FIGURE 5.

The concentration of short‐chain fatty acids (per gram organic carbon in soil fractions) in fPOM, oPOM, and MAOM (a) and the linear relationship between concentrations of microbial necromass C and short‐chain fatty acids across CC treatments (b). Short‐chain fatty acids, (C₁₀–C₁₈ n‐alkanoic and n‐alkaenoic acid). In (a), error bars are ±1 SE of the mean (n = 4) with lowercase letters above bars indicating significant differences among CC treatments in specific fraction at p < .05. Different uppercase letter above bars indicates significant differences among soil fractions across all CC treatments at p < .05. CC, cover crop; fPOM, free particulate organic matter; FT, functional type; FT × SF, interaction effect of functional type and soil fraction; MAOM, mineral‐associated organic matter; oPOM, occluded particulate organic matter; SOC, soil organic carbon; SF, soil fraction.