[Enviro-lunch] Enviro-lunch Seminar: Adrian Gallo on "where does plant carbon hide in soils?"

[Kyungjin Min]

[image: image.png]

Hello all,



We are excited to have Adrian Gallo, a PhD Candidate at Oregon State
University this Thursday (3/11/2021, 1:30-2:30 pm, Pacific time). He will
share his research on how plant-derived organic carbon is distributed
across ecosystems and down soil profiles. Please join us using the zoom
link below.



Join zoom meeting Enviro-lunch

https://ucmerced.zoom.us/j/175736103

Meeting ID: 175 736 103

One tap mobile

+16699006833,,175736103# US (San Jose)

+16468769923,,175736103# US (New York)


*Title*:

Burnt wood to plant roots: where does plant carbon hide in soils?



*Bio*:
[image: Permafrost Half.jpeg]

Adrian (he/him) is currently a PhD candidate at Oregon State University
focusing on soil organic matter across ecosystems. His career started at
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where his curiosity and love of the outdoors led
him to discover the fields of geology and soil science. He then spent time
in both the Tongass (Alaska) and Klamath-Siskiyou (Oregon) National Forests
working on long-term management plans. His love of California’s grasslands
was overshadowed by his experiences in the Pacific Northwest where he then
decided to pursue a MS in forestry at Oregon State University. He continues
his soil science research in the college of agriculture where he expects to
complete his PhD this summer. In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking,
playing soccer, and is a co-host for the Oregon State science communication
podcast & radio show, Inspiration Dissemination.



*Abstract*:

Soils contain more organic carbon than both the atmosphere and aboveground
terrestrial biomass combined. However, a 21st century understanding of soil
organic matter (SOM) dynamics has forced us to re-assess past assumptions
embedded in global climate models making it an exciting but complicated
time to be a soil scientist as ‘soil sequestration’ continues to gain more
traction in public policy debates. In order to reconcile how SOM can change
on short timescales, we examined an intensive biomass manipulation
experiment in the Oregon Cascades tracking how native SOM can shift as a
result of large plant inputs and removals. We found soil temperature
increased as a function of greater surface biomass removals, but soil
respiration was relatively consistent across all biomass manipulations.
Despite large inputs of residual forest biomass from aboveground, the
mineral-associated C transformed to a root-like signature. This indicates
that dead and rapidly decomposing roots helped maintain the original soil-C
stores by replacing much of the *native* SOM within a two-year timeframe
showing both the vulnerability and resilience of soils. This case study
showed us that while soil-C stores appear consistent, the changes in SOM
*composition* can be dramatic.



As inputs to soil may shift in the future, a focus on the composition of
SOM could help us predict how other ecosystems may respond to further
perturbations. We then zoom out to longer timescales and a larger
geographic scope using soil profiles from the National Ecological
Observatory Network (NEON). We characterized ~40 NEON sites from the
northernmost tip of Alaska to the restored wetlands of central Florida;
because biogeochemistry research too often focuses on surface horizons, we
focused on three representative genetic horizons often reaching ~1m deep.
We found lignin-derived carbon in soils represents a remarkably similar
proportion of SOM across ecosystems *and* down soil profiles. Using
pyrogenic carbon analysis, we found the legacy of fire extends far beyond
our modern history books but remain encrypted in soils. From NEON’s
continental-scale sample set we are continuing to advance our understanding
of ecosystems while simultaneously discarding developing theories of SOM
dynamics.



KJ Min, Manisha Dolui, Anna Jurusik (Student and Post-doc coordinators) and
Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe (Faculty coordinator)
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