Abstract
Background and aims
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) stands out as a highly active component within the organic matter pool. It is hypothesized to play a crucial role by adsorbing onto minerals and serving as a precursor for soil aggregates. However, the impact of DOM substrate types and addition levels on the intricate dynamics of soil aggregates remains elusive.
Methods
A 28-day short-term incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the responses of a Japanese Andisol to different DOM substrates, exploring the influence of three DOM substrates and two concentration levels. REOs concentrations in three aggregate fractions were measured on 0, 7, 14, and 28 days of incubation to calculate the aggregates transformation paths and relative aggregate change.
Results
DOM addition significantly increased aggregate stability in Andisols soil, evident in the elevated mean weight diameter (MWD) compared to the control (CK) treatment. The change of aggregate stability during incubation is determined by both DOM types and addition levels. The N-Acetyl-D( +)-Glucosamine (NADG) treatment, peaking at 14 days, whereas the vanillin (VAN) treatment reaching the highest MWD value before incubation (0 days). The increase in aggregate stability was reflected in the transformation paths of aggregates. NADG treatment, VAN treatment, and the NADG&VAN (MIX) mixture all contributed to reduced macroaggregate breakdown and inhibited the microaggregates breakdown. Furthermore, the relative changes in aggregate turnover exhibited varying trends across treatments. Regarding macroaggregate dynamics, the addition of vanillin, especially in the 100%VAN and 100%MIX treatments, significantly enhanced macroaggregate formation, with an increase of over 30% in the 100%MIX treatment after 28 days. Microaggregate dynamics varied among treatments. In the 100%NADG and 100%VAN treatments, there was an initial increase from 0 to 7 days, succeeded by a decrease from 7 to 28 days. The 50%VAN and 50%MIX treatments exhibited an increasing trend from 0 to 14 days, followed by a decrease from 14 to 28 days.
Conclusion
Overall, these findings highlight the important role of DOM in aggregate dynamics and suggest that the types and addition levels of DOM can significantly impact soil aggregate turnover pathways.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Abiven S, Menasseri S, Chenu C (2009) The effects of organic inputs over time on soil aggregate stability–A literature analysis. Soil Biol Biochem 41:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.09.015
Aksakal EL, Angin I, Sari S (2020) A new approach for calculating aggregate stability: Mean weight aggregate stability (MWAS). CATENA 194:104708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104708
Andruschkewitsch R, Geisseler D, Dultz S et al (2014) Rate of soil-aggregate formation under different organic matter amendments—a short-term incubation experiment. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 177:297–306. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201200628
Asano M, Wagai R (2014) Evidence of aggregate hierarchy at micro-to submicron scales in an allophanic Andisol. Geoderma 216:62–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2013.10.005
Baumann K, Eckhardt KU, Acksel A et al (2021) Contribution of biological soil crusts to soil organic matter composition and stability in temperate forests. Soil Biol Biochem 160:108315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108315
Bonanomi G, Gaglione SA, Incerti G et al (2013a) Biochemical quality of organic amendments affects soil fungistasis. Appl Soil Ecol 72:135–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2013.06.007
Bonanomi G, Incerti G, Giannino F et al (2013b) Litter quality assessed by solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy predicts decay rate better than C/N and Lignin/N ratios. Soil Biol Biochem 56:40–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.03.003
Bucka FB, Kölbl A, Uteau D, Peth S, Kögel-Knabner I (2019) Organic matter input determines structure development and aggregate formation in artificial soils. Geoderma 354:113881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.113881
Cartenì F, Deslauriers A, Rossi S et al (2018) The physiological mechanisms behind the earlywood-to-latewood transition: a process-based modeling approach. Front Plant Sci 9:1053. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01053
Chenu C, Plante AF (2006) Clay-sized organo-mineral complexes in a cultivation chronosequence: revisiting the concept of the ‘primary organo-mineral complex.’ Eur J Soil Sci 57:596–607. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2006.00834.x
Cotrufo MF, Ranalli MG, Haddix ML et al (2019) Soil carbon storage informed by particulate and mineral-associated organic matter. Nat Geosci 12(12):989–994
De Gryze S, Six J, Merckx R (2006) Quantifying water-stable soil aggregate turnover and its implication for soil organic matter dynamics in a model study. Eur J Soil Sci 57:693–707. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2005.00760.x
Dungait JA, Hopkins DW, Gregory AS et al (2012) Soil organic matter turnover is governed by accessibility not recalcitrance. Global Change Biol 18(6):1781–1796. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02665.x
Edwards AP, Bremner JM (1967) Microaggregates in soils. J Soil Sci 18:64–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1967.tb01488.x
Even RJ, Cotrufo MF (2024) The ability of soils to aggregate, more than the state of aggregation, promotes protected soil organic matter formation. Geoderma 442:116760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116760
Garland G, Bünemann EK, Oberson A et al (2018) Phosphorus cycling within soil aggregate fractions of a highly weathered tropical soil: A conceptual model. Soil Biol Biochem 116:91–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.007
Guggenberger G, Zech W, Schulten HR (1994) Formation and mobilization pathways of dissolved organic matter: evidence from chemical structural studies of organic matter fractions in acid forest floor solutions. Org Geochem 21(1):51–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/0146-6380(94)90087-6
Hagedorn F, Machwitz M (2007) Controls on dissolved organic matter leaching from forest litter grown under elevated atmospheric CO2. Soil Biol Biochem 39(7):1759–1769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2007.01.038
Halder M, Liu S, Zhang ZB et al (2021) Effects of residue stoichiometric, biochemical and C functional features on soil aggregation during decomposition of eleven organic residues. CATENA 202:105288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.09.015
Halder M, Liu S, Zhang ZB et al (2022) Effects of organic matter characteristics on soil aggregate turnover using rare earth oxides as tracers in a red clay soil. Geoderma 421:115908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.Geoderma.115908
Han C, Zhou W, Gu Y et al (2024) Effects of tillage regime on soil aggregate-associated carbon, enzyme activity, and microbial community structure in a semiarid agroecosystem. Plant Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06453-1
Hartmann M, Lee S, Hallam SJ et al (2009) Bacterial, archaeal and eukaryal community structures throughout soil horizons of harvested and naturally disturbed forest stands. Environ Microbiol 11:3045–3062. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2009.02008.x
Helfrich M, Ludwig B, Buurman P et al (2006) Effect of land use on the composition of soil organic matter in density and aggregate fractions as revealed by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy. Geoderma 136:331–341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2006.03.048
Huang Y, Huang L, Gao J et al (2023) Effects of long-term green manure application on organic carbon fractions and clay minerals and their interactions in paddy soil aggregates. Plant Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06383-y
Jastrow JD (1996) Soil aggregate formation and the accrual of particulate and mineral-associated organic matter. Soil Biol Biochem 28:665–676. https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-0717(95)00159-X
Kalbitz K, Kaiser K (2008) Contribution of dissolved organic matter to carbon storage in forest mineral soils. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 171(1):52–60. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.200700043
Kay BD, Groenevelt PH, Angers DA et al (1988) Quantifying the influence of cropping history on soil structure. Can J Soil Sci 68:359–368. https://doi.org/10.4141/cjss88-033
Kemper WD, Rosenau RC (1986) Aggregate stability and size distribution. Methods Soil Anal 5:425–442. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssabookser5.1.2ed.c17
Lavallee JM, Soong JL, Cotrufo MF (2020) Conceptualizing soil organic matter into particulate and mineral-associated forms to address global change in the 21st century. Global Change Biol 26(1):261–273. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14859
Liu S, Zhang ZB, Li D et al (2019) Temporal dynamics and vertical distribution of newly-derived carbon from a C3/C4 conversion in an Ultisol after 30-yr fertilization. Geoderma 337:1077–1085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.11.021
Monnier G (1965) Action des matie` res organiques sur la stabilite´ structurale dessols. The` se de la faculte´ des sciences de Paris, UK
Nesper M, Bünemann EK, Fonte SJ et al (2015) Pasture degradation decreases organic P content of tropical soils due to soil structural decline. Geoderma 257:123–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.10.010
Oades JM (1984) Soil organic matter and structural stability: mechanisms and implications for management. Plant Soil 76:319–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02205590
Olagoke FK, Bettermann A, Nguyen PTB et al (2022) Importance of substrate quality and clay content on microbial extracellular polymeric substances production and aggregate stability in soils. Biol Fert Soil 58(4):435–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-022-01632-1
Peng X, Zhu Q, Zhang Z, Hallett PD (2017) Combined turnover of carbon and soil aggregates using rare earth oxides and isotopically labelled carbon as tracers. Soil Biol Biochem 109:81–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.02.002
Quinn GP, Keough MJ (2002) Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom
Recio-Vazquez L, Almendros G, Knicker H et al (2014) Multivariate statistical assessment of functional relationships between soil physical descriptors and structural features of soil organic matter in Mediterranean ecosystems. Geoderma 230:95–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.04.002
Sainju UM, Whitehead WF, Singh BP (2003) Cover crops and nitrogen fertilization effects on soil aggregation and carbon and nitrogen pools. Can J Soil Sci 83:155–165. https://doi.org/10.4141/S02-056
Sarker TC, Incerti G, Spaccini R et al (2018) (2018) Linking organic matter chemistry with soil aggregate stability: Insight from 13C NMR spectroscopy. Soil Biol Biochem 117:175–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.11.011
Schöning I, Morgenroth G, Kögel-Knabner I (2005) O/N-alkyl and alkyl C are stabilised in fine particle size fractions of forest soils. Biogeochemistry 73:475–497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-004-0897-0
Six J, Elliott ET, Paustian K (2000) Soil macroaggregate turnover and microaggregate formation: a mechanism for C sequestration under no-tillage agriculture. Soil Biol Biochem 32:2099–2103. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00179-6
Six J, Feller C, Denef K et al (2002) Soil organic matter, biota and aggregation in temperate and tropical soils-Effects of no-tillage. Agronomie 22(7–8):755–775. https://doi.org/10.1051/agro:2002043
Sokol NW, Kuebbing SE, Karlsen-Ayala E et al (2019a) Evidence for the primacy of living root inputs, not root or shoot litter, in forming soil organic carbon. New Phytol 221:233–246. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15361
Sokol NW, Sanderman J, Bradford MA (2019b) Pathways of mineral-associated soil organic matter formation: Integrating the role of plant carbon source, chemistry, and point of entry. Global Change Biol 25(1):12–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14482
Thurman EM (1985) Organic geochemistry of natural waters. Springer, Dordrecht
Tisdall JM, Oades JM (1982) Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soils. J Soil Sci 33:141–163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1982.tb01755.x
Totsche KU, Amelung W, Gerzabek MH et al (2018) Microaggregates in soils. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 181:104–136. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201600451
van Bavel CHM (1950) Mean weight-diameter of soil aggregates as a statistical index of aggregation. Soil Sci Soc Am J 14:20–23. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1950.036159950014000C0005x
von Ende CN (2023) Repeated-measures analysis: growth and other time-dependent measures. In: Scheiner SM, Gurevitch J (eds) Design and analysis of ecological experiments, 2nd edn. Oxford Academic, New York, pp 134–157. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195131871.003.0008
Wang D, Gao Y, Li M et al (2020) Change in hydraulic properties of the rhizosphere of maize under different abiotic stresses. Plant Soil 452:615–626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04592-3
Wang Y, Maki A, Gong W et al (2023) Rare earth oxides for labeling an andisol aggregate turnover: optimization, verification, and distribution. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 23:4168–4182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-023-01334-z
Wang Y, Mak A, Huang Y et al (2024) Effect of rare earth oxide labeling and sieving processes on Andisol aggregate turnover and organic carbon dynamics. Plant Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06514-z
Watts CW, Whalley WR, Longstaff DJ et al (2001) Aggregation of a soil with different cropping histories following the addition of organic materials. Soil Use Manage 17:263–268. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2001.tb00036.x
Young IM, Crawford JW (2004) Interactions and self-organization in the soil-microbe complex. Science 304:1634–1637. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1097394
Yu W, Huang W, Weintraub-Leff SR et al (2022) Where and why do particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) differ among diverse soils? Soil Biol Biochem 172:108756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108756
Zhang S, Shan X (2001) Speciation of rare earth elements in soil and accumulation by wheat with rare earth fertilizer application. Environ Pollut 112:395–405. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(00)00143-3
Acknowledgements
We thank Prof.Wagai Rota for the management and maintenance of long-term field experiments, and our lab colleagues for the assistance of soil sampling and analyses. We would like to thank the China Scholarship Council for support this work through the award of a fellowship to Dr. Wang YK (grant no.202008610192).
Funding
This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Program for Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) 21H02086 and Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. E3V30020YZ).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Y.K-W. & A-M. – Conceptualization, Investigation, Formal Analysis, Writing, Funding acquisition, Original Draft, Visualization; Q-J. – Investigation; Y.Y-H – Review & Editing, Supervision, Funding Acquisition, Project Administration; T-G. & W.F.-G– methodology; K-T. – Supervision, Review & Editing.
All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationship that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Andrew J. Margenot.
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, Y., Asano, M., Huang, Y. et al. Effects of dissolved organic matter on soil aggregate dynamics using rare earth oxides as tracers in A Japanese Andisol. Plant Soil (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06695-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06695-7