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From litter decomposition to soil organic matter formation: using stable isotopes to determine the fate of carbon and nitrogen

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dc.contributor.authorHorton, Andrew James, author
dc.contributor.authorCotrufo, M. Francesca, advisor
dc.contributor.authorvon Fischer, Joseph, committee member
dc.contributor.authorPaschke, Mark, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T06:39:27Z
dc.date.available2007-01-03T06:39:27Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractLitter decomposition releases the energy and nutrients fixed during photosynthesis into the atmosphere and soil. In the soil, carbon and nitrogen from the litter can be stabilized in soil organic matter pools, which globally represent large pools of both carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Soil organic matter pools are heterogeneous, the product of different stabilization processes and will stabilize C and N for periods of time ranging from years to millennia. A thorough mechanistic understanding of the fate of above-ground litter C and N is essential to understand how climate change could affect both carbon sequestration and soil health. This research studied the fate of litter derived organic matter. Isotopically labeled litter was used in a field incubation to trace litter derived C and N into different SOM pools and soil depths over the course of 3 years. Additionally, naphthalene was used to suppress microarthropods to determine the impact of mesofauna on the fate of litter derived N. In the laboratory, soil from the field experiment was incubated for 150 to determine how different SOM pools contributed to respiration and leaching. Microarthropods do not increase overall N mineralization rates, but do influence the fate of litter derived N. When present, microarthropods increased the amount of litter derived N in the light fractions, suggesting that microarthropods increase litter fragmentation. Surprisingly, litter derived organic matter does not contribute to respiration and leaching equally, suggesting that leaching and respiration are not directly related. Litter derived OM behaves differently than older OM present in the soil, with the newer litter derived C and N being more readily lost from SOM pools. This result supports the onion layering model suggested by Sollins (Sollins et al. 2006). In order to create more accurate models, microarthropods and the onion layering model should be included in future C and N dynamic studies.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierHorton_colostate_0053N_12571.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/83975
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subject13C & 15N stable isotopes
dc.subjecttallgrass prairie
dc.subjectsoil organic matter
dc.subjectmicroarthropods
dc.subjectlitter decomposition
dc.titleFrom litter decomposition to soil organic matter formation: using stable isotopes to determine the fate of carbon and nitrogen
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineEcology
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.S.)

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