Adding labile carbon to peatland soils triggers deep carbon breakdown

Peatlands store vast amounts of carbon, with deep peat carbon remaining stable due to limited thermodynamic energy and transport. However, climate change-induced increases in labile carbon inputs could destabilize these stores. Here, we combined DNA stable isotope probing with stable isotope-assisted metabolomics employing a multi-platform approach to investigate microbial dynamics driving deep peat carbon degradation upon labile carbon (e.g., glucose) amendment. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of deep peat carbon, as glucose addition triggers the breakdown of older organic matter. By uniquely integrating these techniques, we identified active glucose metabolizers to specific microbial populations and mapped carbon flow through microbial networks, elucidating their role in priming recalcitrant carbon mineralization. This multi-omics approach offers crucial insights into how changing resources reshape the peatland microbiome, enhancing our understanding of deep carbon processing, and refining model parameterization to predict microbial responses and carbon cycle feedbacks under global change pressures. Glucose addition to peatland soils promotes decomposition of older buried carbon through enhanced microbial activity, according to DNA analysis and isotope labelling of peatland soil.

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Publication Details

Journal
Communications Earth & Environment
Published
2024-12-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01954-y
Citations
14
Primary Topic
Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.42

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article

Adding labile carbon to peatland soils triggers deep carbon breakdown

Allison R. Wong, Xiaoxu Sun, Tianze Song, Heino Heyman et al.
14 citations
Communications Earth & Environment
Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
6.42
article

Adding labile carbon to peatland soils triggers deep carbon breakdown

Allison R. Wong, Xiaoxu Sun, Tianze Song, Heino Heyman, Ghiwa Makke, Rosalie Chu, Max Kolton, David Hoyt, Jeffrey P. Chanton, Christian Ayala-Ortiz, Malak Tfaily, Sumudu Rajakaruna, Nathalia Graf Grachet, Elizabeth Eder, Joel E. Kostka, James Moran, John A. Bouranis, Jason G. Toyoda, Rachel Wilson, Elizabeth Denis
article en
14 citations

Abstract

Peatlands store vast amounts of carbon, with deep peat carbon remaining stable due to limited thermodynamic energy and transport. However, climate change-induced increases in labile carbon inputs could destabilize these stores. Here, we combined DNA stable isotope probing with stable isotope-assisted metabolomics employing a multi-platform approach to investigate microbial dynamics driving deep peat carbon degradation upon labile carbon (e.g., glucose) amendment. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of deep peat carbon, as glucose addition triggers the breakdown of older organic matter. By uniquely integrating these techniques, we identified active glucose metabolizers to specific microbial populations and mapped carbon flow through microbial networks, elucidating their role in priming recalcitrant carbon mineralization. This multi-omics approach offers crucial insights into how changing resources reshape the peatland microbiome, enhancing our understanding of deep carbon processing, and refining model parameterization to predict microbial responses and carbon cycle feedbacks under global change pressures. Glucose addition to peatland soils promotes decomposition of older buried carbon through enhanced microbial activity, according to DNA analysis and isotope labelling of peatland soil.

Communications Earth & EnvironmentVol. 5(1)
Florida State University (US), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (IL), Georgia Institute of Technology (US), University of Arizona (US), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US), Michigan State University (US)
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
6.42
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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