Organic carbon amendments affect the chemodiversity of soil dissolved organic matter and its associations with soil microbial communities

Xiaoming Li, Qing-Lin Chen, Chen He, Quan Shi, Song-Can Chen, Brian John Reid, Yong-Guan Zhu, Guo-Xin Sun

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

The “4 per mil” initiative recognizes the pivotal role of soil in carbon re-sequestration. The need for evidence to substantiate the influence of agricultural practices on chemical nature of soil carbon and microbial biodiversity has become a priority. However, owing to the molecular complexity of soil dissolved organic matter (DOM), specific linkages to microbial biodiversity have eluded researchers. Here, we characterized the chemodiversity of soil DOM, assessed the variation of soil bacterial community composition (BCC) and identified specific linkages between DOM traits and BCC. Sustained organic carbon amendment significantly (P < 0.05) increased total organic matter reservoirs, resulted in higher chemodiversity of DOM and emergence of recalcitrant moieties (H/C < 1.5). In the meantime, sustained organic carbon amendment shaped the BCC to a more eutrophic state while long-term chemical fertilization directed the BCC towards an oligotrophic state. Meanwhile, higher connectivity and complexity were observed in organic carbon amendment by DOM-BCC network analysis, indicating that soil microbes tended to have more interaction with DOM molecules after organic matter inputs. These results highlight the potential for organic carbon amendments to not only build soil carbon stocks and increase their resilience but also mediate the functional state of soil bacterial communities.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)50-59
Number of pages10
JournalEnvironmental Science & Technology
Volume53
Issue number1
Early online date28 Nov 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2019

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