CO2 and O2 respiration kinetics in hydrocarbon contaminated soils amended with organic carbon sources used to determine catabolic diversity

Multiple substrate induced respiration (MSIR) assays which assess the response of soils to carbon source amendment are effective approaches to determine catabolic diversity of soils. Many assays are based on a single short term (<6 h) time point measurement and usually limited to CO2 production only. However, repeated measurements of both CO2 and O2 simultaneously can provide additional valuable information. In this study, a MSIR assay involving eight carbon sources was applied to three hydrocarbon contaminated soils using continuous CO2 and O2 respiration measurements. Based on cumulative CO2 and O2 measurements at 4, 24 and 120 h, the soils were found to be distinct in terms of their catabolic diversity. Most noteworthy, however, was the response to the addition of maleic acid which provided strong evidence of abiotic CO2 efflux to be the overriding process, raising questions about the interpretation of CO2 only responses from organic acid addition in MSIR assays.

► A substrate induced respiration assay was applied to three hydrocarbon contaminated soils. ► CO2 and O2 responses were measuring continuously for 120 h. ► The three soils were found to be distinct in terms of their catabolic diversity. ► Addition of maleic acid provided strong evidence of abiotic CO2 efflux to be the overriding process.