@article{51,
  author = {J.Q. Yang and X. Zhang and I.C. Bourg and H.A. Stone},
  title = {4D imaging reveals mechanisms of clay-carbon protection and release},
  abstract = {Soil absorbs about 20\% of anthropogenic carbon emissions annually, and clay is one of the key carbon-capture materials. Although sorption to clay is widely assumed to strongly retard the microbial decomposition of soil organic matter, enhanced degradation of clay-associated organic carbon has been observed under certain conditions. The conditions in which clay influences microbial decomposition remain uncertain because the mechanisms of clay-organic carbon interactions are not fully understood. Here we reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of carbon sorption and release within model~clay aggregates and the role of enzymatic decomposition by directly imaging a transparent smectite clay on a microfluidic chip. We demonstrate that clay-carbon protection is due to the quasi-irreversible sorption of high molecular-weight sugars within clay aggregates and the exclusion of bacteria from these aggregates. We show that this physically-protected carbon can be enzymatically broken down into fragments that are released into solution. Further, we suggest improvements relevant to soil carbon models. {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).},
  year = {2021},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  volume = {12},
  number = {1},
  url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85099978836\&doi=10.1038\%2fs41467-020-20798-6\&partnerID=40\&md5=a0ba27ad227c0601537e5da9dbad5e2d},
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-020-20798-6},
}