Mineral Protection and Resource Limitations Combine to Explain Profile‐Scale Soil Carbon Persistence

Abstract

AbstractThe fate of soil carbon (C) is largely controlled by microbial oxidation of organic matter (OM), which is constrained by a variety of mechanisms. OM association with soil minerals provides pronounced protection against microbial decomposition. However, factors such as climate, occlusion, and resource limitations also contribute to OM preservation. We explore the factors explaining C distribution and age within an upland rainforest soil in Hawaiʻi, a site with abundant preferential flow paths (PFPs) and high short‐range order (SRO) mineral content. We characterized lateral and vertical changes in ∆14C, SRO mineral content, C‐functional group chemistry, and microbial community composition to elucidate the contributions of multiple protection mechanisms to OM preservation. Consistent with our expectation, SRO mineral content and ∆14C were strongly correlated (R2 = 0.95), indicating strong mineral protection of OM throughout the profile. Surprisingly, distance from PFP was also a significant predictor of ∆14C and improved model fit, particularly in the shallow horizons (R2 = 0.97). Elevated C/N ratios, decreased microbial abundance, and greater SRO mineral content suggest nitrogen limitations and enhanced mineral protection constrain OM turnover with distance from PFPs in deep, subsurface mineral horizons. Steady microbial abundance, increasing putative anaerobe abundance, and changes in C‐functional group chemistry indicate oxygen limitations constrain OM turnover in the matrix of shallow mineral horizons. Given that oxygen and nutrient limitations contribute to OM preservation in this high SRO system—an exemplar of mineral protection—resource limitations may play an even more important role in OM preservation in other well‐structured soils.