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Paradigm shifts in soil organic matter research affect interpretations of aquatic carbon cycling: transcending disciplinary and ecosystem boundaries

  • Synthesis and Emerging Ideas
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Abstract

New conceptual models that highlight the importance of environmental, rather than molecular, controls on soil organic matter affect interpretations of organic matter (OM) persistence across terrestrial and aquatic boundaries. We propose that changing paradigms in our thinking about OM decomposition explain some of the uncertainties surrounding the fate of land-derived carbon (C) in marine environments. Terrestrial OM, which historically has been thought to be chemically recalcitrant to decay in soil and aquatic environments, dominates inputs to rivers yet is found in trace amounts in the ocean. We discuss three major transformations in our understanding of OM persistence that influence interpretations of the fate of aquatic OM: (1) a shift away from an emphasis on chemical recalcitrance as a primary predictor of turnover; (2) new interpretations of radiocarbon ages, which affect predictions of reactivity; and (3) the recognition that most OM leaving soils in dissolved form has been microbially processed. The first two explain rapid turnover for terrigenous OM in aquatic ecosystems once it leaves the soil matrix. The third suggests that the presence of terrestrial OM in aquatic ecosystems may be underestimated by the use of plant biomarkers. Whether these mechanisms occur in isolation of each other or in combination, they provide insight into the missing terrestrial C signature in the ocean. Spatially and temporally varying transformations of OM along land–water networks require that common terrestrial source indicators be interpreted within specific environmental contexts. We identify areas of research where collaborations between aquatic and terrestrial scientists will enhance quantification of C transfer from soils to inland water bodies, the ocean, and the atmosphere. Accurate estimates of OM processing are essential for improving predictions of the response of vulnerable C pools at the interface of soil and water to changes in climate and land use.

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Acknowledgments

We thank L. Graham, M. Kleber, J. Sanderman and two anonymous reviewers for thorough and thoughtful comments that greatly improved earlier versions of the text and conceptual figures; K. Keefover-Ring for assistance with figures; G. Sanford for sharing data; the ISOGEOCHEM community for sharing references; and all Spring 2011 Geography 920 seminar participants and guests for lively discussions that led to the writing of this paper. We acknowledge support from NSF through DEB-0932440, DEB-1050742, and DBI-0610453 to E.M.S. and ETBC-0851101, OCE-1333157, ANT-1203885 and OPP-1107774 to R.G.M.S. This work was in part supported by the NSF-IGERT award DGE-1144752.

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  1. Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 N. Park St., Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    E. Marín-Spiotta, K. E. Gruley, E. E. Atkinson & S. Greene

  2. Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 680 N. Park St., Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    J. Crawford

  3. National Research Program, U.S. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine St., Boulder, CO, 80303, USA

    J. Crawford

  4. Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Rd., East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    J. R. Miesel

  5. Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    C. Cardona-Correa

  6. Woods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Rd, Falmouth, MA, 02540, USA

    R. G. M. Spencer

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  1. E. Marín-Spiotta
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Marín-Spiotta, E., Gruley, K.E., Crawford, J. et al. Paradigm shifts in soil organic matter research affect interpretations of aquatic carbon cycling: transcending disciplinary and ecosystem boundaries. Biogeochemistry 117, 279–297 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9949-7

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