Nature Communications (Oct 2017)

Microbial mineralization of cellulose in frozen soils

  • Javier H. Segura,
  • Mats B. Nilsson,
  • Mahsa Haei,
  • Tobias Sparrman,
  • Jyri-Pekka Mikkola,
  • John Gräsvik,
  • Jürgen Schleucher,
  • Mats G. Öquist

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01230-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

Read online

High latitude soils can store around 40 % of the Earth’s soil carbon. Here, the authors add 13C-labeled cellulose to frozen mesocosms of boreal forest soils and find that cellulose biopolymers are hydrolysed under frozen conditions and therefore contribute to the slow degradation of soil organic matter.