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Title: Pathways of anaerobic organic matter decomposition in tundra soils from Barrow, Alaska

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JG003147· OSTI ID:1235813
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Kent State Univ., Kent, OH (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
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Arctic tundra soils store a large quantity of organic carbon that is susceptible to decomposition and release to the atmosphere as methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) under a warming climate. Anaerobic processes that generate CH4 and CO2 remain unclear because previous studies have focused on aerobic decomposition pathways. To predict releases of CO2 and CH4 from tundra soils, it is necessary to identify pathways of soil organic matter decomposition under the anoxic conditions that are prevalent in Arctic ecosystems. Here molecular and spectroscopic techniques were used to monitor biological degradation of water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) during anoxic incubation of tundra soils from a region of continuous permafrost in northern Alaska. Organic and mineral soils from the tundra active layer were incubated at –2, +4, or +8°C for up to 60 days to mimic the short-term thaw season. Results suggest that, under anoxic conditions, fermentation converted complex organic molecules into simple organic acids that were used in concomitant Fe-reduction and acetoclastic methanogenesis reactions. Nonaromatic compounds increased over time as WEOC increased. Organic acid metabolites initially accumulated in soils but were mostly depleted by day 60 because organic acids were consumed to produce Fe(II), CO2, and CH4. We conclude that fermentation of nonprotected organic matter facilitates methanogenesis and Fe reduction reactions, and that the proportion of organic acids consumed by methanogenesis increases relative to Fe reduction with increasing temperature. As a result, the decomposition pathways observed in this study are important to consider in numerical modeling of greenhouse gas production in the Arctic.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1235813
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences, Vol. 120, Issue 12; ISSN 2169-8953
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 37 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (5)

Timing and duration of hydrological transitions in Arctic polygonal ground from stable isotopes journal November 2019
Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Biological Processes and Responses of the Bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ND132 upon Deletion of Its Mercury Methylation Genes journal August 2018
Geochemical drivers of organic matter decomposition in arctic tundra soils journal December 2015
Landscape topography structures the soil microbiome in arctic polygonal tundra journal February 2018
Impacts of temperature and soil characteristics on methane production and oxidation in Arctic tundra journal January 2018

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
permafrost
soil carbon
degradation
methane
climate