Mineral type, land use, and management intensity drive the formation of mineral-associated organic matter in temperate soils

Abstract

Formation of mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) supports accumulation and stabilization of carbon in soil, and thus, is a key factor in the global carbon cycle. Little is known about the interplay of mineral type, land use, and management intensity on the extent of MAOM formation. We addressed this research question by exposing mineral containers with pristine minerals (goethite, as a representative of oxide-type mineral phases, and illite, representing layered aluminosilicate minerals) for five years to ambient soil conditions at 5 cm depth in 150 grassland and 150 forest plots in three regions across Germany. After recovery, the content of organic carbon (OC) of the minerals was determined by dry combustion. Results show that irrespective of land use and management intensity, more OC accumulated on goethite than illite (on average 0.23 and 0.06 mg m-2 mineral surface, respectively), demonstrating that mineral type was the most crucial factor for MAOM formation. Carbon accumulation was consistently greater in coniferous forests than in deciduous forests and grasslands. Structural equation models revealed that in grasslands, fertilization had contradictory effects on carbon accumulation, with the positive effect being mediated by enhanced plant productivity and the negative effect by reduced plant species richness. Overall, our results suggest that OC stabilization in soil is primarily driven by mineral type, in particular iron and other metal oxides. The mineral-driven MAOM formation is further modified by land use and management intensity.