scholarly journals Reciprocal carbon subsidies between autotrophs and bacteria in stream food webs under stoichiometric constraints

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoît O.L. Demars ◽  
Nikolai Friberg ◽  
Joanna L. Kemp ◽  
Barry Thornton

SummarySoils are currently leaching out their organic matter at an increasing pace and darkening aquatic ecosystems due to climate and land use change, or recovery from acidification. The implications for stream biogeochemistry and food webs remain largely unknown, notably the metabolic balance (biotic CO2emissions), reciprocal subsidies between autotrophs and bacteria, and trophic transfer efficiencies.We use a flow food web approach to test how a small addition of labile dissolved organic matter affects the strength and dynamics of the autotrophs-bacteria interaction in streams. Our paired streams whole-ecosystem experimental approach combined with continuous whole-stream metabolism and stable isotope probing allowed to unravel carbon fluxes in the control and treatment streams.We increased the natural supply of dissolved organic matter for three weeks by only 12% by continuously adding 0.5 mg L−1of sucrose with a δ13C signature different from the natural organic matter. Both photosynthesis and heterotrophic respiration increased rapidly following C addition, but this was short lived due to N and P stoichiometric constraints. The resulting peak in heterotrophic respiration was of similar magnitude to natural peaks in the control observed when soils were hydrologically connected to the streams and received soil derived carbon.Carbon reciprocal subsidies between autotrophs and bacteria in the control stream accounted for about 50% of net primary production and 75% of bacterial production, under low flow conditions when stream water was hydrologically disconnected from soil water. The reciprocal subsidies were weaker by 33% (autotrophs to bacteria) and 55% (bacteria to autotrophs) in the treatment relative to the control. Net primary production relied partly (11% in the control) on natural allochthonous dissolved organic carbon via the CO2produced by bacterial respiration.Many large changes in ecosystem processes were observed in response to the sucrose addition. The light use efficiency of the autotrophs increased by 37%. Ecosystem respiration intensified by 70%, and the metabolic balance became relatively more negative, i.e. biotic CO2emissions increased by 125%. Heterotrophic respiration and production increased by 89%, and this was reflected by a shorter (−40%) uptake length (SwOC) and faster (+92%) mineralisation velocity of organic carbon. The proportion of DOC flux respired and organic carbon use efficiency by bacteria increased by 112%.Macroinvertebrate consumer density increased by 72% due to sucrose addition and consumer production was 1.8 times higher in the treatment than in the control at the end of the experiment. The trophic transfer efficiencies from resources to consumers were similar between the control and the treatment (2-5%).Synthesis. Part of the carbon derived from natural allochthonous organic matter can feed the autotrophs via the CO2produced by stream bacterial respiration, intermingling the green and brown webs. The interaction between autotrophs and bacteria shifted from mutualism to competition with carbon addition under nutrient limitation (N, P) increasing biotic CO2emissions. Without nutrient limitation, mutualism could be reinforced by a positive feedback loop, maintaining the same biotic CO2emissions. A small increase in dissolved organic carbon supply from climate and land use change could have large effects on stream food web and biogeochemistry with implications for the global C cycle under stoichiometric constraints.

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 543-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves T Prairie

In this perspective article, I argue that dissolved organic carbon occupies a central role in the functioning of lake ecosystems, comparable in importance to that played by nutrients. Because lakes receive so much dissolved organic carbon from the terrestrial landscape, its accumulation in water bodies usually represents the largest pool of lacustrine organic matter within the water column. The transformation of even a small fraction of this external carbon by the microbial community can alter significantly the metabolic balance of lake ecosystems, simultaneously releasing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and burying organic carbon in lake sediments. At the landscape level, even if they occupy a small fraction of the landscape, lakes play a surprisingly important role in the regional carbon budget, particularly when considered at the appropriate temporal scale.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1507-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Fetzel ◽  
Maria Niedertscheider ◽  
Helmut Haberl ◽  
Fridolin Krausmann ◽  
Karl-Heinz Erb

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Jarosch ◽  
Luis Carlos Colocho Hurtarte ◽  
Konstantin Gavazov ◽  
Aleksander Westphal Muniz ◽  
Christoph Müller ◽  
...  

<p>The conversion of tropical forest for cassava cultivation is widely known to decrease the soil organic matter (OM) and nutrient contents of highly weathered soils in the tropics. Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) might be affected less due to their historical anthropogenic amelioration with e.g. charcoal, ceramics and bones, leading to higher soil OM and nutrient concentrations. In this study, we analysed the effect of land use change on the OM dynamics and its composition under tropical conditions, using ADE and an adjacent Acrisol (ACR) as model systems. Soil samples were obtained south of Manaus (Brazil), from a secondary forest and an adjacently located 40-year-old cassava plantation. The land use change induced a severe decrease of organic carbon (OC) concentrations in ADE (from 35 to 15 g OC kg<sup>‑1</sup>) while OC in the adjacent ACR was less affected (18 to 16 g OC kg<sup>‑1</sup>). Soils were analysed by <sup>13</sup>C NMR spectroscopy to obtain information on how the conversion of secondary forest to cassava affected the chemical composition of OM. Our results show that land use change induces differences in the OM composition: The OM in ADE changes to a more decomposed state (increase of alkyl:O/N-alkyl ratio) whereas the OM in ACR changes to a less decomposed state (decrease of alkyl:O/N-alkyl ratio). According to a molecular mixing model, land use change influenced mostly the proportion of lipids, which might be related with a change of the plant input. The incubation of the soils with <sup>13</sup>C glucose enabled resolving how soil microorganisms were affected by land use change. In both soil types ADE and ACR, land use change caused a reduction of the total <sup>13</sup>C glucose respiration by approximately one third in a 7-days incubation, implying lower microbial activity. Microorganisms in both soil types appear to be more readily active in soils under forest, since we observed a distinct lag time between <sup>13</sup>C glucose addition and respiration under cassava planation. This indicated differences in microbial community structure, which we will assess further by determining the <sup>13</sup>C label uptake by the microbial biomass and the microbial community structure using <sup>13</sup>C PLFA analysis. Preliminary results from synchrotron-based STXM demonstrate a distinct arrangement of OM at fine-sized charcoal-particle interfaces. Samples of soils receiving <sup>13</sup>C label will be further analysed by NanoSIMS with the hypothesis that charcoal interfaces foster nutrient dynamics at the microscale. Despite the high loss of OC in the ameliorated ADE through land use change, the remaining OM might improve the nutrient availability thanks to charcoal interactions compared to the ACR. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the sensitivity of OM upon land use change and how the microbial community is responding to land use change in highly weathered tropical soils.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dedy Antony ◽  
Jo Clark ◽  
Chris Collins ◽  
Tom Sizmur

<p>Soils are the largest terrestrial pool of organic carbon and it is now known that as much as 50% of soil organic carbon (SOC) can be stored below 30 cm. Therefore, knowledge of the mechanisms by which soil organic carbon is stabilised at depth and how land use affects this is important.</p><p>This study aimed to characterise topsoil and subsoil SOC and other soil properties under different land uses to determine the SOC stabilisation mechanisms and the degree to which SOC is vulnerable to decomposition. Samples were collected under three different land uses: arable, grassland and deciduous woodland on a silty-clay loam soil and analysed for TOC, pH, C/N ratio and texture down the first one metre of the soil profile. Soil organic matter (SOM) physical fractionation and the extent of fresh mineral surfaces were also analysed to elucidate SOM stabilisation processes.</p><p>Results showed that soil texture was similar among land uses and tended to become more fine down the soil profile, but pH did not significantly change with soil depth. Total C, total N and C/N ratio decreased down the soil profile and were affected by land use in the order woodland > grassland > arable. SOM fractionation revealed that the free particulate organic matter (fPOM) fraction was significantly greater in both the topsoil and subsoil under woodland than under grassland or arable. The mineral associated OC (MinOC) fraction was proportionally greater in the subsoil compared to topsoil under all land uses: arable > grassland > woodland. Clay, Fe and Mn availability play a significant role (R<sup>2</sup>=0.87) in organic carbon storage in the top 1 m of the soil profile.</p><p>It is evidently clear from the findings that land use change has a significant effect on the dynamics of the SOC pool at depth, related to litter inputs to the system.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 3151-3171 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Gottschalk ◽  
J.U. Smith ◽  
M. Wattenbach ◽  
J. Bellarby ◽  
E. Stehfest ◽  
...  

Abstract. We use a soil carbon (C) model (RothC), driven by a range of climate models for a range of climate scenarios to examine the impacts of future climate on global soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. The results suggest an overall global increase in SOC stocks by 2100 under all scenarios, but with a different extent of increase among the climate model and emissions scenarios. The impacts of projected land use changes are also simulated, but have relatively minor impacts at the global scale. Whether soils gain or lose SOC depends upon the balance between C inputs and decomposition. Changes in net primary production (NPP) change C inputs to the soil, whilst decomposition usually increases under warmer temperatures, but can also be slowed by decreased soil moisture. Underlying the global trend of increasing SOC under future climate is a complex pattern of regional SOC change. SOC losses are projected to occur in northern latitudes where higher SOC decomposition rates due to higher temperatures are not balanced by increased NPP, whereas in tropical regions, NPP increases override losses due to higher SOC decomposition. The spatial heterogeneity in the response of SOC to changing climate shows how delicately balanced the competing gain and loss processes are, with subtle changes in temperature, moisture, soil type and land use, interacting to determine whether SOC increases or decreases in the future. Our results suggest that we should stop looking for a single answer regarding whether SOC stocks will increase or decrease under future climate, since there is no single answer. Instead, we should focus on improving our prediction of the factors that determine the size and direction of change, and the land management practices that can be implemented to protect and enhance SOC stocks.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Schrumpf ◽  
Klaus Kaiser ◽  
Allegra Mayer ◽  
Günter Hempel ◽  
Susan Trumbore

Abstract. The largest share of total soil organic carbon (OC) is associated with minerals. The portions and turnover of stable and faster cycling mineral-associated carbon (MOC) as well as the determining factors across different soils and soil depths are still unknown. Bioavailability of MOC is supposedly regulated by desorption but instead, its stability was so far mostly tested by exposure to chemical oxidation. Therefore, we determined the extractability of MOC into a mixture of 0.1 M NaOH and 0.4 M NaF as a measure for maximal potential desorbability, and compared it with maximal potential oxidation in heated H2O2. We selected samples of three soil depth increments (0–5 cm, 10–20 cm, 30–40 cm) of five typical soils of the mid-latitudes, differing contents of clay and pedogenic oxides, and being under different land use. Extracts and residues were analyzed for OC and 14C contents, and further chemically characterized by CPMAS-13C-NMR. We hypothesized NaF-NaOH extraction to remove less and younger MOC than H2O2 oxidation, and extractable MOC to be less and relatively older in subsoils and soils with high contents of pedogenic oxides. A surprisingly constant portion of 58 ± 11 % (standard deviation) of MOC was extractable across soils, independent of depths, mineral assemblage, or land use. NMR spectra revealed strong similarities of the extracted organic matter, with more than 80 % of OC in the O/N alkyl and alkyl C region. Total MOC amounts were linked to the content of pedogenic oxides across sites, independent of variations in total clay. The uniform MOC desorption could therefore be the result of pedogenic oxides dominating the overall response of MOC to extraction. While bulk MO14C values suggested differences in OC turnover between sites, these were not linked to differences in MOC extractability. As expected, OC contents of residues had smaller 14C contents than extracts, suggesting that non-extractable OC is older. However, 14C contents of extracts and residues were strongly correlated and proportional to bulk MO14C, but not dependent on mineralogy. Also along soil profiles, where increasing MOC ages indicate slower turnover with depth, neither MOC extractability nor differences in 14C between extracts and residues changed. Increasing bonding strength with soil depths did therefore not cause the 14C depth gradients in the studied soils. Although H2O2 removed 90 ± 8 % of the MOC, the 14C content of the OC removed was similar to that of the NaF-NaOH-extracted OC, while oxidation residues were much more 14C-depleted. Different chemical treatments apparently remove OC of the same continuum, leaving increasingly older residues behind the more OC being removed. Different from the extractions, higher contents of pedogenic oxides seemingly slightly increased the oxidation-resistance of MOC, but this higher H2O2-resistance did not coincide with older MOC or oxidation residues. Our results indicate that total MOC was dominated by OC interactions with pedogenic oxides rather than clay minerals, so that no difference in MOC extraction in NaF/NaOH, and thus, bond type or strength between clay-rich and poor sites was detectable. This suggests that site-specific differences in MO14C and their depth declines are driven by the accumulation and exchange rates of OC at mineral surfaces. Accordingly, future research on M14OC should focus on soil and ecosystem properties driving dissolved organic matter formation, composition and transport along soil profiles.


CERNE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caio Batista Müller ◽  
Oscarlina Lúcia dos Santos Weber ◽  
José Fernando Scaramuzza

The objective of this study was to evaluate carbon input in labile and stable fractions in an ARGISOL of northwestern Brazil under different land use systems. Use systems being evaluated include: forest - MA (reference), agrosilvopasture - TCP (teak, cocoa and pasture); agroforest - TC (teak and cocoa); teak forest at 8 and 5 years - T8 and T5, and pasture - PA. In each system three furrows were made at depths of 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm and 10-20 cm. An area consisting of native vegetation (forest) adjacent to the experiment was sampled and used as control treatment. The use systems MA, T8 and T5 had higher levels of total organic carbon (COT) and the MA system had higher levels of labile carbon (CL) than the other systems, with the exception of TC at a depth of 10-20 cm. In the MA system, COT levels were higher in comparison to use systems TCP, TC and PA while CL levels were higher than the levels observed in use systems TCP and TC. In most cases being analyzed, CL levels were lower than COT levels, therefore this trait can be used as an indicator to assess anthropogenic changes relating to the maintenance or condition of soil organic matter.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARCELO RIBEIRO VILELA PRADO ◽  
FABRICIO TOMAZ RAMOS ◽  
OSCARLINA LÚCIA DOS SANTOS WEBER ◽  
CAIO BATISTA MÜLLER

ABSTRACT: The evaluation of land use and management by the measurement of soil organic matter and its fractions has gained attention since it helps in the understanding of the dynamics of their contribution to soil productivity, especially in tropical environments. This study was conducted in the municipality of Colorado do Oeste, state of Rondônia, Brazil and its aim was to determinethe quantity of organic carbon and total nitrogen in the light and heavy fractions of organic matter in the surface layers of a typic hapludalf under different land use systems: Native Forest: open evergreen forest, reference environment; Agroforestry System 1: teak (Tectona grandis LF) and kudzu (Pueraria montana); Agroforestry System 2: coffee (Coffea canephora), marandu palisade grass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu), "pinho cuiabano" (Parkia multijuga), teak and kudzu.; Agroforestry System 3: teak and cocoa (Theobroma cacao); Silvopasture System: teak, cocoa and marandu palisade grass; and Extensive Grazing System: marandu palisade grass. The experimental design was a randomized block in split-split plots (use systems versus soil layers of 0-0.05 and 0.05-0.10 m) with three replications. The results showed that relative to Native Forest, the Agroforestry System 2 had equal- and greater amounts of organic carbon and total nitrogen respectively (light and heavy fractions) in the soil organic matter, with the light fraction being responsible for storage of approximately 45% and 70% of the organic carbon and total nitrogen, respectively. Therefore, the light densimetric fraction proved to be useful in the early identification of the general decline of the soil organic matter in the land use systems evaluated.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 103-108
Author(s):  
Enkhtuya D ◽  
Tuul D ◽  
Munkhtsetseg T

Soil organic matter can be analyzed on the basis of the different fractions. Changes in the levels of organic matter, caused by land use, can be better understood by alterations in the different fractions. Therefore in order to discover tendency of soil fertility sustainability it is significant to research on stable and labile form fractions of soil organic carbon by advanced methodology and modern technique. Our research work aimedto evaluate the effect of mineral and organic fertilizers on the labile and stable organic carbon of the chestnut soil in Mongolia. The soils samples used in this study we collected from variants of mineral (N60P40K40), organic (biohumus 1t / hec.) Fertilizer and their combination of the Long-term fertilizers experiments of Plant and Agriculture Institute Changes in soil organic C by land use for agricultural purposes occurred mainly in the fraction of particulate organic matter (> 20 μm). The clay and silt fractions were quatified with a Mastersizer S after distruction organic substances and carbonates using H2O2 and HCI and the sand fraction was determined by wet sieving. According to our research, the stable form of organic carbon in chestnut soil is 39, 0-40,1% of the total fine particle size and 59, 9-61,0% of the active form fraction. On the other hand, variants with fertilizer tend to have increased stabile composition of soil organic carbon. It indicates that soil fertility protection and increased stability are possible in the country’s agricultural technology if use mineral and organic fertilizers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sabina Yeasmin ◽  
Eshara Jahan ◽  
Md. Ashik Molla ◽  
A. K. M. Mominul Islam ◽  
Md. Parvez Anwar ◽  
...  

This study aimed to determine the impact of land use on organic carbon (OC) pools of soils with contrasting native organic matter (OM) content. Surface (0–15 cm) soils of four land uses (cropland, orchard, grassland, and fallow) were collected from four agroecological zones (AEZs) of Bangladesh with different OM content (AEZ-7: very low, −3: low, −9: medium, and −5: high). Bulk soils were physically fractionated into particulate and mineral associated OM (POM and MOM: >53 and <53 µm, respectively). Both bulk and fractionated soils were analyzed for OC and nitrogen (N). Among the land uses, undisturbed soils (grassland and fallow land) had significantly higher total OC (0.44–1.79%) than disturbed soils (orchard and cropland) (0.39–1.67%) in all AEZs. The distribution of OC and N in POM and MOM fractions was significantly different among land uses and also varied with native OM content. In all AEZs, cropland soils showed the lowest POM-C content (0.40–1.41%), whereas the orchard soils showed the highest values (0.71–1.91%). The MOM-C was highest (0.81–1.91%) in fallow land and lowest (0.53–1.51%) in orchard, and cropland had a moderate amount (0.70–1.61%). In croplands, distribution of a considerable amount of OC in the MOM pool was noticeable. These findings reveal that total OC in soils can be decreased with cultivation but does not inevitably indicate the loss of OC storage in the stable pool. Carbon storage potential of soils with both high- and low-native OM contents can be increased via proper land use and managements.


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