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The energetic and chemical signatures of persistent soil organic matter

  • Biogeochemistry Letters
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Abstract

A large fraction of soil organic matter (OM) resists decomposition over decades to centuries as indicated by long radiocarbon residence times, but the mechanisms responsible for the long-term (multi-decadal) persistence are debated. The current lack of mechanistic understanding limits our ability to accurately predict soil OM stock evolution under climate and land-use changes. Using a unique set of historic soil samples from five long-term (27–79 years) bare fallow experiments, we demonstrate that despite wide pedo-climatic diversity, persistent OM shows specific energetic signatures, but no uniform chemical composition. From an energetic point of view, thermal analyses revealed that combustion of persistent OM occurred at higher temperature and provided less energy than combustion of more labile OM. In terms of chemical composition, persistent OM was H-depleted compared to OM present at the start of bare fallow, but spectroscopic analyses of OM functional groups did not reflect a consistent chemical composition of OM across sites, nor substantial modifications with bare fallow duration. The low energy content of persistent OM may be attributed to a combination of reduced content of energetic C–H bonds or stronger interactions between OM and the mineral matrix. Soil microorganisms thus appear to preferentially mineralize high-energy OM, leaving behind material with low energy content. This study provides the first direct link between long-term persistence of OM in soil and the energetic barriers experienced by the decomposer community.

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Acknowledgments

The INSU EC2CO program, ADEME and the ESF (MOLTER program) are acknowledged for financial support. We thank Rothamsted Research and the Lawes Agricultural Trust for access to archived samples and the BBSRC for support under the Institute National Capabilities programme grant (BBS/E/C/00005189). Related information and data can be found in the electronic Rothamsted Archive (era.rothamsted.ac.uk). The Danish contribution was financially supported by The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. NEXAFS data were acquired at the beamline11ID-1 at the CLS, which is supported by the NSERC, the CIHR, the NRC and the University of Saskatchewan. Special thanks go to Tom Regier for his expert support on the SGM-beamline at CLS. We also thank the reviewers for their helpful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Géologie de l’ENS, PSL Research University – CNRS UMR8538, 75005, Paris, France

    Pierre Barré & Suzanne Lutfalla

  2. Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Alain F. Plante & Jose M. Fernandez

  3. UR EMGR, Université Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, 2 rue de la Papeterie, BP 76, 38402, St-Martin-d’Hères, France

    Lauric Cécillon

  4. UMR ECOSYS, INRA - AgroParisTech – Université Paris-Saclay, 78850, Thiverval Grignon, France

    Suzanne Lutfalla, Sabine Houot, Folkert van Oort & Claire Chenu

  5. Institut des Sciences de la Terre de Paris, Sorbonne Université-UPMC-Univ Paris 06, 75005, Paris, France

    François Baudin

  6. IMPMC, UMR7590, CNRS, MNHN, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Sylvain Bernard

  7. Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, AU-Foulum, 8830, Tjele, Denmark

    Bent T. Christensen

  8. Direction Productions et Energies Durables – Service Agriculture et Forêt, ADEME, 49000, Angers, France

    Thomas Eglin

  9. Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    Thomas Kätterer

  10. Unité matériaux et transformation (UMET), Université Lille1, CNRS - UMR8207, 59650, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France

    Corentin Le Guillou

  11. Department of Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK

    Andy Macdonald

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  1. Pierre Barré
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  2. Alain F. Plante
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  3. Lauric Cécillon
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  6. Sylvain Bernard
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  15. Claire Chenu
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Correspondence to Pierre Barré.

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Responsible Editor: Stuart Grandy.

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Barré, P., Plante, A.F., Cécillon, L. et al. The energetic and chemical signatures of persistent soil organic matter. Biogeochemistry 130, 1–12 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-016-0246-0

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