Theory 11/Existing data/Soil carbon
Soil Carbon Follows Roots
The claim
Soil carbon stocks correlate with root biomass more strongly than with above-ground litter input across forest plots.
01Mechanism
Root carbon enters mineral soil directly while litter is processed at the surface and lost faster.
02Prediction
Stocks should track root biomass better than litterfall.
03Refutation
Stocks tracking litterfall would remove the root pathway.