1. Can we infer compositional similarities of soil and plant samples? Wilfred, Michelle, Geoff C/N ratios δ 13 C FTIR

2. Plant litter * Microbes* Soil respiration Litterfall Modified from Schlesinger 1977 Fulvic AcidsHumic Acids* High N content and low Turnover (100 – 1000 yrs) years Temperature Light Humidity Loss General Plant Soil Interaction * Non cellular OM * Cellular OM

3. Modified from Cox et al. 2000 Organic content tends to decrease with depth in soil Our samples do not have a lot of organic matter May be similar to savannas than temperate grasslands (fire?) Our data Where should we look for organic matter? Oades 1988 and Jones 1973

4. Comparison of Averages Plant std dev Soil std dev C43.43 3.65 2.20 1.52 N1.92 1.33 0.19 0.14 δ 13 C-21.92 8.08 -19.84 1.53 C/N31.91 17.05 14.53 1.77 Of the SOM is present, can we infer anything about their origin?

5. Specific Average Comparison C3C4RootsTop Soil C44.9041.8543.783.21 N1.101.271.490.28 δ 13 C-28.14-13.02-22.18-19.52 C/N44.1040.2535.4713.51 Still an average of C3 and C4 plants

6. Where are the organics going? Different factors promote or inhibit decomposition

7. Cellulose Lignin Biochemical Constituents Soil Plants Fulvic acid Humic acid

8. Cellulose Karurakova et al 2002 humics Humics Aliphatics humics Si-O Cell wall material – (Karurakova&Wilson 2001)

9. Untreated soil dominated by inorganics and are undifferentiable –Cox et al. 2000, Thorton 1986 Need thermo-extraction

10. Why is soil low in OM? rocks Fungal decomposition and cow grazing might lower OM in soil. Aliphatics and COOH have inverse relationship with humification process – Chen 1997

11. Cox et al. 2000 Low organics

12. Root vs Leaf vs Vein

13. Referenced Literature Chen L, Wilson R, McCann, MC (1997) Investigation of macromolecule orientation in dry and hydrated walls of single onion eopidermal cells by FTIR microspectry. Journal of Molecular structure (408-409) 257-260 Cox, RJ, Peterson, HL, Young, J, Cusik, C Espinoza, EO(2000) The forensic analysis of soil organic by FTIR, Forensic Science International 107-116. Baldock, JA, Skjemstad,JO (2000) Role of soil matrix and minerals in protecting natural organic materials against biological attack. Organic Geochemistry(31) 697-710 Gigliotti, G, Businelli, D, Guisquiani, PL (1999) Composition changes of soil humus after massive application of urban waste compost: a comparison between FTIR spectroscopy and humification parameters. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems (55) 23-28 GAMBLE GR, SETHURAMAN A, AKIN DE, et al. (1994) Biodegradation of lignocellulose in Bermuda grass by white rot fungi analyzed by solid state C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 60 (9): 3138-3144 Ellerbrock RH, Kaiser M. (2005) Stability and composition of different soluble soil organic matter fractions- evidence from delta 13C and FTIR signatures Geoderma 128 28-37 Kacurakova, M, Wilson, RH (2001) Developments in midinfrared FT-IR spectroscopy of selected carbohydrates. Carbohydrate Polymers (44) 291-303 Kacurakova, M. Smith, A. Ridley, G. Wilson, R. (2002) Molecular interactions in bacterial cellulose composites studied by 1D FTIR and dynamic 2D FTIR spectroscopy. Carbohydrate Research 337, 1145-1153 Oades, JM (1988) The retention of organic matter in soils. Biogeochemistry (5) 35-70 Jones, MJ (1973) The organic matter content of the savanna soils of west Africa. Journal of Soil Science 24: 42- 53 Schlesinger, WH (1977) Carbon balance in terresrial detritus. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 8: 51- 81. In Biogeochemistry Analysis of Global Change 2 nd ed.

14. Ellerbrock 1989 Additional information S+N = straw LM= manure

15. Rajulu et al. 2006. Polymer Science

16. Yanping and Rockshow 2006. Carbon