Pyrogenic carbon additions to soil counteract positive priming of soil carbon mineralization by plants

Abstract

Important due to both its role in fire-affected ecosystems, and also its proposed intentional production and application for carbon (C) management, pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) is thought to contain very stable forms of C. However, the mechanisms behind its interactions with non-PyOM soil organic C (SOC) remain speculative, with studies often showing short-term positive and then long-term negative “priming effects” on SOC decomposition after PyOM applications. Furthermore, studies of these interactions to date have been limited to systems that do not include plants. This study describes results from a 12-week greenhouse experiment where PyOM-SOC priming effects with and without plants were investigated using stable isotope partitioning. In addition, we investigated the optimal δ13C proxies for sources of SOC, PyOM, and plant-derived CO2 emissions. The two-factorial experiment included the presence or absence of corn plants and of 13C-labelled PyOM. In order to control for pH and nutrient addition effects from PyOM, its pH was adjusted to that of the soil and optimal nutrient and water conditions were provided to the plants. The δ13C of PyOM sub-components were significantly different. Significant losses of 0.4% of the applied PyOM-C occurred in the first week. We find evidence for a “negative priming” effect of PyOM on SOC in the system (SOC losses are 48% lower with PyOM present), which occurred primarily during the first week, indicating it may be due to transient effects driven by easily mineralizable PyOM. Additionally, while the presence of corn plants resulted in significantly increased SOC losses (“positive priming”), PyOM additions counteract this effect, almost completely eliminating net C losses either by decreasing SOC decomposition or increasing corn C additions to soil. This highlights the importance of including plants in studies of PyOM-SOC interactions.