Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrated Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Nature. 2015 Dec 3;528(7580):60-8. doi: 10.1038/nature16069. Epub 2015 Nov 23.
The exchange of nutrients, energy and carbon between soil organic matter, the soil environment, aquatic systems and the atmosphere is important for agricultural productivity, water quality and climate. Long-standing theory suggests that soil organic matter is composed of inherently stable and chemically unique compounds. Here we argue that the available evidence does not support the formation of large-molecular-size and persistent 'humic substances' in soils. Instead, soil organic matter is a continuum of progressively decomposing organic compounds. We discuss implications of this view of the nature of soil organic matter for aquatic health, soil carbon-climate interactions and land management.
土壤有机质、土壤环境、水生系统和大气之间的养分、能量和碳交换对农业生产力、水质和气候非常重要。长期以来的理论认为，土壤有机质由固有稳定和化学独特的化合物组成。在这里，我们认为现有证据并不支持在土壤中形成大分子量和持久的“腐殖质物质”。相反，土壤有机质是一系列逐渐分解的有机化合物的连续体。我们讨论了这种土壤有机质性质观点对水生健康、土壤碳-气候相互作用和土地管理的影响。
