Functional Group Distribution Shapes Chemical Properties of Degraded Terrestrial and Marine Dissolved Organic Matter.

ABSTRACT: Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a crucial role in global carbon cycling, yet its molecular complexity and the factors governing its turnover and degradation in different ecosystems are poorly understood. Here, we provide an experimental assessment of structural diversity in terrestrial and marine DOM, using a multimethod approach. Terrestrial peat pore water (PPW) exhibited a similar number of COOH-groups, two times more noncarboxylic oxygen atoms (non-COOH-O, up to n = 20) as compared to surface seawater (SSW; up to n = 10), and significantly higher isomeric dispersity indices (2.5-3.0 vs 1.3-1.5), highlighting its greater structural complexity and isomeric diversity. At the level of individual molecular formulas of the widely used DOM degradation index (I_DE

SUBMITTER: Matos RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12713765 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature