Fast-decaying plant litter enhances soil carbon in temperate forests but not through microbial physiological traits

Matthew E Craig,Kevin M Geyer,Richard P Phillips,Chao Liang,Katilyn V Beidler,Serita D Frey,Edward R Brzostek,A Stuart Grandy

doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28715-9

Abstract

Conceptual and empirical advances in soil biogeochemistry have challenged long-held assumptions about the role of soil micro-organisms in soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics; yet, rigorous tests of emerging concepts remain sparse. Recent hypotheses suggest that microbial necromass production links plant inputs to SOC accumulation, with high-quality (i.e., rapidly decomposing) plant litter promoting microbial carbon use efficiency, growth, and turnover leading to more mineral stabilization of necromass. We test this hypothesis experimentally and with observations across six eastern US forests, using stable isotopes to measure microbial traits and SOC dynamics. Here we show, in both studies, that microbial growth, efficiency, and turnover are negatively (not positively) related to mineral-associated SOC. In the experiment, stimulation of microbial growth by high-quality litter enhances SOC decomposition, offsetting the positive effect of litter quality on SOC stabilization. We suggest that microbial necromass production is not the primary driver of SOC persistence in temperate forests. Factors such as microbial necromass origin, alternative SOC formation pathways, priming effects, and soil abiotic properties can strongly decouple microbial growth, efficiency, and turnover from mineral-associated SOC.

Highlights

Conceptual and empirical advances in soil biogeochemistry have challenged long-held assumptions about the role of soil micro-organisms in soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics; yet, rigorous tests of emerging concepts remain sparse
Microbial necromass accounts for a large portion of SOC in many systems[8,9] and necromass production is controlled by three physiological traits: microbial growth rate (MGR), microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE)—the proportion of assimilated microbial C allocated to the production of new biomass—and microbial biomass turnover rate (MTR)
Contemporary SOC concepts posit that microbial physiological traits are key mediators in the mineral stabilization of plant inputs, leading to the hypothesis that high-quality plant inputs promote mineral-associated SOC by enhancing microbial growth and turnover

Summary

Introduction

Conceptual and empirical advances in soil biogeochemistry have challenged long-held assumptions about the role of soil micro-organisms in soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics; yet, rigorous tests of emerging concepts remain sparse. Recent hypotheses suggest that microbial necromass production links plant inputs to SOC accumulation, with high-quality (i.e., rapidly decomposing) plant litter promoting microbial carbon use efficiency, growth, and turnover leading to more mineral stabilization of necromass We test this hypothesis experimentally and with observations across six eastern US forests, using stable isotopes to measure microbial traits and SOC dynamics. Other mechanisms could lessen the importance of the necromass stabilization pathway—offsetting necromass buildup via enhanced SOC turnover (e.g., priming effects)[31–33] or circumventing microbial physiological traits via non-necromass SOC formation pathways (e.g., direct sorption of plant compounds[34,35] or microbial extracellular products[36,37]; Fig. 1a) Such mechanisms are rarely considered alongside the necromass stabilization pathway in empirical studies

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Conclusion