LAUSR

Mineral protection is known as an important mechanism stabilizing soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the composition, sources and variations of mineral-protected SOC remain poorly constrained. To fill this knowledge gap, we used hydrofluoric acid to demineralize soil matrix and compared the sources and distribution of mineral-protected lipids (ML) versus hydrolysable lipids (HL) of four typical Chinese shrubland soils. ML was found to represent a sizable fraction (9–32%) of total aliphatic lipids (including n-alkanols, n-alkanoic acids, α,ω-alkanedioic acids, hydroxyalkanoic acids and mid-chain-substituted acids) in all soils. Based on carbon chain length and branch positions, microbial- and plant-derived lipids were distinguished. No significant difference was found in the ratio of microbial- to plant-derived lipids in ML versus HL, implying that plant and microbial inputs are equally important for the mineral-associated soil lipids. However, ML contained a higher proportion of non-specific lipids, especially at depths. Furthermore, to evaluate key environmental variable(s) controlling the distribution of different lipid components, a multiple stepwise regression analysis was conducted. Notably, ML was mainly affected by SOC-to-nitrogen ratio instead of mineralogical properties, implying that the accrual of mineral-associated soil lipids relies strongly on organic matter properties. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights on sources and accumulation mechanisms of mineral-protected soil lipids. SOC decomposition and subsequent accretion of degradation products appear to be vital for the sequestration of mineral-associated soil lipids and warrant better recognition in the investigations of stable soil carbon accumulation mechanisms.