土壤有机质转化及CO2释放的温度效应研究进展

土壤有机质转化对温度变化的响应,是气候变暖与全球碳循环关系中的核心问题.掌握土壤有机质对温度变化的响应规律,对准确评价气候变暖背景下,全球土壤有机质的转化至关重要.综述了国内外大量研究成果,对基质成分、基质损耗、测试方法、微生物、水分含量等因素,对土壤有机质转化与温度关系的影响机理与影响规律以及Q10的变化规律进行了探讨.提出稳定有机质与不稳定有机质温度敏感性异同问题,应作为土壤有机质转化与温度关系中的核心问题进行深入研究.同时通过分析,提出室内短期培养是首选测试方法.分析认为微生物生长温度曲线与微生物呼吸之间不存在必然联系,而在过低和过高之间,水分含量是否会影响土壤呼吸,有待进一步试验验证.提出随着城市热岛效应这一环境问题的加剧,研究及评价更大温度区间内的城市土壤有机质对温度变化的响应规律十分重要.     

Microbial soil respiration and its dependency on carbon inputs, soil temperature and moisture

This experiment was designed to study three determinant factors in decomposition patterns of soil organic matter (SOM): temperature, water and carbon (C) inputs. The study combined field measurements with soil lab incubations and ends with a modelling framework based on the results obtained. Soil respiration was periodically measured at an oak savanna woodland and a ponderosa pine plantation. Intact soils cores were collected at both ecosystems, including soils with most labile C burnt off, soils with some labile C gone and soils with fresh inputs of labile C. Two treatments, dry‐field condition and field capacity, were applied to an incubation that lasted 111 days. Short‐term temperature changes were applied to the soils periodically to quantify temperature responses. This was done to prevent confounding results associated with different pools of C that would result by exposing treatments chronically to different temperature regimes. This paper discusses the role of the above‐defined environmental factors on the variability of soil C dynamics. At the seasonal scale, temperature and water were, respectively, the main limiting factors controlling soil CO₂ efflux for the ponderosa pine and the oak savanna ecosystems. Spatial and seasonal variations in plant activity (root respiration and exudates production) exerted a strong influence over the seasonal and spatial variation of soil metabolic activity. Mean residence times of bulk SOM were significantly lower at the Nitrogen (N)‐rich deciduous savanna than at the N‐limited evergreen dominated pine ecosystem. At shorter time scales (daily), SOM decomposition was controlled primarily by temperature during wet periods and by the combined effect of water and temperature during dry periods. Secondary control was provided by the presence/absence of plant derived C inputs (exudation). Further analyses of SOM decomposition suggest that factors such as changes in the decomposer community, stress‐induced changes in the metabolic activity of decomposers or SOM stabilization patterns remain unresolved, but should also be considered in future SOM decomposition studies. Observations and confounding factors associated with SOM decomposition patterns and its temperature sensitivity are summarized in the modeling framework.     

Soil‐specific response functions of organic matter mineralization to the availability of labile carbon

Soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization processes are central to the functioning of soils in relation to feedbacks with atmospheric CO₂ concentration, to sustainable nutrient supply, to structural stability and in supporting biodiversity. Recognition that labile C‐inputs to soil (e.g. plant‐derived) can significantly affect mineralization of SOM (‘priming effects’) complicates prediction of environmental and land‐use change effects on SOM dynamics and soil C‐balance. The aim of this study is to construct response functions for SOM priming to labile C (glucose) addition rates, for four contrasting soils. Six rates of glucose (3 atm% ¹³C) addition (in the range 0–1 mg glucose g^?1 soil day^?1) were applied for 8 days. Soil CO₂ efflux was partitioned into SOM‐ and glucose‐derived components by isotopic mass balance, allowing quantification of SOM priming over time for each soil type. Priming effects resulting from pool substitution effects in the microbial biomass (‘apparent priming’) were accounted for by determining treatment effects on microbial biomass size and isotopic composition. In general, SOM priming increased with glucose addition rate, approaching maximum rates specific for each soil (up to 200%). Where glucose additions saturated microbial utilization capacity (>0.5 mg glucose g^?1 soil), priming was a soil‐specific function of glucose mineralization rate. At low to intermediate glucose addition rates, the magnitude (and direction) of priming effects was more variable. These results are consistent with the view that SOM priming is supported by the availability of labile C, that priming is not a ubiquitous function of all components of microbial communities and that soils differ in the extent to which labile C stimulates priming. That priming effects can be represented as response functions to labile C addition rates may be a means of their explicit representation in soil C‐models. However, these response functions are soil‐specific and may be affected by several interacting factors at lower addition rates.     

Effects of simulated exudate C:N stoichiometry on dynamics of carbon and microbial community composition in a subalpine coniferous forest of western Sichuan,China

 目前有关森林根系分泌物及其诱导的土壤生态学效应研究主要关注根系碳(C)源输入, 而极少关注根系分泌物氮(N)源输入及其伴随的C:N化学计量特征对土壤过程和功能的影响, 极大地限制了我们对森林根系-土壤-微生物互作机制的深入认识。该研究以川西亚高山天然林和云杉(Picea asperata)人工林土壤为对象, 模拟配制不同C:N化学计量特征(只有N、C:N = 10、C:N = 50、C:N = 100和只有C处理)的根系分泌物溶液进行人工添加试验, 以探究根系分泌物化学计量特征对两种林分土壤碳动态及其微生物群落结构的影响差异。结果表明: 模拟根系分泌物C添加总体促进了两种林分土壤有机质分解激发效应而降低了土壤总碳(TC)含量, 而N添加在一定程度上缓和了两种林分土壤TC含量的降低幅度, 且C添加导致天然林土壤TC含量的降低幅度明显低于土壤N有效性更低的人工林。几种根系分泌物添加处理对两种林分土壤活性和惰性碳库的影响无明显规律。另外, 根系分泌物C添加总体降低了天然林土壤微生物总磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)含量和细菌、放线菌、真菌PLFA含量, 而总体增加人工林土壤微生物PLFA总量和细菌、放线菌、真菌PLFA含量, 并诱导两种林分土壤微生物群落结构(细菌:真菌相对丰度)也发生了各自不同的变化。上述结果表明森林根系分泌物N源输入和土壤N有效性共同调控根系C源输入对土壤有机质分解激发效应的方向和幅度。研究结果为深入揭示典型森林根系分泌物化学计量特征对土壤生物化学循环过程的调控机制提供了一定的理论依据。     

Decomposition of 13C-labelled standard plant material in a latitudinal transect of European coniferous forests: Differential impact of climate on the decomposition of soil organic matter compartments

¹³C labelled plant material was incubated in situ over 2 to 3 years in 8 conifer forest soils located on acid and limestone parent material along a north-south climatic transect from boreal to dry Mediterranean regions in western Europe. The objectives of the experiment were to evaluate the effects of climate and the soil environment on decomposition and soil organic matter dynamics. Changes in climate were simulated using a north-to-south cascade procedure involving the relocation of labelled soil columns to the next warmer site along the transect.Double exponential, decay-rate functions (for labile and recalcitrant SOM compartments) vs time showed that the thermosensitivity of microbial processes depended on the latitude from which the soil was translocated. Cumulative response functions for air temperature, and for combined temperature and moisture were used as independent variables in first order kinetic models fitted to the decomposition data. In the situations where climatic response functions explained most of the variations in decomposition rates when the soils were translocated, the climate optimised decomposition rates for the local and the translocated soil should be similar. Differences between these two rates indicated that there was either no single climatic response function for one or both compartments, and/or other edaphic factors influenced the translocation effect. The most northern boreal soil showed a high thermosensitivity for recalcitrant organic matter compartment, whereas the labile fraction was less sensitive to climate changes for soils from more southern locations. Hence there was no single climatic function which describe the decay rates for all compartments. At the end of the incubation period it was found that the heat sum to achieve the same carbon losses was lower for soils in the north of the transect than in the south. In the long term, therefore, for a given heat input, decomposition rates would show larger increases in boreal northern sites than in warm temperate regions.The changes in climate produced by soil translocation were more clearly reflected by decomposition rates in the acid soils than for calcareous soils. This indicates that the physicochemical environment can have important differential effects on microbial decomposition of the labile and recalcitrant components of SOM.     

长白山原始阔叶红松林土壤有机质组分小尺度空间异质性

土壤有机质(SOM)对于维持生态系统生产力具有非常重要的意义,有机质的组成、空间分布和空间关联性是影响和控制诸多生态系统过程的重要因素。应用地统计学方法,对长白山原始阔叶红松林局部尺度内0—20 cm土壤有机质与活性有机质的空间异质性进行了研究,并通过交叉半方差分析探讨了二者之间的相关性。研究结果表明:(1)总体上来说,土壤有机碳(SOC)、全氮(TN)、颗粒态有机碳(POC)和颗粒态有机氮(PON)空间异质性较小;而土壤微生物量碳(MBC)、微生物量氮(MBN)和表层(0—10 cm)溶解性有机碳(DOC)的空间异质性较大;(2)SOC、TN、MBC、DOC、POC和PON随着深度的增加空间自相关性增加;而溶解性有机氮(DON)的空间自相关性随深度的增加变化不大;(3)SOC与TN在表层和下层(10—20 cm)均存在空间上的正相关关系;(4)SOC、TN在表层和下层分别与MBC、MBN、DOC、DON和POC呈空间上的正相关性,但是与PON之间的空间相关关系较差;(5)不同土层深度的土壤活性有机质之间的相关关系存在差异。在表层,除POC,PON外,其余土壤活性有机质组分在空间上两两相关;但是随着土壤深度的增加,活性有机质变量之间在空间上两两相关。研究结果表明土壤有机质组分在长白山原始阔叶红松林小尺度内存在不同空间异质性和空间关联性,这为人们更好的理解森林生态系统功能(如土壤养分循环)提供了重要的理论依据。     

Microbial control of soil organic matter mineralization responses to labile carbon in subarctic climate change treatments

Half the global soil carbon (C) is held in high‐latitude systems. Climate change will expose these to warming and a shift towards plant communities with more labile C input. Labile C can also increase the rate of loss of native soil organic matter (SOM); a phenomenon termed ‘priming’. We investigated how warming (+1.1 °C over ambient using open top chambers) and litter addition (90 g m^?2 yr^?1) treatments in the subarctic influenced the susceptibility of SOM mineralization to priming, and its microbial underpinnings. Labile C appeared to inhibit the mineralization of C from SOM by up to 60% within hours. In contrast, the mineralization of N from SOM was stimulated by up to 300%. These responses occurred rapidly and were unrelated to microbial successional dynamics, suggesting catabolic responses. Considered separately, the labile C inhibited C mineralization is compatible with previously reported findings termed ‘preferential substrate utilization’ or ‘negative apparent priming’, while the stimulated N mineralization responses echo recent reports of ‘real priming’ of SOM mineralization. However, C and N mineralization responses derived from the same SOM source must be interpreted together: This suggested that the microbial SOM‐use decreased in magnitude and shifted to components richer in N. This finding highlights that only considering SOM in terms of C may be simplistic, and will not capture all changes in SOM decomposition. The selective mining for N increased in climate change treatments with higher fungal dominance. In conclusion, labile C appeared to trigger catabolic responses of the resident microbial community that shifted the SOM mining to N‐rich components; an effect that increased with higher fungal dominance. Extrapolating from these findings, the predicted shrub expansion in the subarctic could result in an altered microbial use of SOM, selectively mining it for N‐rich components, and leading to a reduced total SOM‐use.     

Anthropogenic N deposition alters soil organic matter biochemistry and microbial communities on decaying fine roots

Fine root litter is a primary source of soil organic matter (SOM), which is a globally important pool of C that is responsive to climate change. We previously established that ~20 years of experimental nitrogen (N) deposition has slowed fine root decay and increased the storage of soil carbon (C; +18%) across a widespread northern hardwood forest ecosystem. However, the microbial mechanisms that have directly slowed fine root decay are unknown. Here, we show that experimental N deposition has decreased the relative abundance of Agaricales fungi (?31%) and increased that of partially ligninolytic Actinobacteria (+24%) on decaying fine roots. Moreover, experimental N deposition has increased the relative abundance of lignin‐derived compounds residing in SOM (+53%), and this biochemical response is significantly related to shifts in both fungal and bacterial community composition. Specifically, the accumulation of lignin‐derived compounds in SOM is negatively related to the relative abundance of ligninolytic Mycena and Kuehneromyces fungi, and positively related to Microbacteriaceae. Our findings suggest that by altering the composition of microbial communities on decaying fine roots such that their capacity for lignin degradation is reduced, experimental N deposition has slowed fine root litter decay, and increased the contribution of lignin‐derived compounds from fine roots to SOM. The microbial responses we observed may explain widespread findings that anthropogenic N deposition increases soil C storage in terrestrial ecosystems. More broadly, our findings directly link composition to function in soil microbial communities, and implicate compositional shifts in mediating biogeochemical processes of global significance.     

Chemical characterization of dissolved organic matter in moist acidic tussock tundra soil using ultra-high resolution 15T FT-ICR mass spectrometry

Global warming is considered one of the most serious environmental issues, substantially mediating abrupt climate changes, and has stronger impacts in the Arctic ecosystems than in any other regions. In particular, thawing permafrost in the Arctic region with warming can be strongly contributing the emission of greenhouse gases (CO₂ and CH₄) that are produced from microbial decomposition of preserved soil organic matter (SOM) or are trapped in frozen permafrost soils, consequently accelerating global warming and abrupt climate changes. Therefore, understanding chemical and physical properties of permafrost SOM is important for interpreting the chemical and biological decomposability of SOM. In this study, we investigated dissolved organic matter (DOM) along the soil depth profile in moist acidic tussock tundra to better understand elemental compositions and distributions of the arctic SOM to evaluate their potential decomposability under climate change. To achieve ultra-high resolution mass profiles, the soil extracts were analyzed using a 15 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer in positive and negative ion modes via electrospray ionization. The results of this analysis revealed that the deeper organic soil (2Oe1 horizon) exhibits less CHON class and more aromatic class compounds compared to the surface organic soils, thus implying that the 2Oe1 horizon has undergone a more decomposition process and consequently possessed the recalcitrant materials. The compositional features of DOM in the Arctic tundra soils are important for understanding the changes in biogeochemical cycles caused from permafrost changes associated with global warming and climate change.     

Climate change effects on the stability and chemistry of soil organic carbon pools in a subalpine grassland

Mountain soils stock large quantities of carbon as particulate organic matter that may be highly vulnerable to climate change. To explore potential shifts in soil organic matter (SOM) form and stability under climate change (warming and reduced precipitations), we studied the dynamics of SOM pools of a mountain grassland in the Swiss Jura as part of a climate manipulation experiment. The climate manipulation (elevational soil transplantation) was set up in October 2009 and simulated two realistic climate change scenarios. After 4 years of manipulation, we performed SOM physical fractionation to extract SOM fractions corresponding to specific turnover rates, in winter and in summer. Soil organic matter fraction chemistry was studied with ultraviolet, 3D fluorescence, and mid-infrared spectroscopies. The most labile SOM fractions showed high intra-annual dynamics (amounts and chemistry) mediated via the seasonal changes of fresh plant debris inputs and confirming their high contribution to the microbial loop. Our climate change manipulation modified the chemical differences between free and intra-aggregate organic matter, suggesting a modification of soil macro-aggregates dynamics. Interestingly, the 4-year climate manipulation affected directly the SOM dynamics, with a decrease in organic C bulk soil content, resulting from significant C-losses in the mineral-associated SOM fraction (MAOM), the most stable form of SOM. This SOC decrease was associated with a decrease in clay content, above- and belowground plants biomass, soil microbial biomass and activity. The combination of these climate changes effects on the plant–soil system could have led to increase C-losses from the MAOM fraction through clay-SOM washing out and DOC leaching in this subalpine grassland.     

Controlled environment soil‐core microcosm unit for investigating fate,migration, and transformation of chemicals in soils

The controlled environment soil‐core microcosm unit (CESMU) methods embody a collection of techniques that began with soil sampling in the field and continued throughout the laboratory investigation of chemical fate, migration, and transformation in site‐specific soils; it was a cost‐effective investigative methodology that could be used to screen chemical materials before initiating high‐cost environmental field studies. Intact soil cores were collected in the field using a hydraulically controlled probe, delivering intact soil‐cores with minimal disturbance directly into high‐density polyethylene pipe (10.3‐cm ID). The inert polyethylene pipe was an effective hydrophobic barrier that remained an integral part of the soil‐core column, obviating subsequent transfers of soil. In the laboratory, each soil column was fitted with a porous ceramic plate and a polyethylene endcap containing fittings for teflon tubing, so that a tension could be applied at the bottom of each soil column (30–35 kPa) to mimic field conditions, thus preventing the undue buildup of water within columns that otherwise would change the chemical, physical, and biological properties of the soil. The intact soil‐cores were housed in the CESMU chamber, a controlled temperature unit with sufficient capacity for maintaining constant temperature within entire soil‐cores. Synthetic rain was added twice a week by peristaltic pump at rates simulating rainfall. Leachates were collected under tension via teflon tubing into flasks in darkness and kept at soil column temperature inside CESMU until harvested for analyses. Soil columns were harvested at intervals for sectioning by depth, extraction, and soil analyses. CESMU methods are applicable to investigations of water movement, soil chemistry, solute transport/transformation, and effects on plants.     

Potential impacts of climate change on nitrogen transformations and greenhouse gas fluxes in forests: a soil transfer study

Relatively little research has been conducted on how climate change may affect the structure and function of arid to semiarid ecosystems of the American Southwest. Along the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona, USA, I transferred intact soil cores from a spruce‐fir to a ponderosa pine forest 730 m lower in elevation to assess the potential impacts of climate change on soil N cycling and trace gas fluxes. The low‐elevation site has a mean annual soil temperature about 2.5°C higher than the high‐elevation site. Net rates of N transformations and trace gas fluxes were measured in high‐elevation soil cores incubated in situ and soil cores transferred to the low‐elevation site. Over a 13‐month period, volumetric soil water content was similar in transferred soil cores relative to soil cores incubated in situ. Net N mineralization and nitrification increased over 80% in transferred soil cores compared with in situ soil cores. Soil transfer significantly increased net CO₂ efflux (120%) and net CH₄ consumption (90%) relative to fluxes of these gases from soil cores incubated in situ. Soil net N₂O fluxes were relatively low and were not generally altered by soil transfer. Although the soil microbial biomass as a whole decreased in transferred soil cores compared with in situ soil cores after the incubation period, active bacterial biomass increased. Transferring soil cores from the low‐elevation to the high‐elevation site (i.e. simulated global cooling) commonly, but not consistently, resulted in the opposite effects on soil pools and processes. In general, soil containment (root trenching) did not significantly affect soil measurements. My results suggest that small increases in mean annual temperature can have large impacts on soil N cycling, soil–atmosphere trace gas exchanges, and soil microbial communities even in ecosystems where water availability is a major limiting resource.     

Different responses of soil respiration and its components to nitrogen addition among biomes: a meta‐analysis

Anthropogenic activities have increased nitrogen (N) deposition by threefold to fivefold over the last century, which may considerably affect soil respiration (Rs). Although numerous individual studies and a few meta‐analyses have been conducted, it remains controversial as to how N addition affects Rs and its components [i.e., autotrophic (Ra) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh)]. To reconcile the difference, we conducted a comprehensive meta‐analysis of 295 published studies to examine the responses of Rs and its components to N addition in terrestrial ecosystems. We also assessed variations in their responses in relation to ecosystem types, environmental conditions, and experimental duration (DUR). Our results show that N addition significantly increased Rs by 2.0% across all biomes but decreased by 1.44% in forests and increased by 7.84% and 12.4% in grasslands and croplands, respectively (P < 0.05). The differences may largely result from diverse responses of Ra to N addition among biomes with more stimulation of Ra in croplands and grasslands compared with no significant change in forests. Rh exhibited a similar negative response to N addition among biomes except that in croplands, tropical and boreal forests. Methods of partitioning Rs did not induce significant differences in the responses of Ra or Rh to N addition, except that Ra from root exclusion and component integration methods exhibited the opposite responses in temperate forests. The response ratios (RR) of Rs to N addition were positively correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT), with being more significant when MAT was less than 15 °C, but negatively with DUR. In addition, the responses of Rs and its components to N addition largely resulted from the changes in root and microbial biomass and soil C content as indicated by correlation analysis. The response patterns of Rs to N addition as revealed in this study can be benchmarks for future modeling and experimental studies.     

Extreme rainfall and snowfall alter responses of soil respiration to nitrogen fertilization: a 3‐year field experiment

Extreme precipitation is predicted to be more frequent and intense accompanying global warming and may have profound impacts on soil respiration (Rs) and its components, that is, autotrophic (Ra) and heterotrophic (Rh) respiration. However, how natural extreme rainfall or snowfall events affect these fluxes are still lacking, especially under nitrogen (N) fertilization. In this study, extreme rainfall and snowfall events occurred during a 3‐year field experiment, allowing us to examine their effects on the response of Rs, Rh, and Ra to N supply. In normal rainfall years of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, N fertilization significantly stimulated Rs by 23.9% and 10.9%, respectively. This stimulation was mainly due to the increase of Ra because of N‐induced increase in plant biomass. In the record wet year of 2013/2014, however, Rs was independent on N supply because of the inhibition effect of the extreme rainfall event. Compared with those in other years, Rh and Ra were reduced by 36.8% and 59.1%, respectively, which were likely related to the anoxic stress on soil microbes and decreased photosynthates supply. Although N supply did not affect annual Rh, the response ratio (RR) of Rh flux to N fertilization decreased firstly during growing season, increased in nongrowing season and peaked during spring thaw in each year. Nongrowing season Rs and Rh contributed 5.5–16.4% to their annual fluxes and were higher in 2012/2013 than other years due to the extreme snowfall inducing higher soil moisture during spring thaw. The RR of nongrowing season Rs and Rh decreased in years with extreme snowfall or rainfall compared to those in normal years. Overall, our results highlight the significant effects of extreme precipitation on responses of Rs and its components to N fertilization, which should be incorporated into models to improve the prediction of carbon‐climate feedbacks.     

Temperature response of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> exchange and dissolved organic carbon release in a maritime Antarctic tundra ecosystem

We examined the temperature response of CO₂ exchange and soil biogeochemical processes in an Antarctic tundra ecosystem using laboratory incubations of intact tundra cores. The cores were collected from tundra near Anvers Island along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula that was dominated by the vascular plants Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica. After the initial 8-week incubation at moderate growth temperatures (12/7°C, day/night), the tundra cores were incubated for another 8 weeks at either a higher (17/12°C) or lower (7/4°C) temperature regime. Temperature responses of CO₂ exchange were measured at five temperatures (4, 7, 12, 17, and 27°C) following each incubation and soil leachates were collected biweekly over the second incubation. Daytime net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) per unit core surface area was higher across the five measurement temperatures after the warmer incubation (17/12°C > 7/4°C). Responses of ecosystem respiration (ER) were similar at each measurement temperature irrespective of incubation temperature regimes. ER, expressed on a leaf-area basis, however, was significantly lower following the warmer incubation, suggesting a downregulation of ER. Warmer incubation resulted in a greater specific leaf area and N concentration, and a lower δ¹³C in live aboveground C. quitensis, but a higher δ¹³C in D. antarctica, implying species-specific responses to warming. Concentrations of dissolved organic C and N and inorganic N in soil leachates showed that short-term temperature changes had no noticeable effect on soil biogeochemical processes. The results suggest that downregulation of ER, together with plant species differences in leaf-area production and N use, can play a crucial role in constraining the C-cycle response of Antarctic tundra ecosystems to warming.     

Soil carbon and nitrogen cycling and storage throughout the soil profile in a sweetgum plantation after 11 years of CO2‐enrichment

Increased partitioning of carbon (C) to fine roots under elevated [CO₂], especially deep in the soil profile, could alter soil C and nitrogen (N) cycling in forests. After more than 11 years of free‐air CO₂ enrichment in a Liquidambar styraciflua L. (sweetgum) plantation in Oak Ridge, TN, USA, greater inputs of fine roots resulted in the incorporation of new C (i.e., C with a depleted δ¹³C) into root‐derived particulate organic matter (POM) pools to 90‐cm depth. Even though production in the sweetgum stand was limited by soil N availability, soil C and N contents were greater throughout the soil profile under elevated [CO₂] at the conclusion of the experiment. Greater C inputs from fine‐root detritus under elevated [CO₂] did not result in increased net N immobilization or C mineralization rates in long‐term laboratory incubations, possibly because microbial biomass was lower in the CO₂‐enriched plots. Furthermore, the δ¹³CO₂ of the C mineralized from the incubated soil closely tracked the δ¹³C of the labile POM pool in the elevated [CO₂] treatment, especially in shallower soil, and did not indicate significant priming of the decomposition of pre‐experiment soil organic matter (SOM). Although potential C mineralization rates were positively and linearly related to total SOM C content in the top 30 cm of soil, this relationship did not hold in deeper soil. Taken together with an increased mean residence time of C in deeper soil pools, these findings indicate that C inputs from relatively deep roots under elevated [CO₂] may increase the potential for long‐term soil C storage. However, C in deeper soil is likely to take many years to accrue to a significant fraction of total soil C given relatively smaller root inputs at depth. Expanded representation of biogeochemical cycling throughout the soil profile may improve model projections of future forest responses to rising atmospheric [CO₂].     

Sources of plant-derived carbon and stability of organic matter in soil: implications for global change

Alterations in forest productivity and changes in the relative proportion of above‐ and belowground biomass may have nonlinear effects on soil organic matter (SOM) storage. To study the influence of plant litter inputs on SOM accumulation, the Detritus Input Removal and Transfer (DIRT) Experiment continuously alters above‐ and belowground plant inputs to soil by a combination of trenching, screening, and litter addition. Here, we used biogeochemical indicators [i.e., cupric oxide extractable lignin‐derived phenols and suberin/cutin‐derived substituted fatty acids (SFA)] to identify the dominant sources of plant biopolymers in SOM and various measures [i.e., soil density fractionation, laboratory incubation, and radiocarbon‐based mean residence time (MRT)] to assess the stability of SOM in two contrasting forests within the DIRT Experiment: an aggrading deciduous forest and an old‐growth coniferous forest. In the deciduous forest, removal of both above‐ and belowground inputs increased the total amount of SFA over threefold compared with the control, and shifted the SFA signature towards a root‐dominated source. Concurrently, light fraction MRT increased by 101 years and C mineralization during incubation decreased compared with the control. Together, these data suggest that root‐derived aliphatic compounds are a source of SOM with greater relative stability than leaf inputs at this site. In the coniferous forest, roots were an important source of soil lignin‐derived phenols but needle‐derived, rather than root‐derived, aliphatic compounds were preferentially preserved in soil. Fresh wood additions elevated the amount of soil C recovered as light fraction material but also elevated mineralization during incubation compared with other DIRT treatments, suggesting that not all of the added soil C is directly stabilized. Aboveground needle litter additions, which are more N‐rich than wood debris, resulted in accelerated mineralization of previously stored soil carbon. In summary, our work demonstrates that the dominant plant sources of SOM differed substantially between forest types. Furthermore, inputs to and losses from soil C pools likely will not be altered uniformly by changes in litter input rates.     

Half a century of Scots pine forest ecosystem monitoring reveals long‐term effects of atmospheric deposition and climate change

At two forest sites in Germany (Pfaffenwinkel, Pustert) stocked with mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), we investigated changes of topsoil chemistry during the recent 40 years by soil inventories conducted on replicated control plots of fertilization experiments, allowing a statistical analysis. Additionally, we monitored the nutritional status of both stands from 1964 until 2019 and quantified stand growth during the monitoring period by repeated stand inventories. Moreover, we monitored climate variables (air temperature and precipitation) and calculated annual climatic water balances from 1991 to 2019. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) deposition between 1964 and 2019 was estimated for the period 1969–2019 by combining annual deposition measurements conducted in 1985–1987 and 2004 with long‐term deposition records from long‐term forest monitoring stations. We investigated interrelations between topsoil chemistry, stand nutrition, stand growth, deposition, and climate trends. At both sites, the onset of the new millennium was a turning point of important biogeochemical processes. Topsoil acidification turned into re‐alkalinization, soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation stopped, and likely turned into SOM depletion. In the new millennium, topsoil stocks of S and plant‐available phosphorus (P) as well as S and P concentrations in Scots pine foliage decreased substantially; yet, age‐referenced stand growth remained at levels far above those expected from yield table data. Tree P and S nutrition as well as climate change (increased temperature and drought stress) have replaced soil acidification as major future challenges for both forests. Understanding of P and S cycling and water fluxes in forest ecosystems, and consideration of these issues in forest management is important for successfully tackling the new challenges. Our study illustrates the importance of long‐term forest monitoring to identify slow, but substantial changes of forest biogeochemistry driven by natural and anthropogenic global change.     

Incorporation of Plant Residues into Soil Organic Matter Fractions With Grassland Management Practices in the North American Midwest

Disturbed grassland soils are often cited as having the potential to store large amounts of carbon (C). Fertilization of grasslands can promote soil C storage, but little is known about the generation of recalcitrant pools of soil organic matter (SOM) with management treatments, which is critical for long-term soil C storage. We used a combination of soil incubations, size fractionation and acid hydrolysis of SOM, [C], [N], and stable isotopic analyses, and biomass quality indices to examine how fertilization and haying can impact SOM dynamics in Kansan grassland soils. Fertilized soils possessed 113% of the C possessed by soils subjected to other treatments, an increase predominantly harbored in the largest size fraction (212–2,000 μm). This fraction is frequently associated with more labile material. Haying and fertilization/haying, treatments that more accurately mimic true management techniques, did not induce any increase in soil C. The difference in ¹⁵N-enrichment between size fractions was consistent with a decoupling of SOM processing between pools with fertilization, congruent with gains of SOM in the largest size fraction promoted by fertilization not moving readily into smaller fractions that frequently harbor more recalcitrant material. Litterfall and root biomass C inputs increased 104% with fertilization over control plots, and this material possessed lower C:N ratios. Models of incubation mineralization kinetics indicate that fertilized soils have larger pools of labile organic C. Model estimates of turnover rates of the labile and recalcitrant C pools did not differ between treatments (65.5 ± 7.2 and 2.9 ± 0.3 μg C d⁻¹, respectively). Although fertilization may promote greater organic inputs into these soils, much of that material is transformed into relatively labile forms of soil C; these data highlight the challenges of managing grasslands for long-term soil C sequestration.     

The Nature and Longevity of Agricultural Impacts on Soil Carbon and Nutrients: A Review

Since the domestication of plant and animal species around 10,000 years ago, cultivation and animal husbandry have been major components of global change. Agricultural activities such as tillage, fertilization, and biomass alteration lead to fundamental changes in the pools and fluxes of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) that originally existed in native ecosystems. Land is often taken out of agricultural production for economic, social, or biological reasons, and the ability to predict the biogeochemical trajectory of this land is important to our understanding of ecosystem development and our projections of food security for the future. Tillage generally decreases soil organic matter (SOM) due to erosion and disruption of the physical, biochemical, and chemical mechanisms of SOM stabilization, but SOM can generally reaccumulate after the cessation of cultivation. The use of organic amendments causes increases in SOM on agricultural fields that can last for centuries to millennia after the termination of applications, although the locations that provide the organic amendments are concurrently depleted. The legacy of agriculture is therefore highly variable on decadal to millennial time scales and depends on the specific management practices that are followed during the agricultural period. State factors such as climate and parent material (particularly clay content and mineralogy) modify ecosystem processes such that they may be useful predictors of rates of postagricultural biogeochemical change. In addition to accurate biogeochemical budgets of postagricultural systems, ecosystem models that more explicitly incorporate mechanisms of SOM loss and formation with agricultural practices will be helpful. Developing this predictive capacity will aid in ecological restoration efforts and improve the management of modern agroecosystems as demands on agriculture become more pressing.