@article {6428, title = {Decadal persistence of grassland soil organic matter derived from litter and pyrogenic inputs}, journal = {Nature Geoscience}, year = {2025}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, issn = {1752-0894}, doi = {10.1038/s41561-025-01638-y}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01638-y}, author = {Leuthold, Sam J. and Soong, Jennifer L. and Even, Rebecca J. and Cotrufo, M. Francesca} } @article {KNZ001857, title = {Below-ground biological responses to pyrogenic organic matter and litter inputs in grasslands}, journal = {Functional Ecology}, volume = {31}, year = {2017}, pages = {260 - 269}, abstract = {

1. Terrestrial ecosystems are often burned by both managed and wildfires. During a fire, the above-ground biomass that would typically accumulate and be decomposed as litter on the soil surface is combusted. Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) remaining after a fire is a considerably more recalcitrant organic input to the soil than fresh litter. The activity and community composition of soil organisms responsible for decomposition of organic matter and nutrient recycling in the soil could thus be affected by altered resource availability caused by frequent fires.

2. We examined the effect of PyOM vs. fresh litter inputs to soil biota at both an annually burned and an infrequently burned tallgrass prairie site by tracing (13) C-and N-15-labelled litter and PyOM into growing plant roots, microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and soil nematodes for 1 year.

3. Litter-derived C or N was incorporated into microbes, nematodes and roots, while PyOM contributed minimally to soil microbes and plant roots and was not detectable in nematodes. Soil microbial and nematode abundances in the PyOM amended plots did not significantly differ from the bare soil plots, but nematodes were more abundant and microbial PLFAs less abundant in litter-amended plots. The annually burned site had less predator and omnivore nematodes, with increased abundance of microbial feeders and greater microbial uptake of litter C.

4. An alteration of the soil food web structure caused by burning and the removal of the litter layer, along with the accumulation of non-microbially decomposed PyOM in the soil, contributes to the limitation of N cycling in frequently burned ecosystems.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, fire, litter decomposition, Nematodes, phospholipid fatty acid, pyrogenic organic matter, Stable isotopes, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1111/fec.2017.31.issue-110.1111/1365-2435.12693}, author = {Soong, Jennifer L. and Dam, Marie and Wall, Diana H. and Cotrufo, M. Francesca}, editor = {Nicolson, Susan W. and Wright, Geraldine A. and Sala, Anna} } @article {KNZ001705, title = {Formation of soil organic matter via biochemical and physical pathways of litter mass loss}, journal = {Nature Geoscience}, volume = {8}, year = {2015}, month = {Jul-09-2015}, pages = {776 - 779}, abstract = {Soil organic matter is the largest terrestrial carbon pool1. The pool size depends on the balance between formation of soil organic matter from decomposition of plant litter and its mineralization to inorganic carbon. Knowledge of soil organic matter formation remains limited2 and current C numerical models assume that stable soil organic matter is formed primarily from recalcitrant plant litter3. However, labile components of plant litter could also form mineral-stabilized soil organic matter4. Here we followed the decomposition of isotopically labelled above-ground litter and its incorporation into soil organic matter over three years in a grassland in Kansas, USA, and used laboratory incubations to determine the decay rates and pool structure of litter-derived organic matter. Early in decomposition, soil organic matter formed when non-structural compounds were lost from litter. Soil organic matter also formed at the end of decomposition, when both non-structural and structural compounds were lost at similar rates. We conclude that two pathways yield soil organic matter efficiently. A dissolved organic matter{\textendash}microbial path occurs early in decomposition when litter loses mostly non-structural compounds, which are incorporated into microbial biomass at high rates, resulting in efficient soil organic matter formation. An equally efficient physical-transfer path occurs when litter fragments move into soil.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Biogeochemistry, Environmental chemistry, Stable isotope analysis}, issn = {1752-0894}, doi = {10.1038/ngeo2520}, url = {http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/ngeo2520}, author = {Cotrufo, M.F. and Soong, Jennifer L. and Horton, Andrew J. and Campbell, Eleanor E. and Haddix, ~L. and Wall, Diana H. and Parton, William J.} }