Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a vital role in the global energy balance—not only does it protect soils from the potential negative impacts of things like sun, wind, and rain, but it is also the primary energy source for plants and other soil-dwelling organisms. Extracellular enzymes, or exozymes, are critical to maintaining healthy soils because they keep SOM levels in check—if exoenzymes become unbalanced, this could negatively affect SOM turnover globally. Key players here are minerals because they have the ability to adsorb exoenzymes, thereby regulating exoenzyme activity.
A new study led by researchers from China University of Geosciences, Beijing, and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory explored the effect on exoenzymes of molecules known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and identified a previously unknown way in which exoenzymes can be deactivated through iron-bearing minerals.This work emphasizes the importance of a mechanistic understanding of this process to better protect the global SOM balance.
