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Pathways to persistence: plant root traits alter carbon accumulation in different soil carbon pools

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Abstract

Aims

Mineral-associated organic matter, mainly derived from microbial by-products, persists longer in soil compared to particulate organic matter (POM). POM is highly recalcitrant and originates largely from decomposing root and shoot litter. Theory suggests that root traits and growth dynamics should affect carbon (C) accumulation into these different pools, but the specific traits driving this accumulation are not clearly identified.

Methods

Twelve herbaceous species were grown for 37 weeks in monocultures. Root elongation rate (RER) was measured throughout the experiment. At the end of the experiment, we determined morphological and chemical root traits, as well as substrate induced respiration (SIR) as a proxy for microbial activity. Carbon was measured in four different soil fractions, following particle-size and density fractionation.

Results

Root biomass, RER, root diameter, hemicellulose content and SIR (characteristic of N2-fixing Fabaceae species), were all positively correlated with increased C in the coarse silt fraction. Root diameter and hemicellulose content were negatively correlated with C in the POM fraction, that was greater under non N2-fixing Poaceae species, characterized by lignin-rich roots with a high carbon:nitrogen ratio that grew slowly. The accumulation of C in different soil pools was mediated by microbial activity.

Conclusions

Our results show that root traits determine C input into different soil pools, mediated primarily by microbial activity, thus determining the fate of soil organic C. We also highlight that C in different soil pools, and not only total soil organic C, should be reported in future studies to better understand its origin, fate and dynamics.

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Abbreviations

C:

Carbon

POM:

Particulate organic matter

C:N:

Carbon – nitrogen ratio in plant tissue and/or soil

N2-fixing:

Dinitrogen fixing

t0:

Time zero, beginning of the experiment

t37:

Time 37 weeks, end of the experiment

ΔC:

Delta carbon, as difference between carbon at time 37 and carbon at time 0, in different fractions (mg C g−1 soil)

CPOM :

Carbon in the coarse POM 200–2000 μm fraction (mg C g−1 soil)

CfinePOM :

Carbon in the fine POM 50–200 μm fraction (mg C g−1 soil)

CSILT :

Carbon in the 20–50 μm coarse silt fraction (mg C g−1 soil)

CSILT + CLAY :

Carbon in the fine silt+clay <20 μm fraction (mg C g−1 soil)

ΔCSUM :

Sum of delta carbon in different fractions, ΔCSUM = ΔCPOM + ΔCfinePOM + ΔCSILT + ΔCSILT + CLAY (mg C g−1 soil)

RER:

Root elongation rate (mm d−1)

RLP:

Root length production (m)

RERNEW, RLPNEW :

RER and RLP of ‘new’ roots initiated during the 2 weeks interval between measurements

REROLD, RLPOLD :

RER and RLP of ‘old’ roots, initiated more than 2 weeks before the measurement

SIR:

Substrate induced respiration (μg C-CO2 g−1 soil h−1)

PCA:

Principal component analysis

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the European Commission via the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN-ETN) project TERRE ‘Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future’ (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015-675762). Thanks to F. Pailler (INRAE) and D. Degueldre and the staff from the Experimental field (LabEx CeMEB, an ANR “Investissements d’avenir” program (ANR-10-LABX-04-01) for the technical help and experimental management, and to the staff at the PACE platform (LabEx CeMEB), N. Barthes, R. Leclerc and B. Buatois, for help and assistance with laboratory analyses. Thanks to Ngô Ha My (USTH, Hanoi) and S. Fourcaud-Stokes (AMAP) for their technical assistance.

Funding

Funding was provided by the project: TALVEG2 ‘An innovative approach for the management and monitoring of ecosystems’ (Programme Opérationnel Languedoc Roussillon 2014-2020, FEDER-FSE-IEJ 2015009142) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN-ETN) project TERRE ‘Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future’ (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015-675762.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Montpellier, AMAP, INRAE, CIRAD, CNRS, IRD, PS2 TA/A51, 34 398, Montpellier cedex 5, France

    Lorenzo M. W. Rossi, Zhun Mao, Luis Merino-Martín, Stéphane Fourtier & Alexia Stokes

  2. University of Cassino, Via Di Biasio 43, 03043, Cassino (Fr), Italy

    Lorenzo M. W. Rossi

  3. CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry, Montpellier, France

    Luis Merino-Martín, Catherine Roumet, Maria Del Rey-Granado & Nathalie Fromin

  4. CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, Institut Agro, IRD, Université Paul Valery Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Florian Fort

  5. Valorhiz, 1900, Boulevard de la Lironde PSIII, Parc Scientifique Agropolis, F-34980, Montferrier sur Lez, France

    Olivier Taugourdeau & Hassan Boukcim

  6. Eco&Sols, IRD, CIRAD, INRA, University of Montpellier, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France

    Tiphaine Chevallier

  7. CIRAD, UPR AIDA, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Rémi Cardinael

  8. AIDA, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France

    Rémi Cardinael

  9. Crop Science Department, University of Zimbabwe, Box MP167, Mt. Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Rémi Cardinael

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  1. Lorenzo M. W. Rossi
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Correspondence to Lorenzo M. W. Rossi.

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Rossi, L.M.W., Mao, Z., Merino-Martín, L. et al. Pathways to persistence: plant root traits alter carbon accumulation in different soil carbon pools. Plant Soil 452, 457–478 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04469-5

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