Accumulation of Soil Microbial Necromass Controlled by Microbe–Mineral Interactions

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a key reservoir for global carbon (C), supporting soil fertility and influencing greenhouse gas emissions. Microbial residues, composed of dead cells and cellular fragments, are major contributors to SOM formation. Yet, mechanisms by which minerals enhance the accumulation of microbial residues remain poorly understood. Here, we used ¹³C-labeled glucose in a year-long incubation to trace microbial residue in sandy and silty soils. Across both soils, approximately 89% of retained microbial ¹³C was recovered in the fine (<53 μm) mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) pool. Within this pool, the light MAOM fraction, enriched in poorly crystalline Fe minerals, held 4.3 times more ¹³C than the heavy, phyllosilicate-dominated MAOM fraction, despite accounting for only 17.2% of the total MAOM mass and 12.3% of the total soil mass. Along with ¹³C enrichment, the light MAOM fraction showed greater abundance of N-containing groups, e.g., (amides and amino groups), indicative of microbial-derived compounds like proteins and amino sugars. Fe oxides in light MAOM from both soils were spatially dispersed. Microbial residue accumulation was greater in finer-textured silty soil. These findings demonstrate that mineral composition and texture jointly regulate microbial necromass accrual, highlighting light MAOM as a key pool for enhancing soil C storage.

Microbial residues accumulate in soil through interactions with noncrystalline minerals, highlighting the importance of differentiating between two mineral-bound carbon pools to understand and predict their contributions to soil organic matter pools.