Effects of Microbial-Mineral Interactions on Organic Carbon Stabilization in a Ponderosa Pine Root Zone: A Micro-scale Approach

Soil microbial communities affect the formation of micro-scale mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) where complex processes, including adhesion, aggregate formation, microbial mineral weathering and soil organic matter stabilization occur in a narrow zone of biogeochemical gradients.Here we designed a field study to examine carbon stabilization mechanisms using in-growth mesh bags containing biotite that were placed in a ponderosa pine root zone for 6 months and compared the content of the mesh bags to the surrounding bulk soil. We sought to determine the composition of the microbial community in the mesh bags compared to the surrounding soils, analyze the direct interactions between microbes and biotite, and finally identify the nature of the newly formedMAOM within the mesh-bags.Rhizosphere paper 2