Plant input does not exert stronger control on topsoil carbon persistence than climate in alpine grasslands

Abstract

Chen et al. (Ecology Letters, 2021, 24, 1018) concluded that plant input governs topsoil carbon persistence in alpine grasslands. We demonstrated that the excluded direct effect of precipitation on topsoil Δ¹⁴ C in their analysis was significant and strong. Our results provide an alternative viewpoint on the drivers of soil carbon turnover.

Keywords: Tibetan Plateau; climate; plant input; priming effect; radiocarbon; soil carbon turnover.