Influence of root- vs needle-derived litter on soil C and N stabilization in a California coniferous forest from 2001 to 2011

Hicks Pries, Caitlin; Bird, Jeffrey; Castanha, Cristina; Hatton, Pierre-Joseph; Torn, Margaret

doi:10.15485/1898050

Title: Influence of root- vs needle-derived litter on soil C and N stabilization in a California coniferous forest from 2001 to 2011

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Abstract

How plant inputs from above- versus below-ground affect long term carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) retention and stabilization in soils is not well known. We present results of a decade-long field study that traced the decomposition of 13C- and 15N-labeled Pinus ponderosa needle and fine root litter placed in O or A soil horizons of a sandy Alfisol under a coniferous forest. We measured the retention of litter-derived C and N in particulate (>2 mm) and bulk soil (<2 mm) fractions, as well as in density-separated free light and three mineral-associated fractions. After 10 years, the influence of slower initial mineralization of root litter compared to needle litter was still evident: almost twice as much root litter (44% of C) was retained than needle litter (22–28% of C). After 10 years, the O horizon retained more litter in coarse particulate matter implying the crucial comminution step was slower than in the A horizon, while the A horizon retained more litter in the finer bulk soil, where it was recovered in organo-mineral associations. Retention in these A horizon mineral-associated fractions was similar for roots and needles. Nearly 5% of the applied litter C (and almost 15% of the applied N) wasmore »« less

Authors:

;

; Hatton, Pierre-Joseph; Torn, Margaret

Dartmouth College; Dartmouth College
Queens College, City University of New York
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Publication Date:: Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2021

Research Org.:: Environmental System Science Data Infrastructure for a Virtual Ecosystem

Sponsoring Org.:: U.S. DOE > Office of Science > Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Subject:: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS > DECOMPOSITION; EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > SOILS; EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > SOILS > CARBON; EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > SOILS > ORGANIC MATTER

OSTI Identifier:: 1898050

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.15485/1898050

Citation Formats


                    Hicks Pries, Caitlin, Bird, Jeffrey, Castanha, Cristina, Hatton, Pierre-Joseph, and Torn, Margaret. Influence of root- vs needle-derived litter on soil C and N stabilization in a California coniferous forest from 2001 to 2011.  United States: N. p., 2021. 
        Web.  doi:10.15485/1898050.

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                    Hicks Pries, Caitlin, Bird, Jeffrey, Castanha, Cristina, Hatton, Pierre-Joseph, & Torn, Margaret. Influence of root- vs needle-derived litter on soil C and N stabilization in a California coniferous forest from 2001 to 2011.  United States.  doi:https://doi.org/10.15485/1898050

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                    Hicks Pries, Caitlin, Bird, Jeffrey, Castanha, Cristina, Hatton, Pierre-Joseph, and Torn, Margaret. 2021.  
"Influence of root- vs needle-derived litter on soil C and N stabilization in a California coniferous forest from 2001 to 2011".  United States.  doi:https://doi.org/10.15485/1898050.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1898050. Pub date:Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2021

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@article{osti_1898050,

  title        = {Influence of root- vs needle-derived litter on soil C and N stabilization in a California coniferous forest from 2001 to 2011},

  author       = {Hicks Pries, Caitlin and Bird, Jeffrey and Castanha, Cristina and Hatton, Pierre-Joseph and Torn, Margaret},

  abstractNote = {How plant inputs from above- versus below-ground affect long term carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) retention and stabilization in soils is not well known. We present results of a decade-long field study that traced the decomposition of 13C- and 15N-labeled Pinus ponderosa needle and fine root litter placed in O or A soil horizons of a sandy Alfisol under a coniferous forest. We measured the retention of litter-derived C and N in particulate (>2 mm) and bulk soil (<2 mm) fractions, as well as in density-separated free light and three mineral-associated fractions. After 10 years, the influence of slower initial mineralization of root litter compared to needle litter was still evident: almost twice as much root litter (44% of C) was retained than needle litter (22–28% of C). After 10 years, the O horizon retained more litter in coarse particulate matter implying the crucial comminution step was slower than in the A horizon, while the A horizon retained more litter in the finer bulk soil, where it was recovered in organo-mineral associations. Retention in these A horizon mineral-associated fractions was similar for roots and needles. Nearly 5% of the applied litter C (and almost 15% of the applied N) was in organo-mineral associations, which had centennial residence times and potential for long-term stabilization. Vertical movement of litter-derived C was minimal after a decade, but N was significantly more mobile. Overall, the legacy of initial litter quality influences total SOM retention; however, the potential for and mechanisms of long-term SOM stabilization are influenced not by litter type but by soil horizon.This dataset comprises (1) litter recovery for each of 5 timepoints in >2mm, <2mm, and density fractions, (2) density fractionation results for the 10-year timepoint, and (3) vertical movement of applied litter.},

  doi          = {10.15485/1898050},

  journal      = {},

  number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2021},

  month        = {Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2021}

}

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.15485/1898050

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