title: Mineral Availability as a Key Regulator of Soil Carbon Storage.
abstract: Mineral binding is a major mechanism for soil carbon (C) stabilization, and mineral availability for C binding critically affects C storage. Yet, the mechanisms regulating mineral availability are poorly understood. Here, we showed that organic amendments in three long-term (23, 154, and 170 yrs, respectively) field experiments significantly increased mineral availability, particularly of short-range-ordered (SRO) phases. Two microcosm studies demonstrated that the presence of roots significantly increased mineral availability and promoted the formation of SRO phases. Mineral transformation experiments and isotopic labeling experiments provided direct evidence that citric acid, a major component of root exudates, promoted the formation of SRO minerals, and that SRO minerals acted as "nuclei" for C retention. Together, these findings indicate that soil organic amendments initialize a positive feedback loop by increasing mineral availability and promoting the formation of SRO minerals for further C binding, thereby possibly serving as a management tool for enhancing carbon storage in soils.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095, PR China.|Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University , ALS Building 3017, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States.
authors.forename: Guanghui
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5699-779X
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095, PR China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095, PR China.|Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States.
authors.forename: Shuijin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States.
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Polizzotto
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095, PR China.|Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, U.K.
authors.forename: Fangjie
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0164-169X
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, U.K.
authors.forename: Steve P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095, PR China.|Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ran
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095, PR China.
authors.forename: Qirong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon; D008903:Minerals; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002244:Carbon