Elevated atmospheric CO2 drives decreases in stable soil organic carbon in arid ecosystems: Evidence from a physical fractionation and organic compound analysis

Abstract The increasing concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere is perturbing the global carbon (C) cycle, altering stocks of organic C, including soil organic matter (SOM). The effect of this disturbance on soils in arid ecosystems may differ from other ecosystems due to water limitation. In this study, we conducted a density fractionation on soils previously harvested from the Nevada Desert FACE Facility (NDFF) to understand how elevated atmospheric CO 2 (eCO 2 ) affects SOM stability. Soils from beneath the perennial shrub, Larrea tridentata , and from unvegetated interspace were subjected to a sodium polytungstate density fractionation to separate light, particulate organic matter (POM, <1.85 g/cm 3 ) from heavier, mineral associated organic matter (MAOM, >1.85 g/cm 3 ). These fractions were analyzed for organic C, total N, δ 13 C and δ 15 N, to understand the mechanisms behind changes. The heavy fraction was further analyzed by pyrolysis GC/MS to assess changes in organic compound composition. Elevated CO 2 decreased POM‐C and MAOM‐C in soils beneath L. tridentata while interspace soils exhibited only a small increase in MAOM‐N. Analysis of δ 13 C revealed incorporation of new C into both POM and MAOM pools indicating eCO 2 stimulated rapid turnover of both POM and MAOM. The largest losses of POM‐C and MAOM‐C observed under eCO 2 occurred in soils 20–40 cm in depth, highlighting that belowground C inputs may be a significant driver of SOM decomposition in this ecosystem. Pyrolysis GC/MS analysis revealed a decrease in organic compound diversity in the MAOM fraction of L. tridentata soils, becoming more similar to interspace soils under eCO 2 . These results provide further evidence that MAOM stability may be compromised under disturbance and that SOC stocks in arid ecosystems are vulnerable under continued climate change.