Research reveals the contributions of plant residues and microbial necromass to soil organic carbon in desert ecosystems, suggesting significant implications for carbon cycling.
Key Points
This research aims to clarify the sources and stabilization mechanisms of soil organic carbon in Alhagi sparsifolia communities.
Analyzed plant traits and vertical distribution of SOC fractions from 0–200 cm depth.
Examined contributions of microbial biomass, microbial necromass, and plant residue to SOC.
Conducted a comparative analysis of different SOC fractions: POC, MAOC, and Ca/Fe-OC.
SOC and POC decreased by 5.38–29.43% with increasing soil depth.
MAOC and Ca/Fe-OC increased by 32.34–48.15% with soil depth.
Plant residue contributed an average of 30.56% to SOC, while microbial necromass contributed 8.28%.
Both plant residue and microbial necromass contributions increased by 9.60–167.68% with depth.
A significant correlation was found between microbial necromass and SOC fractions, but not with plant residues.