Interactive Effects of Litter Inputs and Soil Microbes on the Formation of Stable Soil Carbon
EMSL Project ID
49880
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that physical projection is more important in driving organic matter persistence in soil than chemical recalcitrance. Much of the carbon physically protected in soil is derived from microorganisms; however, factors influencing the production and stabilization of microbe-derived organic materials are not well understood. This work aims to examine the importance of litter recalcitrance and microbial community composition in determining microbial carbon assimilation and the production of microbe-derived compounds that have the potential to become stable soil organic matter. In this rapid access proposal, we request EMSL analyze samples from a preliminary experiment where we used 13C labeled leaf litter to trace carbon in ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal dominated soils. Using quantitative stable isotope probing we will quantify carbon assimilation into specific microbial taxa connecting microbial community structure and function. By working with EMSL we would also be able to quantify and characterize microbe derived carbon to better understand the formation of soil organic matter, and ultimately carbon cycling in terrestrial systems. The data resulting from this project will be used as preliminary data for a larger scale FICUS proposal that will consider multiple ecosystems to determine if our results are generalizable and provide data to inform cutting edge plant-microbial interactions ecosystem models.
Project Details
Project type
Limited Scope
Start Date
2017-09-08
End Date
2017-11-08
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)