The influence of microbial communities, management, and soil texture on soil organic matter chemistry

Grandy, A. Stuart; Strickland, Michael S.; Lauber, Christian L.; Bradford, Mark A.; Fierer, Noah

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2009.02.007

Cited by 177 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The difference in soil C/N ratio could be because wood supplied a different form of C compound (lignin) that was stable enough to remain and increase SOC at the time of the final sampling, or perhaps the wood was decomposed by organisms producing compounds with a different C/N ratio. Fungal/bacterial ratios are greater at forest sites where lignin is abundant and lower where certain N-bearing compounds are abundant (Grandy et al, 2009). Cleveland and Liptzin (2007) reported that molar C/N ratios of fungal biomass ranged from 5 to 17 compared to a ratio of 6.5 for bacteria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen After Application of Nine Organic Amendments

Wuest

Gollany

2012

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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The amount and type of C‐containing amendments applied to soil can have an influence on soil organic carbon (SOC) levels. To test the hypothesis that amendment type is more important than amount, we applied 250 g C m−2 as manure, legume foliage, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) residue, municipal biosolid, wood sawdust, brassica (Brassica napus L.) residue, composted wheat residue, sucrose, and cotton linters to both fallow soil and an annual winter wheat crop for five consecutive years. After an additional 3.5 yr with no inputs and all plots being fallow, the SOC of biosolid, manure, and wood amended plots were significantly (P < 0.0001) greater than the unamended check. The application of biosolid increased SOC 492 g m−2, and manure increased SOC 316 g m−2, over the fallow check plots in the top 300 kg m−2 of soil (approximately 0–25 cm). The increase in SOC relative to the check ranged from 0 to 39% of the amendment C applied. The SOC content was 482 g m−2 greater under continuous winter wheat than under fallow. The amendment and wheat crop effects on soil C and N changed little during the 3.5 yr after treatments ended, indicating that decomposition occurred soon after application. Wood sawdust was unique in that it increased SOC even though it was low in N content, and it changed the soil C/N ratio from 12.3 to 13.4. This field research demonstrated that amendments applied at the same C rate can have variable effects on SOC accretion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grandy et al (2009) found that soil texture strongly predicted both the abundance of N-containing compounds and lignin derivatives, which are more prone to organo-mineral interactions than many other C compounds. If soil organic N is largely composed of peptides produced through degradation of biomass, this would explain the narrow C/N ratio of SOC.…”

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confidence: 99%

Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen After Application of Nine Organic Amendments

Wuest

Gollany

2012

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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“…In particular, increasing CO 2 induced apparent changes in N cycling in the black clay soil and P cycling in the sandy loam soil, as indicated by the responses of enzyme activity, nutrient availability, and plant nutrient dynamics to the CO 2 gradient. These soils differ in soil texture and organic matter quality and quantity, both of which can influence enzyme activity and nutrient cycling (Marx et al 2005, Grandy et al 2009). The black clay soil has higher clay content and organic matter content (Fay et al 2009;R.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric CO₂and soil extracellular enzyme activity: a meta-analysis and CO₂gradient experiment

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations can alter carbon and nutrient cycling and microbial processes in terrestrial ecosystems. One of the primary ways microbes interact with soil organic matter is through the production of extracellular enzymes, which break down complex organic molecules and release nutrients into the soil. We conducted a meta-analysis of 34 studies that examined responses in microbial enzyme activity to elevated CO 2 . We also conducted a field study of soil enzyme activity in a tallgrass-prairie ecosystem growing in sandy loam (lower organic matter content) and clayey soils (higher organic matter content) exposed to a continuous gradient of 250 to 500 ppm CO 2 . Of the 10 enzyme groups examined in the meta-analysis, including those degrading starch, b-glucan, cellulose, xylan/hemicellulose, lignin, organic P, and organic N, only the activity of one enzyme that degrades the C-and N-containing building blocks of chitin (N-acetyl-glucosaminidase) increased consistently at elevated CO 2 by an average of 12.6% (p , 0.05), especially in field studies and in woody ecosystems. In our field study, increasing CO 2 from subambient to elevated concentrations reduced the activity of leucine aminopeptidase by 32% in the black clay soil during the peak of the growing season, while b À1,4-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase increased by 44% near the end of the season, indicating increased N limitation with increasing CO 2 . In the sandy loam soil, alkaline phosphatase activity increased by 42% with CO 2 enrichment at the end of the growing season, suggesting CO 2 -induced phosphorus limitation in these soils. Additionally, a 53-83% decrease in the carbon cycling enzymes cellobiohydrolase, a-glucosidase, and xylosidase activity with increased CO 2 was found in July. Our field study shows that soil type can strongly influence how microbial functioning may change with rising CO 2 concentrations and that microbial responses associated with C-, N-, and P-cycling are likely to change-and may already have changed-with increasing CO 2 under some soil types and conditions. Our meta-analysis revealed that, despite variable enzyme activities with CO 2 , chitinase activity increased consistently with CO 2 across ecosystems.

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“…The partitioning of C between the different fractions, which predetermines the sensitivity of SOM to environmental changes, is spatially highly variable as it varies depending on edaphic conditions, land use history and current management (John et al, 2005;Grandy et al, 2009). In temperate soils C in more transformed mineral associated fractions make up most of the total soil C (Zimmermann et al, 2007), whereas the limited data available from alpine tundra soils Neff et al, 2002;Wang et al, 2008) suggest large soil organic carbon (SOC) contents and a comparatively high abundance of less decomposed, labile C material such as POM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alpine grassland soils contain large proportion of labile carbon but indicate long turnover times

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Alpine soils are expected to contain large amounts of labile carbon (C) which may become a further source of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as a result of global warming. However, there is little data available on these soils, and understanding of the influence of environmental factors on soil organic matter (SOM) turnover is limited. We extracted 30 cm deep cores from five grassland sites along a small elevation gradient from 2285 to 2653 m a.s.l. in the central Swiss Alps. Our aim was to determine the quantity, allocation, degree of stabilization and mean residence time (MRT) of SOM in relation to site factors such as soil pH, vegetation, and SOM composition. Soil fractions obtained by size and density fractionation revealed a high proportion of labile C in SOM, mostly in the uppermost soil layers. Labile C in the top 20 cm across the gradient ranged from 39.6-57.6 % in comparison to 7.2-29.6 % reported in previous studies for lower elevation soils (810-1960 m a.s.l.). At the highest elevation, MRTs measured by means of radiocarbon dating and turnover modelling, increased between fractions of growing stability from 90 years in free POM (fPOM) to 534 years in the mineral associated fraction (mOM). Depending on elevation and pH, plant community data suggested considerable variation in the quantity and quality of organic matter input, and these patterns could be reflected in the dynamics of soil C. 13 C NMR data confirmed a relationship of SOM composition to MRT. While low temperature in alpine environments is likely to be a major cause for the slow turnover rate observed, other factors such as residue quality and soil pH, as well as the combination of all factors, play an important role in causing small scale variability of SOM turnover. Failing to incorporate this interplay of controlling factors into models may impair the performance of models to project SOM responses to environmental change.

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The influence of microbial communities, management, and soil texture on soil organic matter chemistry

Cited by 177 publications

References 77 publications

Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen After Application of Nine Organic Amendments

Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen After Application of Nine Organic Amendments

Atmospheric CO₂and soil extracellular enzyme activity: a meta-analysis and CO₂gradient experiment

Alpine grassland soils contain large proportion of labile carbon but indicate long turnover times

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The influence of microbial communities, management, and soil texture on soil organic matter chemistry

Cited by 177 publications

References 77 publications

Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen After Application of Nine Organic Amendments

Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen After Application of Nine Organic Amendments

Atmospheric CO2and soil extracellular enzyme activity: a meta-analysis and CO2gradient experiment

Alpine grassland soils contain large proportion of labile carbon but indicate long turnover times

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Atmospheric CO₂and soil extracellular enzyme activity: a meta-analysis and CO₂gradient experiment