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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 - Nitrogen deposition enhances soil organic carbon and microbial residual carbon in a tropical forest
AU - Zhang, J.
AU - Zhou, J.
AU - Sayer, E.J.
AU - Lambers, H.
AU - Liu, Z.
AU - Lu, X.
AU - Li, Y.
AU - Li, H.
AU - Wang, F.
PY - 2023/3/31
Y1 - 2023/3/31
N2 - Background: Two carbon (C) sources are of particular interest for soil organic carbon (SOC) storage under nitrogen (N) deposition: 1) glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) and 2) microbial residual carbon (MRC) derived from microbial metabolites and residues. Both soil C sources are purported to have long residence times, but their contribution to SOC may be modified by changing soil N status. Methods: We assessed how N deposition influences GRSP and MRC as sources of SOC using soils from a long-term (11 years) N-addition site in a tropical forest in south China. We assessed differences in MRC and GRSP, microbial biomarkers, soil physico-chemical properties, and particle-size fractions between N-fertilized soils and controls. Results: Total GRSP, MRC, and SOC concentrations were higher under N-addition, but soil microbial biomass and community composition were largely unaffected, indicating that higher GRSP and MRC concentrations resulted from long-term accumulation and reduced microbial degradation. However, the relative contributions of GRSP or MRC to SOC were unchanged or lower than the controls due to a greater contribution of other C sources to SOC which were largely unstabilized by association with soil minerals. Conclusion: Tropical forests have great potential for SOC sequestration in response to N deposition which may help mitigate climate change. However, most of the additional SOC in N-fertilized soils was not associated with soil minerals, and thus prone to decomposition.
AB - Background: Two carbon (C) sources are of particular interest for soil organic carbon (SOC) storage under nitrogen (N) deposition: 1) glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) and 2) microbial residual carbon (MRC) derived from microbial metabolites and residues. Both soil C sources are purported to have long residence times, but their contribution to SOC may be modified by changing soil N status. Methods: We assessed how N deposition influences GRSP and MRC as sources of SOC using soils from a long-term (11 years) N-addition site in a tropical forest in south China. We assessed differences in MRC and GRSP, microbial biomarkers, soil physico-chemical properties, and particle-size fractions between N-fertilized soils and controls. Results: Total GRSP, MRC, and SOC concentrations were higher under N-addition, but soil microbial biomass and community composition were largely unaffected, indicating that higher GRSP and MRC concentrations resulted from long-term accumulation and reduced microbial degradation. However, the relative contributions of GRSP or MRC to SOC were unchanged or lower than the controls due to a greater contribution of other C sources to SOC which were largely unstabilized by association with soil minerals. Conclusion: Tropical forests have great potential for SOC sequestration in response to N deposition which may help mitigate climate change. However, most of the additional SOC in N-fertilized soils was not associated with soil minerals, and thus prone to decomposition.
KW - Glomalin-related soil protein
KW - Microbial residual carbon
KW - Nitrogen deposition
KW - Soil organic carbon
KW - Tropical forests
U2 - 10.1007/s11104-022-05787-6
DO - 10.1007/s11104-022-05787-6
M3 - Journal article
VL - 484
SP - 217
EP - 235
JO - Plant and Soil
JF - Plant and Soil
SN - 0032-079X
ER -