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Porträttbild på Edith Hammer. Foto.

Edith Hammer

Universitetslektor

Porträttbild på Edith Hammer. Foto.

Visualization of soil aggregate structures provides insights into their formation mechanisms induced by litter inputs

Författare

  • Milda Pucetaite
  • Per Persson
  • Julia Parker
  • Ulf Johansson
  • Edith C. Hammer

Summary, in English

Soil aggregation is a dynamic process influenced by physical, chemical and biological factors; however, their individual and combined effect on the formation and turnover of aggregates is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine incorporation of fresh litter inputs of different physicochemical properties including their carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio – maize (C/N = 12) and straw (C/N = 103) - into aggregates, de novo formed from mineral soil with or without the presence of microbiota. Using rare-earth element oxides, we labelled structures formed during a four-week incubation with a single litter type and traced their incorporation into newly formed aggregates after mixing them together and incubating for a subsequent seven-week period. To visualize them, we used synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microspectroscopy, which allowed us to demonstrate that presence of the plant-derived particulate organic matter was the key factor for the aggregate formation. Within the timescale of the experiment, neither microbial abundance nor the community composition had any significant effect. However, the relative increase in straw-associated soil in aggregates larger than 250 μm provided support for our hypothesis regarding impact of carbon-rich organic matter on macroaggregation, likely via promotion of fungal growth and hyphal enmeshing. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis further confirmed relatively higher abundance of fungi in macroaggregates in straw-containing soil. All in all, our study provides insights into the initial stages of aggregate formation following litter additions and development of associated microbial community. The spatial analysis enabled by the X-ray fluorescence microspectroscopy enabled visualization of internal aggregate structures, shedding light on the processes involved, which is not possible with bulk analysis alone.

Avdelning/ar

  • Funktionell ekologi
  • Mikrobiologisk ekologi
  • Centrum för miljö- och klimatvetenskap (CEC)
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
  • MAX IV-laboratoriet
  • LU profilområde: Naturbaserade framtidslösningar

Publiceringsår

2025-03

Språk

Engelska

Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Volym

202

Dokumenttyp

Artikel i tidskrift

Förlag

Elsevier

Ämne

  • Soil Science

Nyckelord

  • C/N ratio
  • Organic matter
  • Plant litter
  • Rare-earth element labelling
  • Soil aggregates
  • Synchrotron radiation-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (SR-μXRF)

Aktiv

Published

Projekt

  • How do microbes “tuck away” carbon? The role of microbes in physical soil organic carbon stabilization

Forskningsgrupp

  • Microbial Ecology

ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt

  • ISSN: 0038-0717