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Dynamics of soil aggregate-associated organic carbon along an afforestation chronosequence

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Abstract

Aims

The objectives of this study were to determine the dynamics of aggregate-associated organic carbon (OC) along an afforestation chronosequence on abandoned farmland of China, and to examine the contributions of changes in aggregate-associated OC to changes in total soil OC.

Methods

We investigated the dynamics of OC associated with aggregates along an afforestation chronosequence. Water-stable aggregates were isolated, and the OC concentrations in total soil and the aggregates were measured.

Results

Averaged across the entire chronosequence, afforestation led to 116, 128 and 108 % average increases in OC concentrations in macroaggregates, microaggregates and the <0.053 mm size class, respectively, in the top 20 cm of soil. The OC stocks in macroaggregates increased by averages of 651 and 473 % at 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths, respectively, mostly within the first 24 years. The OC stocks in microaggregates decreased during the first 35 years and then increased during 48–200 years of afforestation. Averaged across the entire chronosequence, the increases in OC stocks in macroaggregates accounted for 83 and 100 % of the total increase in OC stocks in soils at 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths, respectively.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that the accumulation of OC in soils after afforestation on abandoned farmland was mainly due to the accumulation of OC in macroaggregates.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Zizhuang Liu, Xuezhang Li and Xiaoxu Jia for their help with the field and laboratory experiments. We also thank the reviewers and Professor Robert Horton from Iowa State University for their comments that improved the quality of this paper. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41471244, 41271315), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-13-0487) and the Programs from Northwest A&F University (2014YQ007) and the Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources (A315021381).

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  1. Xiaorong Wei

    Present address: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Xinong Road, #26, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, China, 712100

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Xinong Road, #26, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, China, 712100

    Liping Qiu & Xingchang Zhang

  2. Hengshan Meteorological Office of Shaanxi Province, Hengshan, 719100, Shaanxi Province, China

    Jianlun Gao

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  1. Liping Qiu
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Correspondence to Xiaorong Wei.

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Responsible Editor: Kees Jan van Groenigen.

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Qiu, L., Wei, X., Gao, J. et al. Dynamics of soil aggregate-associated organic carbon along an afforestation chronosequence. Plant Soil 391, 237–251 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2415-7

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