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Nitrogen addition promotes soil carbon accumulation globally.
Xuemei Yang1, Suhui Ma2, Erhan Huang1
1Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Nitrogen (N) addition significantly increases soil organic carbon (SOC), favoring plant-derived and unstable carbon components. This suggests N enrichment may decrease overall soil carbon stability, impacting global carbon cycling.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Soil Science
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a critical global carbon reservoir.
- Nitrogen (N) deposition influences SOC storage, but its impact on different SOC fractions is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of N addition on SOC and its components.
- To understand how N deposition alters soil carbon stability.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of empirical data from 304 global sites.
- Examination of SOC and its components (plant-derived vs. microbial-derived, labile vs. recalcitrant, particulate vs. mineral-associated).
Main Results:
- N addition increased bulk SOC by 6.7%, with variations across ecosystems (croplands > forests > grasslands).
- N addition promoted plant-derived and labile SOC components over microbial-derived and recalcitrant ones.
- N addition increased particulate organic C more than mineral-associated organic C, indicating a shift towards less stable soil carbon.
Conclusions:
- N enrichment promotes the accumulation of plant-derived, non-mineral associated carbon.
- N addition may lead to decreased overall soil carbon pool stability.
- Understanding N effects on SOC components is crucial for predicting soil carbon dynamics.
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