Organo-organic interactions dominantly drive soil organic carbon accrual

Organo-mineral interactions have been regarded as the primary mechanism for the stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC) over decadal to millennial timescales, and the capacity for soil carbon (C) storage has commonly been assessed based on soil mineralogical attributes, particularly mineral surface availability. However, it remains contentious whether soil C sequestration is exclusively governed by mineral vacancies, making it challenging to accurately predict SOC dynamics. Here, through a 400-day incubation experiment using 13C-labeled organic materials in two contrasting soils (i.e., Mollisol and Ultisol), we show that despite the unsaturation of mineral surfaces in both soils, the newly incorporated C predominantly adheres to \"dirty\" mineral surfaces coated with native organic matter (OM), demonstrating the crucial role of organo-organic interactions in exogenous C sequestration. Such interactions lead to multilayered C accumulation that is not constrained by mineral vacancies, a ..., , , # Organo-organic interactions dominantly drive soil organic carbon accrual

This README file was generated on 2024-01-12 by Jie Kang.

This dataset supports the findings reported in Kang, J., Qu, C., Chen, W., Cai, P.,Chen, C., & Huang, Q. (2024). Organo–organic interactions dominantly drive soil organic carbon accrual. Global Change Biology, 30, e17147. .

## Data descriptions by sheet:

#### Sheet1 - General description

#### MAOC - Mineral-associated organic carbon

1. Unit: g kg-1.
2. *MAOC source* -- MAOC fraction derived from exogenous carbon (new) or endogenous carbon (native). While the total MAOC is the sum of new MAOC and native-MAOC.
3. *Soil type* -- Mollisol and Ultisol used in the study.
4. *Treatment* -- Whether the soil sample is unamended (control) or amended with straw or glucose.
5. *Mean & SD* -- Mean values and standard deviation (n = 3).

#### MNC - Microbial necromass carbon

1. Unit: g kg-1.
2. *MNC source* -- MNC fraction derived from fungal nec...