Decomposition and stabilisation of Norway spruce needle-derived material in Alpine soils using a 13C-labelling approach in the field |
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Authors: | Markus Egli Simon Hafner Curdin Derungs Judith Ascher-Jenull Federica Camin Giacomo Sartori Gerald Raab Luana Bontempo Mauro Paolini Luca Ziller Tommaso Bardelli Marta Petrillo Samuel Abiven |
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Affiliation: | 1.Department of Geography,University of Zurich,Zurich,Switzerland;2.Department of Agrifood and Environmental Science,University of Florence,Florence,Italy;3.Institute of Microbiology,University of Innsbruck,Innsbruck,Austria;4.Fondazione Edmund Mach,San Michele all’Adige,Italy;5.Museo delle Scienze,Trento,Italy |
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Abstract: | Only scarce information is available on how organic C is incorporated into the soil during the decay and how (micro) climate influences this process. Therefore, we investigated the effect of exposure and elevation on the organic litter decomposition and C-stabilisation in acidic soils of an Alpine environment. An experiment with artificially 13C labelled Norway spruce needles was carried out at north- and south-exposed sites between 1200 and 2400 m a.s.l. in the Italian Alps using mesocosms. After 1 year, the 13C recoveries of the bulk soil were 18.6% at the north-facing slopes and 31.5% at the south-facing slopes. A density fractionation into a light (LF; ≤1.6 g cm?3) and a heavy fraction (HF; >1.6 g cm?3) of the soil helped to identify how the applied substrate was stabilised. At the northern slope, 10.5% of the substrate was recovered in the LF and 8.1% in the HF and at the south-facing slope 22.8% in the LF and 8.1% in the HF. The overall 13C recovery was higher at the south-facing sites due to restricted water availability. Although the climate is humid in the whole area, soil moisture availability becomes more important at south-facing sites due to higher evapotranspiration. However, at sites >1700 m a.s.l, the situation changed, as the northern slope had higher recovery rates. At such altitudes, temperature effects are more dominant. This highlights the importance of locally strongly varying edaphic factors when investigating the carbon cycle. |
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