Carbon storage in mollusk shells: An overlooked yet significant carbon sink in terrestrial ecosystems

Mollusks, the second largest animal family, are found in a variety of ecosystems. As they grow, their shells absorb carbon and form calcium carbonate, making them an important storage place for carbon. However, the amount of carbon deposited in the carbonate shells of terrestrial mollusks throughout modern and geological history has not been quantified. In this study, we first conducted an investigation of carbon deposits in shells from various mollusk species at 470 modern surface soil sample sites across diverse terrestrial ecosystems in China. The deciduous broadleaf forest and shrublands exhibited a higher carbon deposition rate of ∼1.37 ± 2.15 and ∼1.56 ± 2.92 g C m−2/yr−1, while croplands and grasslands displayed a rate of ∼1.11 ± 1.95 and 1.07 ± 1.78 g C m−2/yr−1, respectively. Using geostatistical methods, we estimated the total shell carbon deposition of grassland, forest, shrublands, and croplands in China to be ∼3.39–5.45 × 106 t C yr−1, constituting ∼1.68–2.71 % of China's terrestrial carbon sink, an overlooked portion in previous studies. Additionally, we provided quantitative data on shell carbon fluxes spanning a remarkable 20,000-year period through over ten fossil sequences from loess deposits. The results underscore the continuous and abundant carbon deposition in mollusk shells across various locations for at least 20,000 years, highlighting the persistence and substantial accumulation of shell carbon deposits over time. Remarkably, we estimated that the total shell carbon deposition of loess sediments in China and the world over the past 20,000 years may reach 1.10 × 108 t C and 1.29 × 109 t C, roughly equivalent to an afforestation area of 2.32 × 106 km2 and 2.72 × 107 km2, respectively. [Display omitted] •The potential carbon storage in gastropod shells has long been overlooked.•Snail shells' carbon storage in diverse ecosystems has been quantified.•Loess deposits show sustained, significant shell carbon storage for 20,000 years.