Changes in properties of soil-derived dissolved organic matter induced by biodegradation

Kalbitz, Karsten; Schwesig, David; Schmerwitz, Juliane; Kaiser, Klaus; Haumaier, Ludwig; Glaser, Bruno; Ellerbrock, Ruth H.; Leinweber, Peter

doi:10.1016/s0038-0717(03)00165-2

Cited by 366 publications

(213 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Mass spectra from pyrolysis field ionization (Fig. 6) showed a depletion of highmass compounds and an accumulation of low-mass compounds and a decrease in lignin dimers in favor of monomers (Kalbitz et al, 2003b).…”

Section: Chemical Som Fractionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various incubation methods to determine the biodegradable DOM fraction are used, ranging from simple batch-solution assays, where the release of CO 2 or the loss of DOC are monitored (Qualls and Haines, 1992;Marschner and Bredow, 2002;Kalbitz et al, 2003b) to flow-through bed reactors with aged microbial biofilms (Yano et al, 1998). In a comparative study, McDowell et al (2006) have shown that current shortterm incubation methods produce largely comparable results for the most labile DOM fraction, while the determination of decomposition rate constants for the more refractory components requires incubation periods of at least 6 weeks.…”

Section: Decomposition and Incubation Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The degradation of 14 C-labeled catechol in soil was monitored over 3-4 weeks (Hamer and Marschner, 2005a) and over a 4 y period (Ji, unpublished). The DOC degradation studies were carried out in solution batch assays over a period of 90 d with intermittent quantification of CO 2 release and characterization of the residue with simple spectroscopic methods (UV, fluorescence), 1 H-NMR, FTIR, 13 C analysis, and pyrolysis-field ionization MS (Kalbitz et al, 2003b).…”

Section: Decomposition and Incubation Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Differences in biodegradability are therefore mainly due to the size of the labile pool which ranges between 3% and 87% of DOC (Kalbitz et al, 2003a) and the differences in degradation rate of the more stable pool. Aromatic compounds, possibly deriving from lignin, seem to be the most stable constituent of DOM in forest floors and topsoils; solutions containing DOM with a large portion of aromatic components are only poorly biodegradable (McCracken et al, 2002;Kalbitz et al, 2003a;McDowell et al, 2006), and these aromatic constituents survive biodegradation preferentially (Kalbitz et al, 2003b). However, even poorly degradable DOM obtained from the Oa horizon of a spruce stand underwent substantial compositional changes during 90 d of incubation.…”

Section: Chemical Som Fractionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microbial degradation of DOM results also in the formation of carbohydrates and peptides (Kalbitz et al, 2003b) contributing to stable DOM. At the moment, we have no conclusive answer why these microbial products are not mineralized as fast as carbohydrates initially present in DOM in litter, forest floor, and topsoils (Kalbitz et al, 2003b). Probably, these microbial products are just a reflection of recycling of microbial biomass.…”

Section: Chemical Som Fractionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

How relevant is recalcitrance for the stabilization of organic matter in soils?

Marschner

Brodowski

Dreves

et al. 2008

Z. Pflanzenernähr. Bodenk.

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606

357

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Traditionally, the selective preservation of certain recalcitrant organic compounds and the formation of recalcitrant humic substances have been regarded as an important mechanism for soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization. Based on a critical overview of available methods and on results from a cooperative research program, this paper evaluates how relevant recalcitrance is for the long-term stabilization of SOM or its fractions. Methodologically, recalcitrance is difficult to assess, since the persistence of certain SOM fractions or specific compounds may also be caused by other stabilization mechanisms, such as physical protection or chemical interactions with mineral surfaces. If only free particulate SOM obtained from density fractionation is considered, it rarely reaches ages exceeding 50 y. Older light particles have often been identified as charred plant residues or as fossil C. The degradability of the readily bioavailable dissolved or water-extractable OM fraction is often negatively correlated with its content in aromatic compounds, which therefore has been associated with recalcitrance. But in subsoils, dissolved organic matter aromaticity and biodegradability both are very low, indicating that other factors or compounds limit its degradation. Among the investigated specific compounds, lignin, lipids, and their derivatives have mean turnover times faster or similar as that of bulk SOM. Only a small fraction of the lignin inputs seems to persist in soils and is mainly found in the fine textural size fraction (<20 lm), indicating physico-chemical stabilization. Compound-specific analysis of 13 C : 12 C ratios of SOM pyrolysis products in soils with C3-C4 crop changes revealed no compounds with mean residence times of > 40-50 y, unless fossil C was present in substantial amounts, as at a site exposed to lignite inputs in the past. Here, turnover of pyrolysis products seemed to be much longer, even for those attributed to carbohydrates or proteins. Apparently, fossil C from lignite coal is also utilized by soil organisms, which is further evidenced by low 14 C concentrations in microbial phospholipid fatty acids from this site. Also, black C from charred plant materials was susceptible to microbial degradation in a short-term (60 d) and a long-term (2 y) incubation

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Section: Chemical Som Fractionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Decomposition and Incubation Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Decomposition and Incubation Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Chemical Som Fractionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Chemical Som Fractionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

How relevant is recalcitrance for the stabilization of organic matter in soils?

Marschner

Brodowski

Dreves

et al. 2008

Z. Pflanzenernähr. Bodenk.

Self Cite

606

357

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Downstream changes in DOC: Inferring contributions in the face of model uncertainties

et al. 2014

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[1] Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a central constituent of surface waters which control its characteristic color and chemistry. While the sources and controls of headwater stream DOC can be mechanistically linked to the dominant landscape types being drained, much remains unknown about the downstream controls at larger spatial scales. As DOC is transported from the headwaters to catchment outlets, the fate of stream DOC is largely dependent on the interaction of varying catchment processes. In this study, we investigated the main mechanisms regulating stream DOC in a mesoscale catchment. A landscapemixing model was used to test the role of landscapes in determining stream concentrations. The quantity of DOC lost to in-stream processes was calculated using bacterial respiration and photooxidation rates. We investigated whether there was a change in water pathways using a mass balance model and comparison of hydrology between a headwater catchment and the entire catchment. A Monte Carlo approach was used to test robustness of the model assumptions and results to uncertainty in the process parameterizations. The results indicated that during high-and intermediate-flow conditions, DOC concentrations were regulated by the contributing upstream landscape types. During base flow, the connectivity between the mesoscale river and the upstream landscape reduced resulting in large residuals in the landscape model which could not be explained by the in-stream processes. Both the mass balance model and a specific runoff comparison between upstream/downstream sites independently indicated large input of deep groundwater during base flow. Deep groundwater was important for diluting stream DOC concentrations during base flow.

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Thermal alteration of water extractable organic matter in climosequence soils from the Sierra Nevada, California

Santos

Russell²,

Berhe

2016

JGR Biogeosciences

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In the next decades, the influence of wildfires in controlling the cycling and composition of soil organic matter (SOM) globally and in the western U.S. is expected to grow. While the impact of fires on bulk SOM has been extensively studied, the extent at which heating of soil affects the soluble component of SOM remains unclear. Here we investigated the thermal transformations of water‐extractable organic matter (WEOM) by examining the changes in the distribution of carbon (C) functional groups in WEOM from soils heated at low and intermediate temperatures. WEOM (<0.7 µm particle size) was extracted from topsoils (0–5 cm depth) of five soil series formed from a nonglaciated granitic bedrock and sampled along a Sierra Nevada climosequence. Soils were heated in a muffle furnace at 150°C, 250°C, and 350°C for 1 h. The extracted solution was analyzed for WEOM aromaticity, mean molecular weight, organic C (OC) concentration, and major structural components by employing optical spectrophotometry and liquid‐state 1H‐NMR spectroscopy. At 150°C and 250°C, OC concentrations increased relative to the thermally unaltered samples, with losses of oxygenated functional C groups and enrichment of aliphatic C structures observed at 250°C. Conversely, OC concentration and mean molecular weight decreased as heating increased from 250°C to 350°C, whereas WEOC became more enriched in aromatic C structures. Our results suggest that low and intermediate fire intensities significantly alter the nature of dissolved organic matter exported from soils to rivers in the Sierra Nevada and beyond.

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Changes in properties of soil-derived dissolved organic matter induced by biodegradation

Cited by 366 publications

References 46 publications

How relevant is recalcitrance for the stabilization of organic matter in soils?

How relevant is recalcitrance for the stabilization of organic matter in soils?

Downstream changes in DOC: Inferring contributions in the face of model uncertainties

Thermal alteration of water extractable organic matter in climosequence soils from the Sierra Nevada, California

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