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Effect of annual experimental Mn fertilization (MnSO 4 ) on humus C storage of the boreal forest over 14 y. Points show mean soil C stocks in organic horizons (humus) in control and Mn-fertilized plots in a Larix gmelinii stand in boreal China (Huzhong Forest Bureau of Daxing'an Mountains). Bars are means ± SEM.
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The huge carbon stock in humus layers of the boreal forest plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle. However, there remains uncertainty about the factors that regulate below-ground carbon sequestration in this region. Notably, based on evidence from two independent but complementary methods, we identified that exchangeable manganese is a cr...
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Context 1
... effect of Mn on humus soil C stocks, we conducted a long-term Mn fertilization study in a 50-y-old Larix gmelinii plantation at Huzhong Forest Bureau of Daxing'an Mountains (52°02′N, 123°36′E). Over the 14-y experimental period, humus C storage in both control and plots fertilized with MnSO 4 showed a significant and overall increase (P < 0.001, Fig. 2). There was no difference between control and Mn-fertilized plots in humus C stocks during the first 4 y (2009 to 2012, P > 0.05). However, over the next decade, Mn fertilization reduced the size of humus C stocks significantly compared to control plots, by 13.3% loss (−3.27 t/ha, P < 0.05, Fig. ...
Context 2
... a significant and overall increase (P < 0.001, Fig. 2). There was no difference between control and Mn-fertilized plots in humus C stocks during the first 4 y (2009 to 2012, P > 0.05). However, over the next decade, Mn fertilization reduced the size of humus C stocks significantly compared to control plots, by 13.3% loss (−3.27 t/ha, P < 0.05, Fig. ...
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... response of the humus C pool to Mn fertilization provided direct evidence for the Mn effect on C storage (P < 0.001, Fig. 2), consistent with the positive response of MnP activities to Mn fertilization found in other studies (9). Notably, the effects of Mn addition on soil C stocks were not apparent until after 4 y (Fig. 2), possibly because it took time for Agaricomycetes to increase in abundance and activity in response to the increased Mn availability and ...
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... response of the humus C pool to Mn fertilization provided direct evidence for the Mn effect on C storage (P < 0.001, Fig. 2), consistent with the positive response of MnP activities to Mn fertilization found in other studies (9). Notably, the effects of Mn addition on soil C stocks were not apparent until after 4 y (Fig. 2), possibly because it took time for Agaricomycetes to increase in abundance and activity in response to the increased Mn availability and changes in the soil environment (6,8). These findings underscore the need for additional long-term Mn fertilization studies to better understand the generality and magnitude of the effects ...
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... Some trace metal elements may play critical roles in the ecological processes related to soil organic matter formation and nutrient cycling. The availability of manganese (Mn) is found to be negatively associated with carbon storage at humus layers in northern coniferous forests, with exchangeable potassium as an additional predictor [19,20]. The possible explanation for the Mn effect in the humus layer is related to the role of Mn-peroxidase enzymes in fungal-mediated decomposition [21,22]. ...
Restoration of the longleaf pine forest ecosystem is critical for biodiversity. However, the mixed hardwood forests can grow naturally in the same area. There are limited studies comparing soil organic matter and nutrient contents for restoring longleaf pine forests from the mixed hardwood forest areas in the southeastern USA. In this study, a comparison of the contents in soil organic matter, macro-nutrients, trace metal elements, and litterfall amount, was conducted on the 16 forest stands (4 treatments including stand stages × 4 replicants) at William B. Bankhead National Forest in Alabama through the space-replace-time approach. The results indicate that longleaf pine forests have lower contents of soil organic matter, macro-nutrients, most trace metal elements, and litterfall amount than mixed hardwood forests. However, longleaf pine forests have higher soil Ca, Ba, and Pb contents than hardwood forests. Soil Fe content has more correlations with the contents of other metal elements than soil Mn. The results suggest that multiple ecosystem functions, including soil ecology, must be considered in the regional restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Longleaf pine forests with a certain amount of mixed hardwood trees may be a good way to maintain soil organic matter and nutrients.
... The primary mechanism through which Mn is posited to degrade litter is through the ligninolytic enzyme Mn peroxidase. Given that lignin generally composes 5% of grassland litter versus 19% of temperate forest litter, our Mn application was comparable on a per g lignin basis to previous studies that investigated the effect of Mn on temperate forests' litter decay (Meentemeyer 1978;Melillo et al. 1982;Wedin and Tilman 1990;Gholz et al. 2000;Whalen et al. 2018;Zhang et al. 2024). But these differences in Mn content, Mn oxidation states, and apparent fungal activity did not correspond with greater mass loss (Fig. 4) or decreased C/N ratios (Fig. S7) in the Mn-treated litter. ...
Plant litter is a well-defined pool of organic matter (OM) in which the influence of manganese (Mn) on decomposition (both decomposition rate and the mix of compounds ultimately transferred to soil OM) has been clearly demonstrated in temperate forests. However, no similar study exists on grasslands and the effect of foliar Mn versus soil-derived Mn on litter decomposition is poorly known. We used a 5-month and 12-month field, and 10-month laboratory experiments to evaluate litter decomposition on the Kohala rainfall gradient (Island of Hawai‘i) in areas with different foliar and soil Mn abundances, and on which a single plant species (Pennisetum clandestinum) dominates primary production and the litter pool. The chemical imaging analyses of decomposed litter revealed that Mn²⁺ oxidized to Mn³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ on grass litter during decompositions—hallmarks of Mn-driven litter oxidation. However, these transformations and Mn abundance did not predict greater litter mass loss through decomposition. These observations demonstrate that the importance of Mn to an ecosystem’s C cycle does not rely solely on the metal’s abundance and availability.
Soil microbes play pivotal roles in the multifunctioning of terrestrial ecosystems. In the context of global changes, there is an urgent need to protect soil microbial diversity, which relies on determining the abiotic and biotic factors that influence the diversity, composition, and assemblage of soil microbiota. A large number of informative studies have reported edaphic properties and climate factors as key drivers of soil bacteria microbiota. However, these studies were mainly conducted at the phylum level and based on a restricted number of non-microbial variables. In this study, we aimed to estimate the relative effects of abiotic and biotic factors in shaping soil bacterial communities at diverse taxonomic levels by focusing on 160 natural sites located in the southwest of France for which a large and unique set of non-microbial variables is available. After characterizing soil bacterial communities with the highly taxonomically resolving gyrB gene, we identified that in addition to pH, temperature, and precipitations, soil bacterial communities at the lowest taxonomic levels appear strongly structured by soil micronutrients, notably manganese. On the other hand, soil bacterial communities at the highest taxonomic levels appear strongly structured by the interplay between descriptors of plant communities and edaphic properties. Similar to previous observations on microbial pathogens, the strong and positive associations between soil bacterial species and the presence of particular plant species suggest host specificity for soil commensal bacteria. Altogether, a deeper characterization of both abiotic and biotic factors could help fuel programs designed for protecting and restoring soil ecosystem functions.
