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. Microbial decomposition of plant litter is a crucial process for the landcarbon (C) cycle, as it directly controls the partitioning of litter Cbetween CO2 released to the atmosphere versus the formation of newsoil organic matter (SOM). Land surface models used to study the C cyclerarely considered flexibility in the decomposer C use efficiency(CUE d ) defined by the fraction of decomposed litter C that isretained as SOM (as opposed to be respired). In this study, we adapted aconceptual formulation of CUE d based on assumption that litterdecomposers optimally adjust their CUE d as a function of littersubstrate C to nitrogen (N) stoichiometry to maximize their growth rates.This formulation was incorporated into the widely usedCENTURY soil biogeochemicalmodel and evaluated based on data from laboratory litter incubationexperiments. Results indicated that the CENTURY model with newCUE d formulation was able to reproduce differences in respirationrate of litter with contrasting C : N ratios and under different levels ofmineral N availability, whereas the default model with fixed CUE d could not. Using the model with flexible CUE d , we alsoillustrated that litter quality affected the long-term SOM formation. Litterwith a small C : N ratio tended to form a larger SOM pool than litter withlarger C : N ratios, as it could be more efficiently incorporated into SOMby microorganisms. This study provided a simple but effective formulation toquantify the effect of varying litter quality (N content) on SOM formationacross temporal scales. Optimality theory appears to be suitable to predictcomplex processes of litter decomposition into soil C and to quantify howplant residues and manure can be harnessed to improve soil C sequestrationfor climate mitigation.

Modeling the effects of litter stoichiometry and soil mineral N availability on soil organic matter formation using CENTURY-CUE (v1.0)