THE SCIENCE AND SEMANTICS OF “SOIL ORGANIC MATTER STABILIZATION”

Chapter 2 THE SCIENCE AND SEMANTICS OF "SOIL ORGANIC MATTER STABILIZATION" Markus Kleber, Markus Kleber Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USASearch for more papers by this authorAdam Lindsley, Adam Lindsley Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USASearch for more papers by this author Markus Kleber, Markus Kleber Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USASearch for more papers by this authorAdam Lindsley, Adam Lindsley Department of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USASearch for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):Yu Yang, Yu YangSearch for more papers by this authorMarco Keiluweit, Marco KeiluweitSearch for more papers by this authorNicola Senesi, Nicola SenesiSearch for more papers by this authorBaoshan Xing, Baoshan XingSearch for more papers by this author First published: 09 March 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119480419.ch2 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary It is a shared goal of the scientific community to improve model projections of soil organic carbon dynamics such that the carbon cycle is represented as accurately as possible in global land models. For several decades, those pursuing this objective have operated under the assumption that "the longer soil carbon persists, the more stable we regard it as being." While this understanding was helpful in facilitating conversations on the topic, it has created the notion of the existence of a chemically and physically definable organic phase in soil with the ability to "resist" decomposition. Here we argue that "stability" is a conceptual and not a physically existing state of organic matter. To this end, we analyze the semantics of "persistence" and "stability" to point out that (i) they are independent concepts and not interchangeable terms and (ii) that "persistence" is not an automatic consequence of "stability." Through extensive revision of the literature, we show that slow-cycling carbon does not do so because it has the material property of being "stable," rather, it persists because it is not being decomposed. It follows that the notion of soil organic matter stabilization is a flawed concept that distracts from the actual causes for slow carbon cycling. We suggest that the question to be asked in future research should no longer be "Why is soil carbon stable?." Rather, the question should be: What are the constraints that prevent the decomposer community from processing soil carbon to their full metabolic potential? Multi‐Scale Biogeochemical Processes in Soil Ecosystems: Critical Reactions and Resilience to Climate Changes RelatedInformation