Competitive equilibrium between carbon loss and sequestration driven by erosion: Stratified responses of microbial metabolism and mineral protection - 2026
[en] Soil erosion drives the redistribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) through transportation and deposition processes, yet its underlying mechanisms in shaping the carbon source/sink patterns on slopes remain inadequately understood. Prevailing studies have predominantly focused on the physical translocation effects of erosion, overlooking the biologically-driven priming mineralization. The differential transport and burial of particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) induced by erosion may form a physical carbon sink; however, the synergistic mechanisms between physical protection and biological metabolic processes are still unclear. To address this critical knowledge gap, this study investigated a gentle slope in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China. We measured the contents of SOC fractions (SOC, POC, and MAOC), soil extracellular enzyme activities (BG, and NAG+LAP), and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) in topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil (20–40 cm) layers along typical upper and lower slope positions. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) analysis results indicated that the upper zones suffered from a loss of labile POC due to selective erosion, leading to microbial substrate scarcity and a decline in CUE, thereby exacerbating carbon loss. In contrast, lower zones facilitated the enrichment of stable MAOC through mineral protection mechanisms, concomitant with an increase in CUE, creating a local carbon sink. Simultaneously, the vertical migration of carbon contributed to the formation of a relatively stable MAOC pool in the subsoil, partially offsetting erosion-induced carbon release. This study reveals that the redistribution of particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) across eroded landscapes, coupled with microbial metabolic adaptation, governs the carbon source/sink dynamics along the slope. Future assessments of the carbon budget under soil erosion must concurrently quantify the losses from physical translocation and the sequestration driven by mineral-biological synergy to systematically decipher the response pathways of the carbon cycle to erosion.
Li, Mengni; Agricultural Clean Watershed Research Group, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, China
Shi, Yulong; Agricultural Clean Watershed Research Group, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, China
Xue, Runyu; Agricultural Clean Watershed Research Group, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, China ; College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
Meersmans, Jeroen ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Echanges Eau - Sol - Plantes
Zhang, Qingwen; Agricultural Clean Watershed Research Group, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, China
Language :
English
Title :
Competitive equilibrium between carbon loss and sequestration driven by erosion: Stratified responses of microbial metabolism and mineral protection
CAAS - Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences NSCF - National Natural Science Foundation of China
Funding text :
This work was supported by the Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS-CSAL-202302), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41977072).
An, J., Zheng, F., Wang, B., 2014. Using 137Cs technique to investigate the spatial distribution of erosion and deposition regimes for a small catchment in the black soil region, northeast China. CATENA 123, 243–251. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2014.08.009
Angst, G., Mueller, K.E., Castellano, M.J., Vogel, C., Wiesmeier, M., Mueller, C.W., 2023. Unlocking complex soil systems as carbon sinks: Multi-pool management as the key. Nat Commun 14, 2967. Doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38700-5
Berhe, A.A., Barnes, R.T., Six, J., Marín-Spiotta, E., 2018. Role of soil erosion in biogeochemical cycling of essential elements: carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 46, 521–548. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-earth-082517-010018
Buckeridge, K.M., La Rosa, A.F., Mason, K.E., Whitaker, J., McNamara, N.P., Grant, H.K., Ostle, N.J., 2020a. Sticky dead microbes: Rapid abiotic retention of microbial necromass in soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 149, 107929. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107929
Buckeridge, K.M., Mason, K.E., McNamara, N.P., Ostle, N., Puissant, J., Goodall, T., Griffiths, R.I., Stott, A.W., Whitaker, J., 2020b. Environmental and microbial controls on microbial necromass recycling, an important precursor for soil carbon stabilization. Commun Earth Environ 1, 36. Doi: 10.1038/s43247-020-00031-4
Chen, J., Xiao, W., Zheng, C., Zhu, B., 2020. Nitrogen addition has contrasting effects on particulate and mineral-associated soil organic carbon in a subtropical forest. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 142, 107708. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107708
Chen, S., Zhang, G., Zhu, P., Wang, C., Wan, Y., 2022. Impact of slope position on soil erodibility indicators in rolling hill regions of northeast China. CATENA 217, 106475. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2022.106475
Cotrufo, M.F., Ranalli, M.G., Haddix, M.L., Six, J., Lugato, E., 2019. Soil carbon storage informed by particulate and mineral-associated organic matter. Nat. Geosci. 12, 989–994. Doi: 10.1038/s41561-019-0484-6
Doetterl, S., Berhe, A.A., Nadeu, E., Wang, Z., Sommer, M., Fiener, P., 2016. Erosion, deposition and soil carbon: A review of process-level controls, experimental tools and models to address C cycling in dynamic landscapes. Earth-Science Reviews 154, 102–122. Doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.12.005
Domeignoz-Horta, L.A., Pold, G., Liu, X.-J.A., Frey, S.D., Melillo, J.M., DeAngelis, K.M., 2020. Microbial diversity drives carbon use efficiency in a model soil. Nat Commun 11, 3684. Doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17502-z
Frey, S.D., Lee, J., Melillo, J.M., Six, J., 2013. The temperature response of soil microbial efficiency and its feedback to climate. Nature Clim Change 3, 395–398. Doi: 10.1038/nclimate1796
Gao, H., Song, X., Wu, X., Zhang, N., Liang, T., Wang, Z., Yu, X., Duan, C., Han, Z., Li, S., 2024. Interactive effects of soil erosion and mechanical compaction on soil DOC dynamics and CO2 emissions in sloping arable land. CATENA 238, 107906. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2024.107906
Han, Z., Li, J., Li, Y., Gu, X., Chen, X., Wei, C., 2021. Assessment of the size selectivity of eroded sediment in a partially saturated sandy loam soil using scouring experiments. CATENA 201, 105234. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2021.105234
Hao, H., Wang, J., Guo, Z., Hua, L., 2019. Water erosion processes and dynamic changes of sediment size distribution under the combined effects of rainfall and overland flow. CATENA 173, 494–504. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2018.10.029
He, Y., Zhang, F., Yang, M., Li, X., Wang, Z., 2023. Insights from size fractions to interpret the erosion-driven variations in soil organic carbon on black soil sloping farmland, northeast China. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 343, 108283. Doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2022.108283
He, X., Abs, E., Allison, S.D., Tao, F., Huang, Y., Manzoni, S., Abramoff, R., Bruni, E., Bowring, S.P.K., Chakrawal, A., Ciais, P., Elsgaard, L., Friedlingstein, P., Georgiou, K., Hugelius, G., Holm, L.B., Li, W., Luo, Y., Marmasse, G., Nunan, N., Qiu, C., Sitch, S., Wang, Y.-P., Goll, D.S., 2024. Emerging multiscale insights on microbial carbon use efficiency in the land carbon cycle. Nat Commun 15, 8010. Doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52160-5
He, C., Chen, J.-S., Han, S.-W., Liu, W.-S., Liu, W.-X., Oladele, O.P., Dang, Y.P., Lal, R., Zhao, X., Zhang, H.-L., 2025. Unraveling carbon mineralization patterns and mechanisms in conservation agriculture: A global synthesis and multi-point experiment. Journal of Cleaner Production 493, 144900. Doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.144900
Kallenbach, C.M., Frey, S.D., Grandy, A.S., 2016. Direct evidence for microbial-derived soil organic matter formation and its ecophysiological controls. Nat Commun 7, 13630. Doi: 10.1038/ncomms13630
Kan, Z.-R., Ma, S.-T., Liu, Q.-Y., Liu, B.-Y., Virk, A.L., Qi, J.-Y., Zhao, X., Lal, R., Zhang, H.-L., 2020. Carbon sequestration and mineralization in soil aggregates under long-term conservation tillage in the north China plain. CATENA 188, 104428. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2019.104428
King, A.E., Sokol, N.W., 2024. Soil carbon formation is promoted by saturation deficit and existing mineral-associated carbon, not by microbial carbon-use efficiency. Science Advances 11, eadv9482. Doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adv9482
King, A.E., Sokol, N.W., 2025. Soil carbon formation is promoted by saturation deficit and existing mineral-associated carbon, not by microbial carbon-use efficiency. Science Advances 11, eadv9482. Doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adv9482
Kramer, M.G., Chadwick, O.A., 2018. Climate-driven thresholds in reactive mineral retention of soil carbon at the global scale. Nature Clim Change 8, 1104–1108. Doi: 10.1038/s41558-018-0341-4
Lal, R., 2003. Soil erosion and the global carbon budget. Environment International 29, 437–450. Doi: 10.1016/S0160-4120(02)00192-7
Lavallee, J.M., Soong, J.L., Cotrufo, M.F., 2020. Conceptualizing soil organic matter into particulate and mineral-associated forms to address global change in the 21st century. Global Change Biology 26, 261–273. Doi: 10.1111/gcb.14859
Li, J., Shangguan, Z., Deng, L., 2022. Free particulate organic carbon plays critical roles in carbon accumulations during grassland succession since grazing exclusion. Soil and Tillage Research 220, 105380. Doi: 10.1016/j.still.2022.105380
Li, M., Li, X., Shi, Y., Jiang, Y., Xue, R., Zhang, Q., 2024a. Soil enzyme activity mediated organic carbon mineralization due to soil erosion in long gentle sloping farmland in the black soil region. Science of The Total Environment 929, 172417. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172417
Li, Z., Duan, X., Guo, X., Gao, W., Li, Y., Zhou, P., Zhu, Q., O'Donnell, A.G., Dai, K., Wu, J., 2024b. Microbial metabolic capacity regulates the accrual of mineral-associated organic carbon in subtropical paddy soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 195, 109457. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109457
Li, M., Zhang, Q., Meersmans, J., Degré, A., 2025. Distribution patterns of SOC fractions and mineralization on sloping erosion-prone farmland in the black soil region. International Soil and Water Conservation Research. Doi: 10.1016/j.iswcr.2025.08.001
Liang, C., Schimel, J.P., Jastrow, J.D., 2017. The importance of anabolism in microbial control over soil carbon storage. Nat Microbiol 2, 17105. Doi: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.105
Liu, L., Zhang, K., Zhang, Z., Qiu, Q., 2015. Identifying soil redistribution patterns by magnetic susceptibility on the black soil farmland in northeast China. CATENA 129, 103–111. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2015.03.003
Liu, Z., Gu, H., Yao, Q., Jiao, F., Liu, J., Jin, J., Liu, X., Wang, G., 2022. Microbial communities in the diagnostic horizons of agricultural isohumosols in northeast China reflect their soil classification. CATENA 216, 106430. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2022.106430
Liu, L., Yang, J., Wang, J., Yu, Q., Wei, C., Jiang, L., Huang, J., Zhang, Y., Jiang, Y., Zhang, H., Han, X., 2025a. Increase in mineral-associated organic carbon does not offset the decrease in particulate organic carbon under long-term nitrogen enrichment in a steppe ecosystem. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 202, 109695. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109695
Liu, M., Lin, H., Li, J., 2025b. Are there links between nutrient inputs and the response of microbial carbon use efficiency or soil organic carbon? A meta-analysis. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 201, 109656. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109656
Lugato, E., Lavallee, J.M., Haddix, M.L., Panagos, P., Cotrufo, M.F., 2021. Different climate sensitivity of particulate and mineral-associated soil organic matter. Nat. Geosci. 14, 295–300. Doi: 10.1038/s41561-021-00744-x
Lv, J., Shi, J., Wang, Z., Peng, Y., Wang, X., 2023. Effects of erosion and deposition on the extent and characteristics of organic carbon associated with soil minerals in mollisol landscape. CATENA 228, 107190. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2023.107190
Manzoni, S., Čapek, P., Mooshammer, M., Lindahl, B.D., Richter, A., Šantrůčková, H., 2017. Optimal metabolic regulation along resource stoichiometry gradients. Ecology Letters 20, 1182–1191. Doi: 10.1111/ele.12815
Marriott, E.E., Wander, M.M., 2006. Total and labile soil organic matter in organic and conventional farming systems. Soil Science Society of America Journal 70, 950–959. Doi: 10.2136/sssaj2005.0241
Mercer, G.D., Mickan, B.S., Gleeson, D.B., Walker, E., Krohn, C., Bühlmann, C.H., Ryan, M.H., 2025. Probing the pump: Soil carbon dynamics, microbial carbon use efficiency and community composition in response to stoichiometrically-balanced compost and biochar. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 205, 109770. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109770
Nelson, D.W., Sommers, L.E., 1996. Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. Methods of soil analysis: Part 3 Chemical methods 5, 961–1010. Doi: 10.2136/sssabookser5.3.c34
Ning, Q., Hättenschwiler, S., Lü, X., Kardol, P., Zhang, Y., Wei, C., Xu, C., Huang, J., Li, A., Yang, J., Wang, J., Peng, Y., Peñuelas, J., Sardans, J., He, J., Xu, Z., Gao, Y., Han, X., 2021. Carbon limitation overrides acidification in mediating soil microbial activity to nitrogen enrichment in a temperate grassland. Global Change Biology 27, 5976–5988. Doi: 10.1111/gcb.15819
Report of the Protection and Utilization of Black Soil in China 2021, 2022. Chinese Academy of Science.
Rocci, K.S., Lavallee, J.M., Stewart, C.E., Cotrufo, M.F., 2021. Soil organic carbon response to global environmental change depends on its distribution between mineral-associated and particulate organic matter: A meta-analysis. Science of The Total Environment 793, 148569. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148569
Roels, J.A., 1980. Application of macroscopic principles to microbial metabolism. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 22, 2457–2514. Doi: 10.1002/bit.260221202
Schimel, J., Weintraub, M.N., Moorhead, D., 2022. Estimating microbial carbon use efficiency in soil: Isotope-based and enzyme-based methods measure fundamentally different aspects of microbial resource use. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 169, 108677. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108677
Shen, Y., Gu, J., Liu, G., Wang, X., Shi, H., Shu, C., Zhang, Q., Guo, Z., Zhang, Y., 2023. Predicting soil erosion and deposition on sloping farmland with different shapes in northeast China by using 137Cs. Catena 229, 107238.
Shi, J., Lv, J., Peng, Y., Yao, Y., Wei, X., Wang, X., 2024. Mechanisms controlling the stability and sequestration of mineral associated organic carbon upon erosion and deposition. CATENA 242, 108119. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2024.108119
Shi, J., Zhang, Ziyun, Zhang, Zhiyong, Fan, Z., Wang, X., 2025. Erosion-induced low carbon availability exacerbates carbon loss: Insights from microbial carbon allocation and the chemo-diversity of carbon. CATENA 252, 108894. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2025.108894
Sorokin, A., Owens, P., Láng, V., Jiang, Z.-D., Michéli, E., Krasilnikov, P., 2021. “black soils” in the russian soil classification system, the US soil taxonomy and the WRB: Quantitative correlation and implications for pedodiversity assessment. CATENA 196, 104824. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2020.104824
Tang, B., Rocci, K.S., Lehmann, A., Rillig, M.C., 2023. Nitrogen increases soil organic carbon accrual and alters its functionality. Global Change Biology 29, 1971–1983. Doi: 10.1111/gcb.16588
Wang, S., Zhao, Y., Wang, J., Gao, J., Zhu, P., Cui, X., Xu, M., Zhou, B., Lu, C., 2020. Estimation of soil organic carbon losses and counter approaches from organic materials in black soils of northeastern China. J Soils Sediments 20, 1241–1252. Doi: 10.1007/s11368-019-02520-2
Wang, B., An, S., Liang, C., Liu, Y., Kuzyakov, Y., 2021. Microbial necromass as the source of soil organic carbon in global ecosystems. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 162, 108422. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108422
Wang, H., Yang, S., Wang, Y., Gu, Z., Xiong, S., Huang, X., Sun, M., Zhang, S., Guo, L., Cui, J., Tang, Z., Ding, Z., 2022. Rates and causes of black soil erosion in northeast China. CATENA 214, 106250. Doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2022.106250
Wang, Xiangxiang, Zhang, H., Cao, D., Wu, C., Wang, Xianting, Wei, L., Guo, B., Wang, S., Ding, J., Chen, H., Chen, J., Ge, T., Zhu, Z., 2024. Microbial carbon and phosphorus metabolism regulated by C:N:P stoichiometry stimulates organic carbon accumulation in agricultural soils. Soil and Tillage Research 242, 106152. Doi: 10.1016/j.still.2024.106152
Xiao, H., Li, Z., Chang, X., Huang, J., Nie, X., Liu, C., Liu, L., Wang, D., Dong, Y., Jiang, J., 2017. Soil erosion-related dynamics of soil bacterial communities and microbial respiration. Applied Soil Ecology 119, 205–213. Doi: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.06.018
Xu, X., Schimel, J.P., Janssens, I.A., Song, X., Song, C., Yu, G., Sinsabaugh, R.L., Tang, D., Zhang, X., Thornton, Peter.E., 2017. Global pattern and controls of soil microbial metabolic quotient. Ecological Monographs 87, 429–441. Doi: 10.1002/ecm.1258
Yang, Y., Gunina, A., Cheng, H., Liu, L., Wang, B., Dou, Y., Wang, Y., Liang, C., An, S., Chang, S.X., 2025. Unlocking mechanisms for soil organic matter accumulation: Carbon use efficiency and microbial necromass as the keys. Global Change Biology 31, e70033. Doi: 10.1111/gcb.70033
Ye, C., Chen, D., Hall, S.J., Pan, S., Yan, X., Bai, T., Guo, H., Zhang, Y., Bai, Y., Hu, S., 2018. Reconciling multiple impacts of nitrogen enrichment on soil carbon: Plant, microbial and geochemical controls. Ecology Letters 21, 1162–1173. Doi: 10.1111/ele.13083
Yu, W., Huang, W., Weintraub-Leff, S.R., Hall, S.J., 2022. Where and why do particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) differ among diverse soils? Soil Biology and Biochemistry 172, 108756. Doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108756
Zhang, X., Pei, G., Zhang, T., Fan, X., Liu, Z., Bai, E., 2023. Erosion effects on soil microbial carbon use efficiency in the mollisol cropland in northeast China. Soil Ecol. Lett. 5, 230176. Doi: 10.1007/s42832-023-0176-4
Zhang, S., Zhou, X., Chen, Y., Du, F., Zhu, B., 2024. Soil organic carbon fractions in China: Spatial distribution, drivers, and future changes. Science of The Total Environment 919, 170890. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170890
Zhao, P., Li, S., Wang, E., Chen, X., Deng, J., Zhao, Y., 2018. Tillage erosion and its effect on spatial variations of soil organic carbon in the black soil region of China. Soil and Tillage Research 178, 72–81. Doi: 10.1016/j.still.2017.12.022
