Carbon flow from 13C-labeled straw and root residues into the phospholipid fatty acids of a soil microbial community under field conditions

To better understand how residue quality and seasonal conditions influence the flow of C from both root and straw residues into the soil microbial community, we followed the incorporation of 13C-labeled crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) root and straw residues into the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) of soil microbial biomass. After residue incorporation under field conditions in late summer (September), the 13C content of soil PLFA was measured in September, October, and November, 2002, and April and June, 2003. Multivariate non-metric multidimensional scaling techniques showed that the distribution of 13C among microbial PLFA differed among the four primary treatments (ryegrass straw and roots, clover straw and roots). Regardless of treatment, some PLFA remained poorly labeled with 13C throughout much of the study (16:1ω5, 10Me17:0; 0–5%), whereas other PLFA consistently contained a larger percentage of residue-derived C (16:0; 18:1ω9, 18:2ω6,9; 10–25%). The distribution of residue 13C among individual PLFA differed from the relative contributions of individual PLFA (mol%) to total PLFA-C, suggesting that a subset of the soil biomass was primarily responsible for assimilating residue-derived C. The distribution of 13C among soil PLFA differed between the sampling times, indicating that residue properties and soil conditions influenced which members of the community were assimilating residue-derived C. Our findings will provide the foundation for further studies to identify the nature of the community members responsible for residue decomposition at different times of the year, and what factors account for the dynamics of the community involved.