Abstract
It is generally predicted that global warming will stimulate primary production and lead to more carbon (C) inputs to soil. However, many studies have found that soil C does not necessarily increase with increased plant litter input. Precipitation has increased in arid central Asia, and is predicted to increase more, so we tested the effects of adding fresh organic matter (FOM) and water on soil C sequestration in an arid region in northwest China. The results suggested that added FOM quickly decomposed and had minor effects on the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool to a depth of 30 cm. Both FOM and water addition had significant effects on the soil microbial biomass. The soil microbial biomass increased with added FOM, reached a maximum, and then declined as the FOM decomposed. The FOM had a more significant stimulating effect on microbial biomass with water addition. Under the soil moisture ranges used in this experiment (21.0%–29.7%), FOM input was more important than water addition in the soil C mineralization process. We concluded that short-term FOM input into the belowground soil and water addition do not affect the SOC pool in shrubland in an arid region.
Highlights
Soils contain more carbon (C) than the atmosphere and biomass [1]
Under the P0, P1, and P2 water addition treatments, the monthly mean soil temperature ranged from 16.3160.55uC to 27.0860.19uC, 15.9360.48uC to 26.6160.18uC, and 15.5160.54uC to 26.6560.21uC, respectively, and the soil moisture values ranged from 21.0060.05% to 21.0660.11%, from 20.7760.05% to 22.7060.06%, and 24.1060.06% to 25.7760.07% (v/v), respectively
soil organic carbon (SOC) The input of fresh organic matter (FOM), water addition, and their interactions had no significant effects on the SOC
Summary
Soils contain more carbon (C) than the atmosphere and biomass [1]. Approximately 75–100 Pg C yr is released from this large C pool [2], and it has been estimated that this has increased by 0.1 Pg C yr in the last twenty years [3]. Given the large amounts of C in, and released by, soil, the soil’s response to environmental change will play a key role in determining future concentrations of atmospheric CO2 [4]. It is worth examining the possibility of transferring CO2 from the atmosphere to terrestrial C storage as a possible way of restricting increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations and the resulting global warming. Accurately estimating soil C dynamics is critical for evaluating the potential effects of global climate change on the terrestrial biosphere [7]
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