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@ARTICLE{Amelung:911173,
author = {Amelung, Wulf and Meyer, Nele and Rodionov, Andrey and
Knief, Claudia and Aehnelt, Michaela and Bauke, Sara L. and
Biesgen, Danh and Dultz, Stefan and Guggenberger, Georg and
Jaber, Maguy and Klumpp, Erwin and Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid
and Nischwitz, Volker and Schweizer, Steffen A. and Wu, Bei
and Totsche, Kai U. and Lehndorff, Eva},
title = {{P}rocess sequence of soil aggregate formation disentangled
through multi-isotope labelling},
journal = {Geoderma},
volume = {429},
issn = {0016-7061},
address = {Amsterdam [u.a.]},
publisher = {Elsevier Science},
reportid = {FZJ-2022-04485},
pages = {116226 -},
year = {2023},
abstract = {Microaggregates (<250 µm) are key structural subunits of
soils. However, their formation processes, rates, and
transformation with time are poorly understood. We took
advantage of multiple isotope labelling of potential organic
gluing agents and inorganic building units to unravel their
role in soil aggregation processes being initiated with and
without plant growth. We added 13C-labelled extracellular
polymeric substances (EPS), 15N-labelled bacteria,
57Fe-labelled goethite, and 29Si-labelled montmorillonite to
fine soil <250 µm of an Ap horizon from a Stagnic Luvisol,
which was planted with Festuca heteromalla or kept bare in a
climate chamber. Samples were taken after 4, 12, and 30
weeks, and separated into free (f) and occluded (o)
microaggregates of different sizes (<20 µm, 53–20 µm,
250–53 µm), and in stable macroaggregates (>250 µm) that
resisted 60 J mL−1 ultrasonic dispersion. Afterwards, we
assessed the C, N, Fe, and Si stable isotope composition in
each size fraction. After four weeks we found a rapid
build-up of stable macroaggregates comprising almost 50 $\%$
of soil mass in the treatment with plants and respective
soil rooting, but only 5 $\%$ when plants were absent. The
formation of these stable macroaggregates proceeded with
time. Soil organic carbon (SOC) contents were elevated by 15
$\%$ in the large macroaggregates induced by plant growth.
However, the recovery of EPS-derived 13C was below 20 $\%$
after 4 weeks, indicating rapid turnover in treatments both
with and without plants. The remaining EPS-derived C was
mainly found in macroaggregates when plants were present and
in the occluded small microaggregates (<20 µm) when plants
were absent. The excess of bacterial 15N closely followed
the pattern of EPS-derived 13C (R2 = 0.72). In contrast to
the organic gluing agents, the goethite-57Fe and
montmorillonite-29Si were relatively equally distributed
across all size fractions. Overall, microaggregates were
formed within weeks. Roots enforced this process by
stabilizing microaggregates within stable macroaggregates.
As time proceeded the labelled organic components
decomposed, while the labelled secondary oxides and clay
minerals increasingly contributed to aggregate stabilization
and turnover at the scale of months and beyond.
Consequently, the well-known hierarchical organization of
aggregation follows a clear chronological sequence of
stabilization and turnover processes.},
cin = {ZEA-3 / IBG-3},
ddc = {910},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)ZEA-3-20090406 / I:(DE-Juel1)IBG-3-20101118},
pnm = {2173 - Agro-biogeosystems: controls, feedbacks and impact
(POF4-217) / DFG project 251268514 - FOR 2179: MAD Soil -
Microaggregates: Formation and turnover of the structural
building blocks of soils (251268514)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-2173 / G:(GEPRIS)251268514},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
UT = {WOS:001029035800001},
doi = {10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.116226},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/911173},
}