EGU2020-21234
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-21234
EGU General Assembly 2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Relating soil structure and hydrophysical characteristics to aerobic and anaerobic soil respiration

Teamrat Ghezzehei, Jennifer Alvarez, Yocelyn Villa, and Rebecca Ryals
Teamrat Ghezzehei et al.
  • University of California, Merced, School of Natural Sciences, Life and Environmental Sciences Department, Merced, United States of America (taghezzehei@ucmerced.edu)

The dynamics of soil organic matter is strongly controlled by the hydrophysical environmental factors, including motility, aqueous diffusivity of substrates, gaseous diffusivity, and energetic constraints on microbial physiology. The relationships among these physical factors depend on soil moisture and the architecture of the soil pores. In this regard, the soil water retention curve can serve as a macroscopic signature of pore-size distribution. Therefore, the sensitivity of aerobic and anaerobic microbial activity must be closely associated with the shape of the soil water retention curve. The soil water retention curve is, in turn, strongly dependent on soil texture and structure. Here, we present a physically-based model of aerobic and anaerobic microbial respiration rates. We also present a novel experimental technique for the characterization of the soil-moisture sensitivity of soil microbial activity. The proposed experimental and modeling approaches allow direct coupling of the fate soil organic matter with the nature of soil structure.

How to cite: Ghezzehei, T., Alvarez, J., Villa, Y., and Ryals, R.: Relating soil structure and hydrophysical characteristics to aerobic and anaerobic soil respiration, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-21234, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-21234, 2020