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Distribution and thermal stability of physically and chemically protected organic matter fractions in soils across different ecosystems

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Abstract

Accrual of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil is a significant and realizable management option to mitigate climate change; thus, a clear understanding of the mechanisms controlling the persistence of C and N in soil organic matter (SOM) across different ecosystems has never been more needed. Here, we investigated SOM distribution between physically and chemically stabilized fractions in soils from a variety of ecosystems (i.e., coniferous and broadleaved forest soils, grassland soils, technosols, and agricultural soils). Using elemental and thermal analyses, we examined changes in the quantity and quality of physically fractionated SOM pools characterized by different mechanisms of protection from decomposition. Independently of the ecosystem type, most of the organic C and total N were found in the mineral-associated SOM pool, known to be protected mainly by chemical mechanisms. Indexes of thermal stability and C/N ratio of this heavy SOM fraction were lower (especially in agricultural soils) compared to light SOM fractions found free or occluded in aggregates, and suggested a marked presence of inherently labile compounds. Our results confirm that the association of labile organic molecules with soil minerals is a major stabilization mechanism of SOM, and demonstrate that this is a generalizable finding occurring across different mineral soils and ecosystems.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Soil Staff “Monitoraggio Suoli” of the Regione Marche (Italy) for the support in soil samples collection and classification, and Dr. Esther G. López-de-Sá, CSIC, for the help during lab activities.

Funding

This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grants AGL2013-48681 and AGL2016-75762.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, via Brecce Bianche 10, 60131, Ancona, Italy

    Beatrice Giannetta & Costantino Vischetti

  2. Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Serrano 115 bis, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    César Plaza

  3. Department of Soil and Crop Sciences & Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    M. Francesca Cotrufo

  4. Department of the Sciences of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Foggia, via Napoli 25, 71122, Foggia, Italy

    Claudio Zaccone

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  1. Beatrice Giannetta
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Correspondence to Claudio Zaccone.

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Giannetta, B., Plaza, C., Vischetti, C. et al. Distribution and thermal stability of physically and chemically protected organic matter fractions in soils across different ecosystems. Biol Fertil Soils 54, 671–681 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-018-1290-9

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