Transformation of <i>n</i>-alkanes from plant to soil: a review

<p>Despite the importance of soil organic matter (SOM) in the global carbon cycle, there remain many open questions regarding its formation and preservation. The study of individual organic compound classes that make up SOM, such as lipid biomarkers including <span class="inline-formul...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: C. L. Thomas, B. Jansen, E. E. van Loon, G. L. B. Wiesenberg
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Copernicus Publications 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/28c012e4d2ed4f6ab6f24eb74b64cec8
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:<p>Despite the importance of soil organic matter (SOM) in the global carbon cycle, there remain many open questions regarding its formation and preservation. The study of individual organic compound classes that make up SOM, such as lipid biomarkers including <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i></span>-alkanes, can provide insight into the cycling of bulk SOM. While studies of lipid biomarkers, particularly <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i></span>-alkanes, have increased in number in the past few decades, only a limited number have focused on the transformation of these compounds following deposition in soil archives. We performed a systematic review to consolidate the available information on plant-derived <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i></span>-alkanes and their transformation from plant to soil. Our major findings were (1) a nearly ubiquitous trend of decreased total concentration of <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i></span>-alkanes either with time in litterbag experiments or with depth in open plant–soil systems and (2) preferential degradation of odd-chain length and shorter chain length <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i></span>-alkanes represented by a decrease in either carbon preference index (CPI) or odd-over-even predominance (OEP) with depth, indicating degradation of the <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i></span>-alkane signal or a shift in vegetation composition over time. The review also highlighted a lack of data transparency and standardization across studies of lipid biomarkers, making analysis and synthesis of published data time-consuming and difficult. We recommend that the community move towards more uniform and systematic reporting of biomarker data. Furthermore, as the number of studies examining the complete leaf–litter–soil continuum is very limited as well as unevenly distributed over geographical regions, climate zones, and soil types, future data collection should focus on underrepresented areas as well as quantifying the transformation of <span class="inline-formula"><i>n</i></span>-alkanes through the complete continuum from plant to soil.</p>