Size matters: biochemical mineralization and microbial incorporation of dicarboxylic acids in soil

Abstract

The transformation and turnover time of medium- to long-chain dicarboxylic acids (DCA) in soil is regulated by microbial uptake and mineralization. However, the chain length of n-alkyl lipids may have a remarkable influence on its microbial utilization and mineralization and therefore on the formation of stable soil organic carbon from e.g. leave- needle- and root-derived organic matter during decomposition. To investigate their size dependent mineralization and microbial incorporation, four DCA of different chain lengths (12–30 carbon atoms), that were 13C labeled at each of their terminal carboxylic groups, were applied to the Ah horizon of a Fluvic Gleysol. Incorporation of 13C into CO2 and in distinct microbial groups classified by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was investigated. Mineralization of DCA and incorporation into PLFA decreased with increasing chain length, and the mineralization rate was highest during the first days of incubation. Half-life time of DCA carbon in soil increased from 7.6 days for C12 DCA to 86.6 days for C18 DCA and decreased again to 46.2 days for C22 DCA, whereas C30 DCA had the longest half-life time. Rapid and efficient uptake of C12 DCA as an intact molecule was observable. Gram-negative bacteria incorporated higher amounts of DCA-derived 13C compared to other microbial groups, especially compared to actinomycetes and fungi during the first phase of incubation. However, the incorporation of C12 DCA derived 13C into the PLFA of actinomycetes, and fungi increased steadily during the entire incubation time, suggesting that those groups take up the 13C label from necromass of bacteria that used the C12 DCA for formation of their lipids before.

13C dicarboxylic acid signatures indicate temporal shifts in catchment sediment sources in response to extreme winter rainfall

“…2 , Table S1 ) suggested that these biomarkers are preserved in soil without significant alteration of 13 C signatures. The δ 13 C values of C 28 further indicate that long-chain diFAs are very stable in the soil due to the high energy requirement for uptake by microorganisms (Kashi et al 2023 ).

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“…Although long-chain (C 20 –C 32 ) α,ω-dicarboxylic fatty acids (diFAs) comprise about 0.3% of total soil lipids (Holtvoeth et al 2016 ), they are a major component of suberin (Serra and Geldner 2022 ). Given their chain length-dependent hydrophobicity, the degradation of diFAs in soil decreases with increasing chain length (Kashi et al 2023 ). Therefore, these diFAs are considered very robust indicators of root inputs to soils (Mendez-Millan et al 2011 ).…”