Soil Organic Carbon Content Decreases in Both Surface and Subsoil Mineral Horizons by Simulated Future Increases in Labile Carbon Inputs in a Temperate Coniferous Forest

Soils represent important pools of soil organic carbon (SOC) that can be greatly influenced by labile C inputs, which are expected to increase in future due to CO 2 enrichment of atmosphere and a concomitant rise in plant primary productivity. Studying effects of variable labile C inputs on SOC pool...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecosystems (New York) 2021-12, Vol.24 (8), p.2028-2041
Main Authors: Jílková, Veronika, Jandová, Kateřina, Kukla, Jaroslav, Cajthaml, Tomáš
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Carbon
Carbon content
Carbon dioxide
Coniferous forests
Ecology
Environmental Management
Forest soils
Forests
Geoecology/Natural Processes
Hydrology/Water Resources
Life Sciences
Microorganisms
Organic carbon
Organic soils
Original Article
Plant Sciences
Simulation
Soil bacteria
Soil depth
Soil horizons
Soil microbiology
Soils
Subsoils
Sucrose
Temperate forests
Zoology
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Summary:Soils represent important pools of soil organic carbon (SOC) that can be greatly influenced by labile C inputs, which are expected to increase in future due to CO 2 enrichment of atmosphere and a concomitant rise in plant primary productivity. Studying effects of variable labile C inputs on SOC pool helps to understand how soils respond to global change. However, this knowledge is missing for coniferous forest soils despite being widespread throughout the northern temperate zone. We conducted a 7-month field manipulation experiment to study the effects of variable labile C inputs (simulated by additions of C 4 sucrose) on the C content in soil fractions and on microbial abundance in the organic (O), surface mineral (A), and subsoil mineral (B) horizons of a temperate coniferous forest soil. SOC in less-protected soil fractions and total organic C were substantially decreased by labile C additions that simulated future increases in C inputs. The SOC losses were comparable between the A and B horizon (40% vs. 30%). However, because sucrose availability estimated from its incorporation into soil fractions and microbial biomass sharply decreased with soil depth, the loss of C was higher in the B than in the A horizon when related to the amount of sucrose added. Utilization of sucrose was highest by fungi in the O horizon and by bacteria in the mineral soil horizons. The results indicate that future increases in labile C inputs to coniferous forest soils will cause rapid and substantial losses of SOC in both the surface and subsoil mineral horizons.
ISSN:1432-9840
1435-0629
DOI:10.1007/s10021-021-00632-w