Do soil aggregates really protect encapsulated organic matter against microbial decomposition?

verfasst von

Marc O. Goebel, Susanne K. Woche, Jörg Bachmann

Abstract

Soil aggregates can provide an effective protection of organic matter against microbial decomposition as reported by several macroaggregate disruption studies. However, research on the role of aggregation for carbon mineralization was mainly focused on arable soils. In the present study we aim to clarify the impact of aggregation on organic matter protection by measuring carbon mineralization in terms of microbial respiration rates of intact macroaggregates (2-4 and 4-8 mm) and corresponding crushed aggregates from seven topsoil horizons from both arable and forest sites. For two arable and one forest soil we found a significantly (P < 0.001) lower carbon mineralization from intact aggregates as compared to the corresponding crushed material. The portion of aggregate protected carbon reached up to 30% for a grassland soil. For the other arable and forest soils no significant effect of aggregation was found. Similarly, no clear trend could be found for the protective capacity of different size fractions. We conclude that protection by aggregation is effective primarily for soils with a large pool of labile organic matter regardless of their usage as arable land or forest.

Organisationseinheit(en)

AG Bodenphysik
Institut für Bodenkunde

Typ

Artikel

Journal

BIOLOGIA

Band

64

Seiten

443-448

Anzahl der Seiten

6

ISSN

0006-3088

Publikationsdatum

06.2009

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Ökologie, Evolution, Verhaltenswissenschaften und Systematik, Biochemie, Nutztierwissenschaften und Zoologie, Molekularbiologie, Genetik, Pflanzenkunde, Zellbiologie

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 15 – Lebensraum Land

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-009-0065-z (Zugang: Unbekannt)