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An Absorbing Markov Chain approach to understanding the microbial role in soil carbon stabilization
Abstract
The number of studies focused on the transformation and sequestration of soil organic carbon (C) has dramatically increased in recent years due to growing interest in understanding the global C cycle. While it is readily accepted that terrestrial C dynamics are heavily influenced by the catabolic and anabolic activities of microorganisms, the incorporation of microbial biomass components into stable soil C pools (via microbial living cells and necromass) has received less attention. Nevertheless, microbial-derived C inputs to soils are now increasingly recognized as playing a far greater role in stabilization of soil organic matter than previously believed. Our understanding, however, is limited by the difficulties associated with studying microbial turnover in soils. Here, we describe the use of an Absorbing Markov Chain (AMC) to model the dynamics of soil C transformations among three microbial states: living microbial biomass, microbial necromass, and C removed from living and dead microbial sources. We find that AMC provides a powerful quantitative approach that allows prediction of how C will be distributed among these three states, and how long it will take for the entire amount of initial C to pass through the biomass and necromass pools and be moved into atmosphere. Further, assuming constant C inputs to the model, we can predict how C is eventually distributed, along with how much C sequestrated in soil is microbial-derived. Our work represents a first step in attempting to quantify the flow of C through microbial pathways, and has the potential to increase our understanding of the microbial role in soil C dynamics.
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“And finally, a shift in the metabolic activity of soil microorganisms towards anabolic activity with plant diversity resulting in increased necromass accumulation over time 23 , indicated by slightly but significantly more microbial carbon per unit root carbon in high-diversity plots ( R 2 ¼ 0.06, P ¼ 0.025).”
From Plant diversity increases soil microbial activity and soil carbon storage (2015) · cites this paper as [23]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Liang, C., Cheng, G., Wixon, D. L., & Balser, T. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Corresponding author
- Liang, Chao
- Venue
- Biogeochemistry
- Published
- 2010-09-17
- Volume
- 106
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 303-309
- ISSN
- 0168-2563 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-515X
- OpenAlex
- W2072345849
- Cited by
- 235
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 14.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Biogeochemistry (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Office of Science
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Keywords
- soil carbon stabilization, microbial necromass, microbial biomass, soil carbon sequestration, soil carbon dynamics, carbon turnover, carbon cycle
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