TY - JOUR
T1 - Contributions of plant- and microbial-derived residuals to mangrove soil carbon stocks
T2 - Implications for blue carbon sequestration
AU - Qin, Guoming
AU - He, Weijun
AU - Sanders, Christian J.
AU - Zhang, Jingfan
AU - Zhou, Jinge
AU - Wu, Jingtao
AU - Lu, Zhe
AU - Yu, Mengxiao
AU - Li, Yingwen
AU - Li, Yongxing
AU - Lambers, Hans
AU - Li, Zhian
AU - Wang, Faming
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Coastal blue carbon ecosystems, particularly mangroves, are becoming increasingly recognised for their importance in mitigating climate change. Still, the specific patterns and drivers of plant lignin components and microbial necromass accumulation in these ecosystems are unclear. In response, we carried out a study along a 40-year mangrove restoration chronosequence, measuring lignin phenol and amino sugar concentrations in soil profiles (0-100 cm) as indicators of plant-based and microbial-derived residues, respectively. Our results showed that restoration significantly increased plant lignin phenol and amino sugar concentrations, with mature mangroves having much higher concentrations than tidal flats. During restoration, the fungal necromass was greater than the bacterial necromass. The factors influencing the lignin phenols were tree biomass, total nitrogen, pH and salinity, while those influencing the formation of amino sugars were total biomass, soil C: N ratio and pH. While the amino sugars decreased, the lignin phenols increased with the content of SOC, providing evidence of the important role lignin phenol components play in the formation of SOC in mangrove. Synthesis: By separating soil carbon into plant-based and microbial-derived components, our results demonstrate that the carbon stock in mangrove sediments is vulnerable to disturbances and that changes from anaerobic to aerobic conditions cause significant carbon mineralisation. The precise identification of soil carbon sources in blue carbon ecosystems could aid in elucidating the mechanisms of soil carbon sequestration and their responses to environmental changes.
AB - Coastal blue carbon ecosystems, particularly mangroves, are becoming increasingly recognised for their importance in mitigating climate change. Still, the specific patterns and drivers of plant lignin components and microbial necromass accumulation in these ecosystems are unclear. In response, we carried out a study along a 40-year mangrove restoration chronosequence, measuring lignin phenol and amino sugar concentrations in soil profiles (0-100 cm) as indicators of plant-based and microbial-derived residues, respectively. Our results showed that restoration significantly increased plant lignin phenol and amino sugar concentrations, with mature mangroves having much higher concentrations than tidal flats. During restoration, the fungal necromass was greater than the bacterial necromass. The factors influencing the lignin phenols were tree biomass, total nitrogen, pH and salinity, while those influencing the formation of amino sugars were total biomass, soil C: N ratio and pH. While the amino sugars decreased, the lignin phenols increased with the content of SOC, providing evidence of the important role lignin phenol components play in the formation of SOC in mangrove. Synthesis: By separating soil carbon into plant-based and microbial-derived components, our results demonstrate that the carbon stock in mangrove sediments is vulnerable to disturbances and that changes from anaerobic to aerobic conditions cause significant carbon mineralisation. The precise identification of soil carbon sources in blue carbon ecosystems could aid in elucidating the mechanisms of soil carbon sequestration and their responses to environmental changes.
KW - Amino sugars
KW - Blue carbon
KW - Carbon sequestration
KW - Lignin phenols
KW - Mangrove restoration
KW - Microbial necromass
KW - Soil organic carbon
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=uwapure5-25&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001137877600001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS
U2 - 10.1111/1365-2435.14497
DO - 10.1111/1365-2435.14497
M3 - Article
SN - 0269-8463
VL - 38
SP - 573
EP - 585
JO - Functional Ecology
JF - Functional Ecology
IS - 3
ER -