Collaborative Research: Aluminum Control of Organic Carbon Cycling in Temperate Forest Ecosystems

摘要森林生态系统在全球碳循环中起着至关重要的作用。这项研究试图确定美国西部温带森林生态系统的碳稳定机制。金属络合和矿物吸附是控制土壤碳稳定的关键过程。特别是铝，被认为对土壤碳循环施加了重要的控制，但稳定的潜在机制还不是很清楚。这项研究结合了温带森林生态系统土壤的野外采样和对照实验室实验，阐明了碳、铝、土壤矿物组合和微生物如何相互作用来控制美国西部森林生态系统中天然有机物的生物降解。这项研究的部分内容包括开发和改进新的分析工具和方法来表征碳-矿物-微生物相互作用。这项研究将论证和量化温带森林生态系统中铝与土壤碳生物地球化学之间的联系。这对土壤碳循环及其对大气二氧化碳水平和全球气候变化的潜在反馈具有重大影响。此外，这项研究的数据将提供必要的信息，将土壤矿物变量作为参数纳入区域生态系统土壤碳动态模型，从而加强对区域土壤碳循环的估计。

AbstractTemperate forest ecosystems play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. This research seeks to identify mechanisms of carbon stabilization in temperate forest ecosystems of the western United States. Metal complexation and mineral adsorption are key processes controlling soil carbon stabilization. Aluminum, in particular, has been implicated as imposing significant control over soil carbon cycling, but the underlying mechanisms of stabilization are not well known. This study combines field-based sampling of soils from temperate forest ecosystems with controlled laboratory experimentation to elucidate how carbon, aluminum, the soil mineral assemblage and microbes interact to control the biodegradation of natural organic matter in forested ecosystems of the western U.S. Part of this research includes the development and refinement of new analytical tools and approaches for characterizing carbon-mineral-microbe interactions. This research will demonstrate and quantify the linkage between aluminum and soil carbon biogeochemistry in temperate forest ecosystems. This has significant ramifications for soil carbon cycling and its potential feedback to atmospheric CO2 levels and global climate change. In addition, data from this research will provide the information necessary to include soil mineral variables as parameters in models of regional ecosystem soil carbon dynamics, thereby enhancing estimations of regional soil carbon cycles.