Spatial distribution of glomalin-related soil protein and its relationship with sediment carbon sequestration across a mangrove forest

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi produce a recalcitrant glycoprotein, (glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP)), which can contribute to soil carbon sequestration. Here we made a first study to characterize the spatial distribution of GRSP fractions in a mangrove forest at Zhangjiang Estuary, Southeastern China and to explore potential contributions of GRSP to sediment organic carbon (SOC) in this forest. We identified GRSP fractions in surface sediments, as well as those at a depth of 50 cm. The contents of easily extractable GRSP (EE-GRSP), total GRSP (T-GRSP), GRSP in particulate organic matter (POM-GRSP) and GRSP in pore water (PW-GRSP) ranged between 1.20–2.22mgg−1, 1.38–2.61mgg−1, 1.45–10.78mgg−1 and 10.35–39.65mgL−1 respectively, and these four GRSPs are significantly affected by sample sites and sediment layers. Carbon in GRSP accounted for 2.8–5.9% of SOC and its contributions can far exceed that of microbial biomass carbon (0.21–0.73%) in the 0–50cm sediment layers. Our data indicate that GRSP could be transported by pore water and accumulated in sediment profiles. The non-linear regression analysis revealed that as SOC and particulate organic carbon (POC) contents decrease, GRSP proportions increase, indicating the increase of the recalcitrant carbon offsetting the effects of mangrove carbon loss, especially labile C. Regression and ordination analyses indicated that GRSP fractions were mainly positively correlated with sediment carbon fractions and spore density but were negatively correlated with sand, pH. Strikingly, the unfavorable environmental factors for microbial organisms, especially AM fungi, prove to be able to promote the production or accumulation of GRSP. We propose that there are two different pathways for affecting the pool size of GRSP in mangrove ecosystems: (i) directly via indigenous AM fungi propagules; (ii) or via the GRSP transport and deposition by pore water and tides.