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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Root carbon interation with soil minerals is dynamic, leaving a legacy of microbially derived residues

Minerals preserve the oldest most persistent soil carbon, and mineral characteristics appear to play a critical role in the formation of soil organic matter (SOM) associations. To test the hypothesis that carbon source and soil microorganisms also influence mineral-SOM associations, we incubated permeable minerals bags in soil microcosms with and without plants, in a 13CO2 labelling chamber. Mineral bags contained quartz, ferrihydrite, kaolinite, or native soil minerals isolated via density separation. Using 13C-NMR, FTICR-MS, and lipidomics, we traced plant-derived carbon onto minerals harvested from microcosms at three plant growth stages, characterizing total carbon, 13C enrichment, and SOM chemistry. While C accumulation was rapid and mineral-dependent, the accumulated amount was not significantly affected by the presence of plant roots. However, the rhizosphere did shape the chemistry of mineral-associated SOM. Minerals incubated in the rhizosphere were associated with a more diverse array of compounds with different C functional groups (carbonyl, aromatics, carbohydrates, lipids) than minerals incubated in a bulk soil control. These diverse rhizosphere-derived compounds may represent a “transient fraction” of mineral SOM, rapidly exchanging with mineral surfaces. Our results also suggest that many of the lipids which persist on minerals are microbially-derived with a large fraction of fungal lipids.

Rhizosphere, soil organic matter, grassland, 13C-N↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Fate of Root Carbon in Soil: Data and Model Gaps

This workshop developed a blueprint for harmonizing root trait and soil carbon data from across the globe to improve our understanding and modeling of the fate of root carbon in the soil. Although hurdles remain—including methodological discrepancies, limitations of a trait-based approach, and the prioritization of global organizing principles—a happy marriage between FRED and ISCN is helping to fill gaps in the puzzle of future climate, one piece at time.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Directing Traffic in the Rhizosphere: How Phage and Fauna Shape the Flow and Fate of Root Carbon through Microbial Pathways

The rhizosphere, the portion of soil directly influenced by plant roots, is an area of great biological activity and intense carbon (C) cycling. Interactions among the residents of the rhizosphere, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and fauna, result in transformation and transfer C from root exudates and root debris to biomass and developing soil organic matter. The primary object of this research project was to explore the complex interactions controlling C flow in the rhizosphere and the response of these interactions to soil water conditions. We used stable isotope techniques combined with molecular analyses to observe the flow of C as it is fixed by plants from the atmosphere, deposited into the soil through plant roots, and exchanged through multiple pathways of the soil food web. This technical report summarizes the achievements of this project from field, greenhouse, and lab experiments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Plant roots stimulate the decomposition of complex, but not simple, soil carbon

Roots release carbon into soil and can alleviate energy limitation of microbial organic matter decomposition. We know little about the effects of roots on microbial decomposition of different organic matter substrates, despite the importance for soil carbon stocks and turnover. Through implementing root-microbe interactions, the Carbon, Organisms, Rhizosphere, and Protection in the Soil Environment (CORPSE) model was previously shown to represent dynamics of total soil carbon in temperate forest field experiments. However, the model permits alternative hypotheses concerning microbial-substrate affinity. We investigated how root inputs affect decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) with variable decomposability. We simulated SOC stocks in CORPSE and compared microbial degradation of two substrates types with varying root-microbe interactions under two alternative hypotheses that varied in microbial-substrate affinity. We compared our modeled hypotheses to a forest field experiment where we quantified decomposition of isotopically-labeled starch and leaf tissues in soils with manipulated root access to microbes. Here, we tested the hypothesis that decomposition of leaves would be more sensitive to root inputs than decomposition of starch, corresponding to the alternative model hypothesis. In the field study, leaf decomposition increased with root density while starch decomposition was unchanged by root density. Microbial biomass and enzyme activity consistently increased with root inputs in CORPSE and the field study. Our field experiment supported the CORPSE simulations with high microbial-substrate affinity. Roots stimulated microbial growth and enzyme production, which increased degradation of more complex substrates such as leaf tissues. Substrates that were easily decomposed, such as starch, may already be degrading at a maximum rate in the absence of rhizosphere influence because their decomposition rate was unchanged by root inputs. We found that the degree to which roots stimulate microbial decomposition depends on the substrate being decomposed, and that root-microbe interactions influenced SOC stocks in both our model and field experiment. Environmental changes that alter root-microbe interactions could, therefore, alter soil C stocks and biogeochemical cycling, and models of these interactions should incorporate differential influence of rhizosphere inputs on different substrates.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Alley cropping affects perennial bioenergy crop root distribution, carbon, and nutrient stocks

This study quantified root biomass distribution; root accrual of C, N, P, and K; and changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) associated with alley-cropped switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Bosc ex Link), intermediate wheatgrass [Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth and Dewey ‘Rush’], and a native polyculture planted between rows of ‘NM6’ poplar (Populus maximowiczii × P. nigra) and ‘Fish Creek’ willow (Salix purpurea) at two Minnesota sites (Empire and Granada). After 4 yr since establishment, SOC declined at each site but was not influenced by species selection. NM6 poplar–prairie cordgrass systems had among the highest root biomass, C, and nutrient accrual, with up to 16.3 Mg root biomass, 7.0 Mg C, 175 kg N, 31 kg P, and 97 kg K ha -1 . Fine roots were the largest fraction of belowground biomass, although course roots were also a large fraction for poplar and prairie cordgrass. Tree roots extended to 6 m into the crop alley, although 85–89% were within 1 m of tree rows, depending on tree species. Crop fine root biomass was reduced up to 67% at 1 m from tree rows and 20% at 3.5 m and was up to 142% greater in willow than in poplar alleys. Total root C was predominated by poplars at Empire regardless of herbaceous crop type, whereas the proportions of tree and crop root C varied by crop at Granada. These results suggest that prairie cordgrass is well suited to alley cropping and that, due to the competitive ability of poplars, productivity, C sequestration, and nutrient accrual may be greater in willow systems in the long term.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2008

Potential Carbon Negative Commercial Aviation through Land Management

Brazilian terra preta soil and char-enhanced soil agricultural systems have demonstrated both enhanced plant biomass and crop yield and functions as a carbon sink. Similar carbon sinking has been demonstrated for both glycophyte and halophyte plants and plant roots. Within the assumption of 3.7 t-C/ha/yr soils and plant root carbon sinking, it is possible to provide carbon neutral U.S. commercial aviation using about 8.5% of U.S. arable lands. The total airline CO2 release would be offset by carbon credits for properly managed soils and plant rooting, becoming carbon neutral for carbon sequestered synjet processing. If these lands were also used to produce biomass fuel crops such as soybeans at an increased yield of 60 bu/acre (225gal/ha), they would provide over 3.15 10(exp 9) gallons biodiesel fuel. If all this fuel were refined into biojet it would provide a 16% biojet-84% synjet blend. This allows the U.S. aviation industry to become carbon negative (carbon negative commercial aviation through carbon credits). Arid land recovery could yield even greater benefits.

Hendricks, Robert C.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Fine-root functional trait responses to experimental warming: a global meta-analysis

Whether and how warming alters functional traits of absorptive plant roots remains to be answered across the globe. Tackling this question is crucial to better understanding terrestrial responses to climate change as fine-root traits drive many ecosystem processes. In this work, we carried out a detailed synthesis of fine-root trait responses to experimental warming by performing a meta-analysis of 964 paired observations from 177 publications. Warming increased fine-root biomass, production, respiration and nitrogen concentration as well as decreased root carbon : nitrogen ratio and nonstructural carbohydrates. Warming effects on fine-root biomass decreased with greater warming magnitude, especially in short-term experiments. Furthermore, the positive effect of warming on fine-root biomass was strongest in deeper soil horizons and in colder and drier regions. Total fine-root length, morphology, mortality, life span and turnover were unresponsive to warming. Our results highlight the significant changes in fine-root traits in response to warming as well as the importance of warming magnitude and duration in understanding fine-root responses. These changes have strong implications for global soil carbon stocks in a warmer world associated with increased root-derived carbon inputs into deeper soil horizons and increases in fine-root respiration.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fine root and soil carbon stocks are positively related in grasslands but not in forests

Increasing fine root carbon (FRC) inputs into soils has been proposed as a solution to increasing soil organic carbon (SOC). However, FRC inputs can also enhance SOC loss through priming. Here, we tested the broad-scale relationships between SOC and FRC at 43 sites across the US National Ecological Observatory Network. We found that SOC and FRC stocks were positively related with an across-ecosystem slope of 7 ± 3 kg SOC m −2 per kg FRC m −2 , but this relationship was driven by grasslands. Grasslands had double the across-ecosystem slope while forest FRC and SOC were unrelated. Furthermore, deep grassland soils primarily showed net SOC accrual relative to FRC input. Conversely, forests had high variability in whether FRC inputs were related to net SOC priming or accrual. We conclude that while FRC increases could lead to increased SOC in grasslands, especially at depth, the FRC-SOC relationship remains difficult to characterize in forests.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

PcsR2 Is a LuxR-Type Regulator That Is Upregulated on Wheat Roots and Is Unique to Pseudomonas chlororaphis

LuxR solos are common in plant-associated bacteria and increasingly recognized for playing important roles in plant-microbe interkingdom signaling. Unlike the LuxR-type transcriptional regulators of prototype LuxR/LuxI quorum sensing systems, luxR solos do not have a LuxI-type autoinducer synthase gene associated with them. LuxR solos in plant-pathogenic bacteria are important for virulence and in plant endosymbionts contribute to symbiosis. In the present study, we characterized an atypical LuxR solo, PcsR2, in the biological control species Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30–84 that is highly conserved among sequenced P. chlororaphis strains. Unlike most LuxR solos in the plant-associated bacteria characterized to date, pcsR2 is not associated with a proline iminopeptidase gene and the protein has an atypical N-terminal binding domain. We created a pcsR2 deletion mutant and used quantitative RT-PCR to show that the expression of pcsR2 and genes in the operon immediately downstream was upregulated ~10-fold when the wild type strain was grown on wheat roots compared to planktonic culture. PcsR2 was involved in upregulation. Using a GFP transcriptional reporter, we found that expression of pcsR2 responded specifically to root-derived substrates as compared to leaf-derived substrates but not to endogenous AHLs. Compared to the wild type, the mutant was impaired in the ability to utilize root carbon and nitrogen sources in wheat root macerate and to colonize wheat roots. Phenazine production and most biofilm traits previously shown to be correlated with phenazine production also were diminished in the mutant. Gene expression of several of the proteins in the phenazine regulatory network including PhzR, Pip (phenazine inducing protein) and RpeA/RpeB were reduced in the mutant, and overexpression of these genes in trans restored phenazine production in the mutant to wild-type levels, indicating PcsR2 affects the activity of the these regulatory genes upstream of RpeA/RpeB via an undetermined mechanism. Our results indicate PcsR2 upregulates the expression of the adjacent operon in response to unknown wheat root-derived signals and belongs to a novel subfamily of LuxR-type transcriptional regulators found in sequenced P. chlororaphis strains.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Rhizosphere Carbon Turnover from Cradle to Grave: The Role of Microbe–Plant Interactions

Plant roots are the primary source of organic materials that become stabilized in soil. While most root carbon is decomposed into carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the remainder typically undergoes multiple microbial transformations before it forms longer-term associations with soil minerals. However, the mechanisms by which roots affect microbial utilization of organic materials and subsequent mineral stabilization processes are poorly understood. It is well known that living roots increase the biomass of nearby microbial communities, and shape their population dynamics, diversity, and interactions. Community assembly and metabolic potential of these rhizosphere-enriched microorganisms are strongly influenced by the chemical composition of the exudates released by the host plant. The root exudate pools of plants undergo compositional changes as they grow, reproduce, and senesce. In the well-studied annual grasses Avena barbata and Avena fatua, this changing rhizosphere substrate pool and the “bloom” of organisms that respond are phylogenetically coherent; Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria are consistently depleted, whereas Alpha and Betaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes are reliably enriched. When compared to non-root-influenced bulk soils, the responsive community is predictably less taxon-rich, yet forms more complex networks. Finally, these rhizosphere dynamics have significant downstream effects on the colonization of nearby soil minerals, degradation of prior season’s root litters, and the balance of stabilized versus lost soil carbon.

Pett-Ridge, Jennifer↗
DOE OSTI2024

Soil Carbon Stocks Not Linked to Aboveground Litter Input and Chemistry of Old-Growth Forest and Adjacent Prairie

The long-standing assumption that aboveground plant litter inputs have a substantial influence on soil organic carbon storage (SOC) and dynamics has been challenged by a new paradigm for SOC formation and persistence. We tested the importance of plant litter chemistry on SOC storage, distribution, composition, and age by comparing two highly contrasting ecosystems: an old-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forest, with highly aromatic litter, and an adjacent coastal prairie, with more easily decomposed litter. We hypothesized that if plant litter chemistry was the primary driver, redwood would store more and older SOC that was less microbially processed than prairie. Total soil carbon stocks to 110 cm depth were higher in prairie (35 kg C m —2 ) than redwood (28 kg C m —2 ). Radiocarbon values indicated shorter SOC residence times in redwood than prairie throughout the profile. Higher amounts of pyrogenic carbon and a higher degree of microbial processing of SOC appear to be instrumental for soil carbon storage and persistence in prairie, while differences in fine-root carbon inputs likely contribute to younger SOC in redwood. We conclude that at these sites fire residues, root inputs, and soil properties influence soil carbon dynamics to a greater degree than the properties of aboveground litter.

13C-NMR spectroscopy↗
NASA NTRS2023

Sub-Continental-Scale Carbon Stocks of Individual Trees in African Drylands

The distribution of dryland trees and their density, cover, size, mass and carbon content are not well known at sub-continental to continental scales. This information is important for ecological protection, carbon accounting, climate mitigation and restoration efforts of dryland ecosystems. We assessed more than 9.9 billion trees derived from more than 300,000 satellite images, covering semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa north of the Equator. We attributed wood, foliage and root carbon to every tree in the 0–1,000 mm year −1 rainfall zone by coupling field data, machine learning, satellite data and high-performance computing. Average carbon stocks of individual trees ranged from 0.54 Mg C ha −1 and 63 kg C tree −1 in the arid zone to 3.7 Mg C ha −1 and 98 kg tree −1 in the sub-humid zone. Overall, we estimated the total carbon for our study area to be 0.84 (±19.8%) Pg C. Comparisons with 14 previous TRENDY numerical simulation studies23 for our area found that the density and carbon stocks of scattered trees have been underestimated by three models and overestimated by 11 models, respectively. This benchmarking can help understand the carbon cycle and address concerns about land degradation. We make available a linked database of wood mass, foliage mass, root mass and carbon stock of each tree for scientists, policymakers, dryland-restoration practitioners and farmers, who can use it to estimate farmland tree carbon stocks from tablets or laptops.

Compton Tucker↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multi-objective optimization of root phenotypes for nutrient capture using evolutionary algorithms

Root phenotypes are avenues to the development of crop cultivars with improved nutrient capture, which is an important goal for global agriculture. The fitness landscape of root phenotypes is highly complex and multidimensional. It is difficult to predict which combinations of traits (phene states) will create the best performing integrated phenotypes in various environments. Brute force methods to map the fitness landscape by simulating millions of phenotypes in multiple environments are computationally challenging. Evolutionary optimization algorithms may provide more efficient avenues to explore high dimensional domains such as the root phenotypic space. We coupled the three-dimensional functional–structural plant model, SimRoot, to the Borg Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) and the evolutionary search over several generations facilitated the identification of optimal root phenotypes balancing trade-offs across nutrient uptake, biomass accumulation, and root carbon costs in environments varying in nutrient availability. Our results show that several combinations of root phenes generate optimal integrated phenotypes where performance in one objective comes at the cost of reduced performance in one or more of the remaining objectives, and such combinations differed for mobile and non-mobile nutrients and for maize (a monocot) and bean (a dicot). Functional–structural plant models can be used with multi-objective optimization to identify optimal root phenotypes under various environments, including future climate scenarios, which will be useful in developing the more resilient, efficient crops urgently needed in global agriculture.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Topographical Controls on Hillslope-Scale Hydrology Drive Shrub Distributions on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska

Observations indicate shrubs are expanding across the Arctic tundra, mainly on hillslopes and primarily in response to climate warming. However, the impact topography exerts on hydrology, nutrient dynamics, and plant growth can make untangling the mechanisms behind shrub expansion difficult. We examined the role topography plays in determining shrub expansion by applying a coupled transect version of a mechanistic ecosystem model (ecosys) in a tundra hillslope site in the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Modeled biomass of the dominant plant functional types agreed well with field measurements (R 2 = 0.89) and accurately represented shrub expansion over the past 30 years inferred from satellite observations. In the well-drained crest position, canopy water potential and plant nitrogen (N) uptake was modeled to be low from plant and microbial water stress. Intermediate soil water content in the mid-slope position enhanced mineralization and plant N uptake, increasing shrub biomass. The deciduous shrub growth in the mid-slope position was further enhanced by symbiotic N 2 fixation primed by increased root carbon allocation. The gentle slope in the poorly drained lower-slope position resulted in saturated soil conditions that reduced soil O 2 concentrations, leading to lower root O 2 uptake and lower nutrient uptake and plant biomass. Additionally, a simulation that removed topographical interconnectivity between grid cells resulted in (1) a 28% underestimate of mean shrub biomass and (2) over or underestimated shrub productivity at the various hillslope positions. Our results indicate that land models need to account for hillslope-scale coupled surface and subsurface hydrology to accurately predict current plant distributions and future trajectories in Arctic ecosystems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hicks Pries, Sulman, et al 2018. In situ incubation of 13C-labeled litter in three soil pits at Blodgett Forest, CA from 2013 to 2016

Even though over half of the world's soil organic carbon (SOC) is stored in subsoils (>20 cm deep), and the old ages of subsoil OC indicate its cycling differs from surface SOC, there are few studies examining in situ decomposition processes in deep soils. The purpose of this dataset is to elucidate these processes. In this study we added 13C-labeled fine roots to 15, 55, and 95 cm depths of a well-characterized coniferous forest Alfisol and monitored the amount of root-derived C remaining over 6, 12, and 30 months. We recovered the root-derived C in microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) after 6 months and in coarse (>2 mm) particulate, fine (<2 mm) particulate, and dense, mineral-associated pools after 6, 12, and 30 months. Overall, root decomposition in the first 6 months was similar among all depths but significantly diverged at 30 months with faster decomposition at 15 cm than at 95 cm. There were more fungal and Gram negative-associated PLFAs at 15 cm than at 95 cm, and 13C analysis revealed those microbial groups preferred the added root carbon to native SOC. Mineral-associations were not the cause of slower decomposition at depth because similar amounts of applied root C was recovered in the dense fraction at all depths. The largest difference among depths was in the amount of root C recovered in the coarse particulate fraction, which was greater at 95 cm (50%) than at 15 cm (15%). Slower decomposition of the particulate pool at depth likely contributed to the increase in C:N ratios and depletion of δ13C values below 60 cm depth in our soil profiles. Simulations of these soils using the CORPSE model, which incorporates microbial priming effects and mineral stabilization of SOC, reproduced patterns of particulate and mineral-associated SOC over both time and depth and suggested that a lack of priming by root exudates at depth could account for the slower decomposition rate of particulate root material. Decomposition of deep particulate SOC may increase if root exudation or dissolved OC transport to depth increases.This dataset includes (1) characterization of the soil pits prior to litter addition, (2) characterization of how the litter changed after 6, 12, and 30 months, and (3) the CORPSE model structure, parameterization, and output.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗