Microscale spatial distribution and soil organic matter persistence in top and subsoil

Thiago M. Inagaki; Angela R. Possinger; Steffen A. Schweizer; Carsten W. Mueller; Carmen Hoeschen; Michael J. Zachman; Lena F. Kourkoutis; Ingrid Kögel-Knabner; Johannes Lehmann

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108921

Microscale spatial distribution and soil organic matter persistence in top and subsoil

Thiago M. Inagaki, Angela R. Possinger, Steffen A. Schweizer, Carsten W. Mueller, Carmen Hoeschen, Michael J. Zachman, Lena F. Kourkoutis, Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, Johannes Lehmann

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

The spatial distribution of organic substrates and microscale soil heterogeneity significantly influence organic matter (OM) persistence as constraints on OM accessibility to microorganisms. However, it is unclear how changes in OM spatial heterogeneity driven by factors such as soil depth affect the relative importance of substrate spatial distribution on OM persistence. This work evaluated the decomposition and persistence of ¹³C and ¹⁵N labeled water-extractable OM inputs over 50 days as either hotspot (i.e., pelleted in 1–2 mm-size pieces) or distributed (i.e., added as OM < 0.07 μm suspended in water) forms in topsoil (0–0.2 m) and subsoil (0.8–0.9 m) samples of an Andisol. We observed greater persistence of added C in the subsoil with distributed OM inputs relative to hotspot OM, indicated by a 17% reduction in cumulative mineralization of the added C and a 10% higher conversion to mineral-associated OM. A lower substrate availability potentially reduced mineralization due to OM dispersion throughout the soil. NanoSIMS (nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry) analysis identified organo-mineral associations on cross-sectioned aggregate interiors in the subsoil. On the other hand, in the topsoil, we did not observe significant differences in the persistence of OM, suggesting that the large amounts of particulate OM already present in the soil outweighed the influence of added OM spatial distribution. Here, we demonstrated under laboratory conditions that the spatial distribution of fresh OM input alone significantly affected the decomposition and persistence of OM inputs in the subsoil. On the other hand, spatial distribution seems to play a lower role in topsoils rich in particulate OM. The divergence in the influence of OM spatial distribution between the top and subsoil is likely driven by differences in soil mineralogy and OM composition.

Original language	English
Article number	108921
Journal	Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Volume	178
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108921
State	Published - Mar 2023
Externally published	Yes

Funding

The Technical University of Munich Institute for Advanced Study provided funding for this study. MJZ and LFK acknowledge support by the NSF ( DMR-1654596 ) and Packard Foundation . This work used the Cornell Center for Materials Research Shared Facilities supported through the NSF MRSEC program ( DMR-1719875 ). Additional support for the FIB/SEM cryo-stage and transfer system was provided by the Kavli Institute at Cornell (KIC) for Nanoscale Science and the Energy Materials Center at Cornell , DOE EFRC BES ( DE-SC0001086 ). The FEI Titan Themis 300 was acquired through NSF-MRI-1429155 , with additional support from Cornell University , the Weill Institute, and the KIC . The authors thank Katherine E. Grant and Louis A. Derry (Cornell University Earth and Atmospheric Sciences) for providing soil samples from the Polulu Flow, HI. The authors thank Akio Enders and Kelly Hanley for their technical support. The Technical University of Munich Institute for Advanced Study provided funding for this study. MJZ and LFK acknowledge support by the NSF (DMR-1654596) and Packard Foundation. This work used the Cornell Center for Materials Research Shared Facilities supported through the NSF MRSEC program (DMR-1719875). Additional support for the FIB/SEM cryo-stage and transfer system was provided by the Kavli Institute at Cornell (KIC) for Nanoscale Science and the Energy Materials Center at Cornell, DOE EFRC BES (DE-SC0001086). The FEI Titan Themis 300 was acquired through NSF-MRI-1429155, with additional support from Cornell University, the Weill Institute, and the KIC. The authors thank Katherine E. Grant and Louis A. Derry (Cornell University Earth and Atmospheric Sciences) for providing soil samples from the Polulu Flow, HI. The authors thank Akio Enders and Kelly Hanley for their technical support.

Funders	Funder number
DOE EFRC BES	DE-SC0001086
Weill Institute
National Science Foundation	DMR-1654596
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Cornell University
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Harvard University	DMR-1719875
Kavli Institute at Cornell, Cornell University
Institute for Advanced Study, Technische Universität München

Keywords

FIB-SEM
NanoSIMS
Organo-mineral associations
Soil heterogeneity
Soil microbial community
Soil organic matter

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10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108921

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title = "Microscale spatial distribution and soil organic matter persistence in top and subsoil",

abstract = "The spatial distribution of organic substrates and microscale soil heterogeneity significantly influence organic matter (OM) persistence as constraints on OM accessibility to microorganisms. However, it is unclear how changes in OM spatial heterogeneity driven by factors such as soil depth affect the relative importance of substrate spatial distribution on OM persistence. This work evaluated the decomposition and persistence of 13C and 15N labeled water-extractable OM inputs over 50 days as either hotspot (i.e., pelleted in 1–2 mm-size pieces) or distributed (i.e., added as OM < 0.07 μm suspended in water) forms in topsoil (0–0.2 m) and subsoil (0.8–0.9 m) samples of an Andisol. We observed greater persistence of added C in the subsoil with distributed OM inputs relative to hotspot OM, indicated by a 17% reduction in cumulative mineralization of the added C and a 10% higher conversion to mineral-associated OM. A lower substrate availability potentially reduced mineralization due to OM dispersion throughout the soil. NanoSIMS (nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry) analysis identified organo-mineral associations on cross-sectioned aggregate interiors in the subsoil. On the other hand, in the topsoil, we did not observe significant differences in the persistence of OM, suggesting that the large amounts of particulate OM already present in the soil outweighed the influence of added OM spatial distribution. Here, we demonstrated under laboratory conditions that the spatial distribution of fresh OM input alone significantly affected the decomposition and persistence of OM inputs in the subsoil. On the other hand, spatial distribution seems to play a lower role in topsoils rich in particulate OM. The divergence in the influence of OM spatial distribution between the top and subsoil is likely driven by differences in soil mineralogy and OM composition.",

keywords = "FIB-SEM, NanoSIMS, Organo-mineral associations, Soil heterogeneity, Soil microbial community, Soil organic matter",

author = "Inagaki, {Thiago M.} and Possinger, {Angela R.} and Schweizer, {Steffen A.} and Mueller, {Carsten W.} and Carmen Hoeschen and Zachman, {Michael J.} and Kourkoutis, {Lena F.} and Ingrid K{\"o}gel-Knabner and Johannes Lehmann",

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year = "2023",

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doi = "10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108921",

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AU - Inagaki, Thiago M.

AU - Possinger, Angela R.

AU - Schweizer, Steffen A.

AU - Mueller, Carsten W.

AU - Hoeschen, Carmen

AU - Zachman, Michael J.

AU - Kourkoutis, Lena F.

AU - Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid

AU - Lehmann, Johannes

PY - 2023/3

Y1 - 2023/3

N2 - The spatial distribution of organic substrates and microscale soil heterogeneity significantly influence organic matter (OM) persistence as constraints on OM accessibility to microorganisms. However, it is unclear how changes in OM spatial heterogeneity driven by factors such as soil depth affect the relative importance of substrate spatial distribution on OM persistence. This work evaluated the decomposition and persistence of 13C and 15N labeled water-extractable OM inputs over 50 days as either hotspot (i.e., pelleted in 1–2 mm-size pieces) or distributed (i.e., added as OM < 0.07 μm suspended in water) forms in topsoil (0–0.2 m) and subsoil (0.8–0.9 m) samples of an Andisol. We observed greater persistence of added C in the subsoil with distributed OM inputs relative to hotspot OM, indicated by a 17% reduction in cumulative mineralization of the added C and a 10% higher conversion to mineral-associated OM. A lower substrate availability potentially reduced mineralization due to OM dispersion throughout the soil. NanoSIMS (nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry) analysis identified organo-mineral associations on cross-sectioned aggregate interiors in the subsoil. On the other hand, in the topsoil, we did not observe significant differences in the persistence of OM, suggesting that the large amounts of particulate OM already present in the soil outweighed the influence of added OM spatial distribution. Here, we demonstrated under laboratory conditions that the spatial distribution of fresh OM input alone significantly affected the decomposition and persistence of OM inputs in the subsoil. On the other hand, spatial distribution seems to play a lower role in topsoils rich in particulate OM. The divergence in the influence of OM spatial distribution between the top and subsoil is likely driven by differences in soil mineralogy and OM composition.

AB - The spatial distribution of organic substrates and microscale soil heterogeneity significantly influence organic matter (OM) persistence as constraints on OM accessibility to microorganisms. However, it is unclear how changes in OM spatial heterogeneity driven by factors such as soil depth affect the relative importance of substrate spatial distribution on OM persistence. This work evaluated the decomposition and persistence of 13C and 15N labeled water-extractable OM inputs over 50 days as either hotspot (i.e., pelleted in 1–2 mm-size pieces) or distributed (i.e., added as OM < 0.07 μm suspended in water) forms in topsoil (0–0.2 m) and subsoil (0.8–0.9 m) samples of an Andisol. We observed greater persistence of added C in the subsoil with distributed OM inputs relative to hotspot OM, indicated by a 17% reduction in cumulative mineralization of the added C and a 10% higher conversion to mineral-associated OM. A lower substrate availability potentially reduced mineralization due to OM dispersion throughout the soil. NanoSIMS (nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry) analysis identified organo-mineral associations on cross-sectioned aggregate interiors in the subsoil. On the other hand, in the topsoil, we did not observe significant differences in the persistence of OM, suggesting that the large amounts of particulate OM already present in the soil outweighed the influence of added OM spatial distribution. Here, we demonstrated under laboratory conditions that the spatial distribution of fresh OM input alone significantly affected the decomposition and persistence of OM inputs in the subsoil. On the other hand, spatial distribution seems to play a lower role in topsoils rich in particulate OM. The divergence in the influence of OM spatial distribution between the top and subsoil is likely driven by differences in soil mineralogy and OM composition.

KW - FIB-SEM

KW - NanoSIMS

KW - Organo-mineral associations

KW - Soil heterogeneity

KW - Soil microbial community

KW - Soil organic matter

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DO - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108921

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85146099352

SN - 0038-0717

VL - 178

JO - Soil Biology and Biochemistry

JF - Soil Biology and Biochemistry

M1 - 108921

ER -

Microscale spatial distribution and soil organic matter persistence in top and subsoil

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

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