Understanding plant residue decomposition by linking organic matter chemistry and soil microbiology

土壤是二氧化碳的重要来源或汇。目前，我们对植物残体分解及其转化为各种土壤有机碳库缺乏基本的认识。由于这些不同的土壤C库以不同的速率再循环到大气中，因此更好地了解这一过程对于我们管理土壤C和预测管理对有机碳的影响的能力至关重要。我们将首次将土壤有机质组分的详细化学分析与分解速率和微生物群落结构的测定结合起来；从而也增加了对澳大利亚生物多样性是如何调节的认识。

Soils are an important source or sink for CO2. Currently we lack a fundamental understanding of plant residue decomposition and their transformation into various soil organic carbon (SOC) pools. Since these different pools of soil C are recycled back to atmosphere at different rates, a better understanding of the process is crucial for our ability to manage soil C and to predict the impact of management on SOC. For the first time we will combine detailed chemical analyses of soil organic matter fractions with determination of decomposition rates and microbial community structure; thereby also increasing the knowledge of how Australia's biodiversity is modulated.