Particulate organic matter as a functional soil component for persistent soil organic carbon

Abstract The largest terrestrial organic carbon pool, in soils, is regulated by an intricate connection between plant inputs, microbial activity, and the soil matrix. This manifested how microorganisms, key players transforming plant-derived into carbon, are controlled physical arrangement of inorganic particles. Here we conduct incubation isotopically labelled litter to study effects structure on fate litter-derived matter. While activity fungal growth enhanced coarser-textured soil, show that occlusion matter aggregates formation organo-mineral associations occur concurrently fresh surfaces regardless structure. These two mechanisms—the most prominent processes contributing persistence matter—occur directly at plant–soil interfaces, where constitute a nucleus build-up persistence. We extend notion litter, i.e., particulate matter, from solely easily available labile substrate, functional component which determined.