Journal ArticleDOI
Soil organic matter quality interpreted thermodynamically
Ernesto Bosatta,Göran I. Ågren +1 more
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TLDR
In this paper, the authors suggest that quality is the number of enzymatic steps required to release as carbon dioxide a carbon atom from an organic compound, and that the larger the steps the lower the quality of the carbon atom.Abstract:
Soil organic matter quality in the sense of how easily carbon in the soil organic matter can be mineralised is a major determinant of soil carbon storage and rate of mineralisation of nutrients. Its origin has so far remained elusive and a number of indices, such as C-to-N-ratio, lignin concentration and other combinations of chemical constituents have been used as substitutes for quality. We suggest here that quality is the number of enzymatic steps required to release as carbon dioxide a carbon atom from an organic compound . The larger the number of steps the lower is the quality of the carbon atom. Such a measure connects quality to thermodynamics. It also explains the rapid decrease in decomposition rate with decreasing quality suggested in the q-theory of organic matter dynamics and shows that the decomposition rate of low quality substrates has a stronger temperature dependence than that of high quality substrates.read more
Citations
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Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change
TL;DR: This work has suggested that several environmental constraints obscure the intrinsic temperature sensitivity of substrate decomposition, causing lower observed ‘apparent’ temperature sensitivity, and these constraints may, themselves, be sensitive to climate.
Journal ArticleDOI
The contentious nature of soil organic matter
Johannes Lehmann,Markus Kleber +1 more
TL;DR: It is argued that the available evidence does not support the formation of large-molecular-size and persistent ‘humic substances’ in soils, and instead soil organic matter is a continuum of progressively decomposing organic compounds.
Journal ArticleDOI
Long-term sensitivity of soil carbon turnover to warming
TL;DR: Evidence is presented that non-labile SOC is more sensitive to temperature than labile SOC, implying that the long-term positive feedback of soil decomposition in a warming world may be even stronger than predicted by global models.
Journal ArticleDOI
Temperature and soil organic matter decomposition rates – synthesis of current knowledge and a way forward
Richard T. Conant,Richard T. Conant,Michael G. Ryan,Göran I. Ågren,Hannah E. Birge,Eric A. Davidson,Peter E. Eliasson,Sarah E. Evans,Serita D. Frey,Christian P. Giardina,Francesca M. Hopkins,Riitta Hyvönen,Miko U. F. Kirschbaum,Jocelyn M. Lavallee,Jens Leifeld,William J. Parton,J. M. Steinweg,Matthew D. Wallenstein,J. Å. Martin Wetterstedt,Mark A. Bradford +19 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a new conceptual model that explicitly identifies the processes controlling soil organic matter availability for decomposition and allows a more explicit description of the factors regulating OM decomposition under different circumstances is presented.
Journal ArticleDOI
Soil-carbon response to warming dependent on microbial physiology
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the mechanisms using a microbial-enzyme model to simulate the responses of soil carbon to warming by 5'∘C. They find that declines in microbial biomass and degradative enzymes can explain the observed attenuation of soil-carbon emissions in response to warming.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
The temperature dependence of soil organic matter decomposition, and the effect of global warming on soil organic C storage
TL;DR: In this article, the authors surveyed the literature to obtain the temperature dependencies of soil respiration and N dynamics reported in different studies and found that the sensitivity of decomposition processes to temperature has been observed at low temperatures, whereas the sensitivity became more similar at higher temperatures.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biological electron transfer
TL;DR: New results from the photosynthetic reaction center protein confirm that the electronic-tunneling medium appears relatively homogeneous, with any variances evident having no impact on function, and that control of intraprotein rates and directional specificity rests on a combination of distance, free energy, and reorganization energy.
Book
Theoretical Ecosystem Ecology: Understanding Element Cycles
Göran I. Ågren,Ernesto Bosatta +1 more
TL;DR: The aim of this presentation is to clarify the role of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, phosphorus and sulphur in the development of an ecosystem and to provide a framework for future research into this topic.
Journal ArticleDOI
Quality : a bridge between theory and experiment in soil organic matter studies
Göran I. Ågren,Ernesto Bosatta +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, an interpretation of decomposition studies of 19 different litter types performed at 16 different localities and including a total of 978 observations in terms of the continuous quality theory showing how quality can be estimated from conventional chemical fractionation is presented.
Related Papers (5)
Temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition and feedbacks to climate change
Temperature and soil organic matter decomposition rates – synthesis of current knowledge and a way forward
Richard T. Conant,Richard T. Conant,Michael G. Ryan,Göran I. Ågren,Hannah E. Birge,Eric A. Davidson,Peter E. Eliasson,Sarah E. Evans,Serita D. Frey,Christian P. Giardina,Francesca M. Hopkins,Riitta Hyvönen,Miko U. F. Kirschbaum,Jocelyn M. Lavallee,Jens Leifeld,William J. Parton,J. M. Steinweg,Matthew D. Wallenstein,J. Å. Martin Wetterstedt,Mark A. Bradford +19 more