results showed that the SOC density ranged from 12 to 226 t C ha^?1 with an area‐weighted mean density of 44 t C ha^?1, which is comparable to that of the US grasslands and is higher than that of the cultivated dryland soils in China and the US. The estimated total topsoil SOC pool is 1.3 Pg, with 0.85 Pg from the upper plow layer and 0.45 Pg from the plowpan layer. This pool size is ～2% of China's total storage in the top 1 m of the soil profiles and ～4% of the total topsoil pool, while the area percentage of paddy soil is 3.4% of the total land. The C pool in paddy soils was found predominantly in southeast China geographically and in the subgroups of Fe‐accumulating and Fe‐leaching paddy soils pedogenetically. In comparison with dryland cultivation, irrigation‐based rice cultivation in China has induced significant enrichment of SOC storage (0.3 Pg) in paddy soils. The induced total C sequestration equals half of China's total annual CO₂ emission in the 1990s. Estimates using different SOC sequestration scenarios show that the paddy soils of China have an easily attainable SOC sequestration potential of 0.7 Pg under present conditions and may ultimately sequester 3.0 Pg. Soil monitoring data showed that the current C sequestration rate is 12 Tg yr^?1. The total C sequestration potential and the current sequestration rate of the paddy soils are over 30%, while the area of the paddy soils is 26% that of China's total croplands. Therefore, practicing sustainable agriculture is urgently needed for enhancing SOC storage to realize the ultimate SOC sequestration of rice‐based agriculture of China, as the current C sequestration rate is significantly lower than the potential rate.     

Increased soil carbon storage through plant diversity strengthens with time and extends into the subsoil

Soils are important for ecosystem functioning and service provisioning. Soil communities and their functions, in turn, are strongly promoted by plant diversity, and such positive effects strengthen with time. However, plant diversity effects on soil organic matter have mostly been investigated in the topsoil, and there are only very few long-term studies. Thus, it remains unclear if plant diversity effects strengthen with time and to which depth these effects extend. Here, we repeatedly sampled soil to 1 m depth in a long-term grassland biodiversity experiment. We investigated how plant diversity impacted soil organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations and stocks and their stable isotopes ¹³C and ¹⁵N, as well as how these effects changed after 5, 10, and 14 years. We found that higher plant diversity increased carbon and nitrogen storage in the topsoil since the establishment of the experiment. Stable isotopes revealed that these increases were associated with new plant-derived inputs, resulting in less processed and less decomposed soil organic matter. In subsoils, mainly the presence of specific plant functional groups drove organic matter dynamics. For example, the presence of deep-rooting tall herbs decreased carbon concentrations, most probably through stimulating soil organic matter decomposition. Moreover, plant diversity effects on soil organic matter became stronger in topsoil over time and reached subsoil layers, while the effects of specific plant functional groups in subsoil progressively diminished over time. Our results indicate that after changing the soil system the pathways of organic matter transfer to the subsoil need time to establish. In our grassland system, organic matter storage in subsoils was driven by the redistribution of already stored soil organic matter from the topsoil to deeper soil layers, for example, via bioturbation or dissolved organic matter. Therefore, managing plant diversity may, thus, have significant implications for subsoil carbon storage and other critical ecosystem services.