Iron transformation mediates phosphate retention across a permafrost thaw gradient

Barczok, Maximilian; Smith, Chelsea; Kinsman-Costello, Lauren; Patzner, Monique; Bryce, Casey; Kappler, Andreas; Singer, David; Herndon, Elizabeth

doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01810-z

Iron transformation mediates phosphate retention across a permafrost thaw gradient

Journal Article · Tue Oct 29 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Communications Earth & Environment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01810-z· OSTI ID:2475723

Barczok, Maximilian ^[1]; Smith, Chelsea ^[1]; Kinsman-Costello, Lauren ^[1]; Patzner, Monique ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[4]; Singer, David ^[1]; ^[5]

Kent State Univ., Kent, OH (United States)
Univ. of Tubingen (Germany)
Univ. of Tubingen (Germany); Univ. of Bristol (United Kingdom)
Univ. of Tubingen (Germany); Cluster of Excellence: EXC 2124: Controlling Microbes to Fight Infection, Tubingen (Germany)
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Phosphorus limits primary productivity in many (Sub-)Arctic ecosystems and may constrain biological carbon sequestration. Iron (III) oxides strongly bind phosphate in soils but can dissolve under flooded, reducing conditions induced by permafrost thaw and ground collapse. The ability for iron to regulate phosphate storage and solubility in thawing permafrost landscapes remains unclear. Here, iron-rich sediments containing iron oxides and organic-bound iron were incubated with or without added phosphate in soils along a permafrost thaw gradient to evaluate how iron-phosphate associations respond to thaw-induced redox shifts. Iron oxides partially dissolved and released sorbed phosphate when incubated in soils underlain by degraded permafrost. Iron complexed by organic matter remained stable but provided no phosphate binding capacity. Phosphate addition enhanced iron oxide dissolution and phosphorus concentrations in associated microbial biomass. Our study demonstrates that the capacity for iron oxides to immobilize and retain phosphate in permafrost peatlands decreases with permafrost thaw.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357; AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2475723

Journal Information:: Communications Earth & Environment, Journal Name: Communications Earth & Environment Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 5; ISSN 2662-4435

Publisher:: Springer NatureCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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