Final published version
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Ecosystem productivity has a stronger influence than soil age on surface soil carbon storage across global biomes
AU - Plaza, César
AU - García-Palacios, Pablo
AU - Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw
AU - Barquero, Jesús
AU - Bastida, Felipe
AU - Png, G. Kenny
AU - Rey, Ana
AU - Bardgett, Richard D.
AU - Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel
PY - 2022/12/31
Y1 - 2022/12/31
N2 - Interactions between soil organic matter and minerals largely govern the carbon sequestration capacity of soils. Yet, variations in the proportions of free light (unprotected) and mineral-associated (protected) carbon as soil develops in contrasting ecosystems are poorly constrained. Here, we studied 16 long-term chronosequences from six continents and found that the ecosystem type is more important than soil age (centuries to millennia) in explaining the proportion of unprotected and mineral-associated carbon fractions in surface soils across global biomes. Soil carbon pools in highly productive tropical and temperate forests were dominated by the unprotected carbon fraction and were highly vulnerable to reductions in ecosystem productivity and warming. Conversely, soil carbon in low productivity, drier and colder ecosystems was dominated by mineral-protected carbon, and was less responsive to warming. Our findings emphasize the importance of conserving ecosystem productivity to protect carbon stored in surface soils.
AB - Interactions between soil organic matter and minerals largely govern the carbon sequestration capacity of soils. Yet, variations in the proportions of free light (unprotected) and mineral-associated (protected) carbon as soil develops in contrasting ecosystems are poorly constrained. Here, we studied 16 long-term chronosequences from six continents and found that the ecosystem type is more important than soil age (centuries to millennia) in explaining the proportion of unprotected and mineral-associated carbon fractions in surface soils across global biomes. Soil carbon pools in highly productive tropical and temperate forests were dominated by the unprotected carbon fraction and were highly vulnerable to reductions in ecosystem productivity and warming. Conversely, soil carbon in low productivity, drier and colder ecosystems was dominated by mineral-protected carbon, and was less responsive to warming. Our findings emphasize the importance of conserving ecosystem productivity to protect carbon stored in surface soils.
U2 - 10.1038/s43247-022-00567-7
DO - 10.1038/s43247-022-00567-7
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85139789914
VL - 3
JO - Communications Earth and Environment
JF - Communications Earth and Environment
SN - 2662-4435
IS - 1
M1 - 233
ER -