Mineralization of organic carbon and formation of microbial biomass in soil: Effects of clay content and composition and the mechanisms involved

Mineralization of soil organic carbon and CO2 emission from the soil is slowed by interactions between organic matter and minerals. The main minerals involved are clay minerals and oxides but there is limited understanding of their effects when combined, as occurs in soil. We aimed to determine the effects of clay content and composition on organic carbon stabilization in soil, and the mechanisms involved. This was achieved by studying the decomposition of alfalfa residues in artificial soils made from quartz sand and kaolinite with and without additions of the non-layered colloids (NLCs) goethite, manganese oxide or imogolite. The artificial soils were inoculated with microbes from natural soil and incubated at 23 °C in the dark at 60% of water holding capacity for 180 days. With increasing contents of clay and NLCs, organic carbon mineralization decreased, whereas carbohydrate and microbial biomass carbon contents increased. Of the NLCs, goethite had the least effect and imogolite the greatest effect on carbohydrate content. The effects of the treatments on mineralization and carbohydrate content were explained mostly by specific surface area (> 83% of variation), presumably due to the effects on sorption. The effects of the treatments on microbial biomass were related to the volume of habitat (water-filled pore space) and availability of substrate (influenced by sorption). These results showed that clay content and composition influenced the stabilization of soil organic carbon mostly through the supply of surfaces for sorption reactions rather than via interactions unique to particular colloids. •Mineralization of OM is related to SSA, irrespective of diverse mineralogy.•Increased surface area increases OM retention via sorption reactions.•Microbial biomass is related to substrate availability and habitat volume (water-filled pores).