Soil Organic Matter Dynamics

Dear Colleagues,

The formation and decomposition of soil organic matter and its interactions with the soil environment, aquatic systems, and the atmosphere are important for agricultural productivity, water quality, and climate.

It is increasingly recognized that soil organic matter (SOM) represents a continuum of progressively-decomposing, plant-derived organic compounds, along with microbial transformation products. At a fundamental level, SOM dynamics are thus governed by metabolic constraints on microbial transformations (e.g., a(biotic) depolymerization, reduction and oxidation), mineralogical restrictions on accessibility (e.g., mineral surface interactions and aggregation), and ecophysiological controls on the production of microbial residues (e.g., nutrient limitations or environmental stressors).

Understanding these critical environmental controls on SOM dynamics, as well as their interplay, is critical for accurate predictions of soil carbon storage, soil fertility, and greenhouse gas emission from soils in the future.

Authors are invited to submit current work on SOM transformations, residence times, and bioavailability, the interaction of SOM with minerals and metals, and pathways of microbial recycling and metabolite production. Work that directly addresses the response of processes governing SOM dynamics to ecosystems disturbances and climate change is particularly welcome. 

Dr. Yu (Frank) Yang
Dr. Marco Keiluweit
Dr. Peter Nico
Dr. Steven J. Hall
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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