Publication
Abstract
Geogenic organic matter (OM) is surprisingly often present in modern environments, either being excavated by anthropogenic activities like construction and mining or introduced by natural weathering of sedimentary rocks and erosion. Although previously considered recalcitrant, recent studies have indicated that geogenic OM is susceptible to microbial degradation, but the further fate of carbon and other elements derived from such degradation and the significance of this flux in the modern terrestrial biogeochemical cycles has been unclear.
In our study, we for the first time investigated whether geogenic carbon reaches also higher trophic levels of the decomposer food web.