carbon turnover
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2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kästner ◽  
A. Miltner ◽  
S. Thiele-Bruhn ◽  
C. Liang

The organic matter of living plants is the precursor material of the organic matter stored in terrestrial soil ecosystems. Although a great deal of knowledge exists on the carbon turnover processes of plant material, some of the processes of soil organic matter (SOM) formation, in particular from microbial necromass, are still not fully understood. Recent research showed that a larger part of the original plant matter is converted into microbial biomass, while the remaining part in the soil is modified by extracellular enzymes of microbes. At the end of its life, microbial biomass contributes to the microbial molecular imprint of SOM as necromass with specific properties. Next to appropriate environmental conditions, heterotrophic microorganisms require energy-containing substrates with C, H, O, N, S, P, and many other elements for growth, which are provided by the plant material and the nutrients contained in SOM. As easily degradable substrates are often scarce resources in soil, we can hypothesize that microbes optimize their carbon and energy use. Presumably, microorganisms are able to mobilize biomass building blocks (mono and oligomers of fatty acids, amino acids, amino sugars, nucleotides) with the appropriate stoichiometry from microbial necromass in SOM. This is in contrast to mobilizing only nutrients and consuming energy for new synthesis from primary metabolites of the tricarboxylic acid cycle after complete degradation of the substrates. Microbial necromass is thus an important resource in SOM, and microbial mining of building blocks could be a life strategy contributing to priming effects and providing the resources for new microbial growth cycles. Due to the energy needs of microorganisms, we can conclude that the formation of SOM through microbial biomass depends on energy flux. However, specific details and the variability of microbial growth, carbon use and decay cycles in the soil are not yet fully understood and linked to other fields of soil science. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on microbial energy gain, carbon use, growth, decay, and necromass formation for relevant soil processes, e. g. the microbial carbon pump, C storage, and stabilization. We highlight the factors controlling microbial necromass contribution to SOM and the implications for soil carbon use efficiency (CUE) and we identify research needs for process-based SOM turnover modelling and for understanding the variability of these processes in various soil types under different climates.


CATENA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 105654
Author(s):  
Yuehong Shi ◽  
Xiaolu Tang ◽  
Peng Yu ◽  
Li Xu ◽  
Guo Chen ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Olha Stepanchenko ◽  
Liubov Shostak ◽  
Olena Kozhushko ◽  
Viktor Moshynskyi ◽  
Petro Martyniuk

The content of organic carbon is one of the essential factors that define soil quality. It is also notoriously challenging to model due to a multitude of biological and abiotic factors influencing the process. In this study, we investigate how decomposition of soil organic matter is affected by soil moisture and temperature. Soil organic carbon turnover is simulated by the CENTURY model. The accuracy of soil moisture data used is ensured by data assimilation approach, combing mathematical model and satellite retrievals. Numerical experiments demonstrate the influence of soil moisture regimes and climate on the quantity of soil humus stocks.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1655
Author(s):  
Rebecka Teglind ◽  
Irena Dawidson ◽  
Jonas Balkefors ◽  
Kanar Alkass

The identification of unknown human remains represents an important task in forensic casework. If there are no clues as to the identity of the remains, then the age, sex, and origin are the most important factors to limit the search for a matching person. Here, we present the outcome of application of so-called bomb pulse radiocarbon (14C derived from above-ground nuclear bomb tests during 1955–1963) analysis to birthdate human remains. In nine identified cases, 14C analysis of tooth crowns provided an estimate of the true date of birth with an average absolute error of 1.2 ± 0.8 years. Analysis of 14C in tooth roots also showed a good precision with an average absolute error of 2.3 ± 2.5 years. Levels of 14C in bones can determine whether a subject has lived after 1955 or not, but more precise carbon turnover data for bones would be needed to calculate date of birth and date of death. Aspartic acid racemization analysis was performed on samples from four cases; in one of these, the year of birth could be predicted with good precision, whereas the other three cases are still unidentified. The stable isotope 13C was analyzed in tooth crowns to estimate provenance. Levels of 13C indicative of Scandinavian provenance were found in known Scandinavian subjects. Teeth from four Polish subjects all showed higher 13C levels than the average for Scandinavian subjects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 320 ◽  
pp. 107591
Author(s):  
Yun Fei Zhao ◽  
Xia Wang ◽  
Si Long Jiang ◽  
Xiao He Zhou ◽  
Hui Ying Liu ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Donghai Wu ◽  
Xiangtao Xu ◽  
Haicheng Zhang

Chen et al. (2021) concluded that plant input governs topsoil carbon persistence in alpine grasslands. We demonstrated that the excluded direct effect of precipitation on topsoil Δ14C in their analysis was in fact significant and strong. Our results provide an alternative viewpoint on the drivers of soil carbon turnover.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 4039-4058
Author(s):  
Timea Katona ◽  
Benjamin Silas Gilfedder ◽  
Sven Frei ◽  
Matthias Bücker ◽  
Adrian Flores-Orozco

Abstract. Biogeochemical hotspots are defined as areas where biogeochemical processes occur with anomalously high reaction rates relative to their surroundings. Due to their importance in carbon and nutrient cycling, the characterization of hotspots is critical for predicting carbon budgets accurately in the context of climate change. However, biogeochemical hotspots are difficult to identify in the environment, as methods for in situ measurements often directly affect the sensitive redox-chemical conditions. Here, we present imaging results of a geophysical survey using the non-invasive induced polarization (IP) method to identify biogeochemical hotspots of carbon turnover in a minerotrophic wetland. To interpret the field-scale IP signatures, geochemical analyses were performed on freeze-core samples obtained in areas characterized by anomalously high and low IP responses. Our results reveal large variations in the electrical response, with the highest IP phase values (> 18 mrad) corresponding to high concentrations of phosphates (> 4000 µM), an indicator of carbon turnover. Furthermore, we found a strong relationship between the electrical properties resolved in IP images and the dissolved organic carbon. Moreover, analysis of the freeze core reveals negligible concentrations of iron sulfides. The extensive geochemical and geophysical data presented in our study demonstrate that IP images can track small-scale changes in the biogeochemical activity in peat and can be used to identify hotspots.


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