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Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Standard Standard

Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes. / Malik, Ashish A.; Puissant, Jeremy; Buckeridge, Kate M. et al.
In: Nature Communications, Vol. 9, No. 1, 3591, 04.09.2018.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

HarvardHarvard

Malik, AA, Puissant, J, Buckeridge, KM, Goodall, T, Jehmlich, N, Chowdhury, S, Gweon, HS, Peyton, JM, Mason, KE, van Agtmaal, M, Blaud, A, Clark, IM, Whitaker, J, Pywell, RF, Ostle, N, Gleixner, G & Griffiths, RI 2018, 'Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes', Nature Communications, vol. 9, no. 1, 3591. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05980-1

APA

Malik, A. A., Puissant, J., Buckeridge, K. M., Goodall, T., Jehmlich, N., Chowdhury, S., Gweon, H. S., Peyton, J. M., Mason, K. E., van Agtmaal, M., Blaud, A., Clark, I. M., Whitaker, J., Pywell, R. F., Ostle, N., Gleixner, G., & Griffiths, R. I. (2018). Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes. Nature Communications, 9(1), Article 3591. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05980-1

CBE

Malik AA, Puissant J, Buckeridge KM, Goodall T, Jehmlich N, Chowdhury S, Gweon HS, Peyton JM, Mason KE, van Agtmaal M, et al. 2018. Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes. Nature Communications. 9(1):Article 3591. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05980-1

MLA

Malik, Ashish A. et al. "Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes". Nature Communications. 2018. 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05980-1

VancouverVancouver

Malik AA, Puissant J, Buckeridge KM, Goodall T, Jehmlich N, Chowdhury S et al. Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes. Nature Communications. 2018 Sept 4;9(1):3591. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05980-1

Author

Malik, Ashish A. ; Puissant, Jeremy ; Buckeridge, Kate M. et al. / Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes. In: Nature Communications. 2018 ; Vol. 9, No. 1.

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes

AU - Malik, Ashish A.

AU - Puissant, Jeremy

AU - Buckeridge, Kate M.

AU - Goodall, Tim

AU - Jehmlich, Nico

AU - Chowdhury, Somak

AU - Gweon, Hyun Soon

AU - Peyton, Jodey M.

AU - Mason, Kelly E.

AU - van Agtmaal, Maaike

AU - Blaud, Aimeric

AU - Clark, Ian M.

AU - Whitaker, Jeanette

AU - Pywell, Richard F.

AU - Ostle, Nick

AU - Gleixner, Gerd

AU - Griffiths, Robert I.

PY - 2018/9/4

Y1 - 2018/9/4

N2 - Soil microorganisms act as gatekeepers for soil–atmosphere carbon exchange by balancing the accumulation and release of soil organic matter. However, poor understanding of the mechanisms responsible hinders the development of effective land management strategies to enhance soil carbon storage. Here we empirically test the link between microbial ecophysiological traits and topsoil carbon content across geographically distributed soils and land use contrasts. We discovered distinct pH controls on microbial mechanisms of carbon accumulation. Land use intensification in low-pH soils that increased the pH above a threshold (~6.2) leads to carbon loss through increased decomposition, following alleviation of acid retardation of microbial growth. However, loss of carbon with intensification in near-neutral pH soils was linked to decreased microbial biomass and reduced growth efficiency that was, in turn, related to trade-offs with stress alleviation and resource acquisition. Thus, less-intensive management practices in near-neutral pH soils have more potential for carbon storage through increased microbial growth efficiency, whereas in acidic soils, microbial growth is a bigger constraint on decomposition rates.

AB - Soil microorganisms act as gatekeepers for soil–atmosphere carbon exchange by balancing the accumulation and release of soil organic matter. However, poor understanding of the mechanisms responsible hinders the development of effective land management strategies to enhance soil carbon storage. Here we empirically test the link between microbial ecophysiological traits and topsoil carbon content across geographically distributed soils and land use contrasts. We discovered distinct pH controls on microbial mechanisms of carbon accumulation. Land use intensification in low-pH soils that increased the pH above a threshold (~6.2) leads to carbon loss through increased decomposition, following alleviation of acid retardation of microbial growth. However, loss of carbon with intensification in near-neutral pH soils was linked to decreased microbial biomass and reduced growth efficiency that was, in turn, related to trade-offs with stress alleviation and resource acquisition. Thus, less-intensive management practices in near-neutral pH soils have more potential for carbon storage through increased microbial growth efficiency, whereas in acidic soils, microbial growth is a bigger constraint on decomposition rates.

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-018-05980-1

DO - 10.1038/s41467-018-05980-1

M3 - Article

VL - 9

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

SN - 2041-1723

IS - 1

M1 - 3591

ER -