ELUCIDATING SOIL MICROBIOME TRAITS THAT PREDICT LONG-TERM ACCUMULATION OF STABLE SOIL ORGANIC MATTER

Our overall goal in this project is to identify soil microbiome traits that are most closely related to changes in the fate of soil C inputs to 1) inform a better understanding of the microbial mechanisms that govern soil C storage and 2) identify microbial traits that can potentially serve as early indicators of changes in soil C partitioning that will ultimately build soil health. Given that the long-term fate and stability of soil C storage is highly dependent on a variety of soil, microbial, and plant dynamics that can operate at very different time scales, we have constructed our objectives to address this complexity in a logical, stepwise manner. Specific objectives are to:Identify soil microbiome traits that predict stable soil C formation across a range of soil types and plant inputs;Validate the ability of microbiome traits to predict the trajectory of stable soil C development in the field in response to implementation of soil health management;Evaluate the ability of microbiome traits to predict the status of stable soil C in systems with a history of continuous, long-term application of soil health management practices.