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Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Utilizing Soil Density Fractionation to Separate Distinct Soil Carbon Pools
Published on: December 16, 2022
Not all soil carbon is created equal: Labile and stable pools under nitrogen input
Huadong Zang1, Imran Mehmood2,3, Yakov Kuzyakov4,5
1College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Nitrogen input reduces soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, particularly in labile pools. This finding is crucial for understanding soil carbon sequestration potential under increased nitrogen deposition.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Ecology
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Anthropogenic activities increase nitrogen (N) input globally, impacting soil carbon (C) cycling.
- The effects of N input on soil organic matter (SOM) pools of varying microbial availability are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of N input on SOM pools with different turnover times.
- To quantify the sensitivity of various SOM pools to N addition.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a combination of 13C natural abundance in SOM and 21 years of C3-C4 vegetation conversion.
- Employed long-term incubation to assess SOM mineralization rates.
- Analyzed changes in microbial community and functional genes over time.
Main Results:
- Nitrogen input suppressed the mineralization of all SOM pools, with greater effects on labile pools.
- The very labile C pool showed the highest sensitivity to N addition (18%-52% suppression).
- Over time, shifts in bacterial communities and reduced degradation gene expression drove N-induced SOM suppression.
Conclusions:
- Labile SOM pools are more sensitive to N availability and show stronger mineralization suppression.
- Increased N availability may enhance C sequestration potential in labile SOM pools globally.
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09:04Assessment of Labile Organic Carbon in Soil Using Sequential Fumigation Incubation Procedures
Published on: October 29, 2016
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