Soil organic carbon dynamics jointly controlled by climate, carbon inputs, soil properties and soil carbon fractions

Abstract Soil organic carbon ( SOC ) dynamics are regulated by the complex interplay of climatic, edaphic and biotic conditions. However, the interrelation of SOC and these drivers and their potential connection networks are rarely assessed quantitatively. Using observations of SOC dynamics with detailed soil properties from 90 field trials at 28 sites under different agroecosystems across the Australian cropping regions, we investigated the direct and indirect effects of climate, soil properties, carbon (C) inputs and soil C pools (a total of 17 variables) on SOC change rate ( r C , Mg C ha −1 yr −1 ). Among these variables, we found that the most influential variables on r C were the average C input amount…

• CS
  Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation