Distribution of physiochemically defined soil organic carbon pools and their relationship to the soil microbial community in grasslands

摘要

Sequestration of carbon (C) in soils provides an important tool for climate change mitigation and grasslands offer significant potential for this approach. In this study, we examined soil organic C (SOC) protection mechanisms in alpine meadow, typical steppe and desert grassland ecosystems located in the Gansu province of China. We also examined which microbial taxonomic groups are associated with physically protected C and unprotected C.