Soil organic carbon stability in forests: distinct effects of tree species identity and traits

Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased interest in the potential for forest ecosystems and soils to act as carbon (C) sinks. While soil organic C contents often vary with tree species identity, little is known about if, and how, tree species influence the stability of C in soil. Using a 40‐year‐old common garden experiment with replicated plots of eleven temperate tree species, we investigated relationships between soil organic matter (SOM) stability in mineral soils and 17 ecological factors (including tree tissue chemistry, magnitude of organic matter inputs and their turnover, microbial community descriptors, and soil physico‐chemical properties). We measured five SOM stability indices, including heterotrophic respiration, C in aggregate‐occluded particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral‐associated SOM, and bulk SOM δ15N and ∆14C. The stability of SOM varied substantially among tree species and this variability was independent of the amount of organic C in soils. Thu...,
Angst_Mueller_GCB_2019_soil_organic_carbon_stability_data
This file includes the data for soil clay content, soil chemical properties, and indices of soil organic matter stability as reported in: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14548
 
 
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