| Institution: | 1.Ecohydrology Research Group,University of Waterloo,Waterloo,Canada;2.Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde,Technische Universit?t München,Freising,Germany;3.Institute for Advanced Study,Technische Universit?t München,Garching,Germany;4.GeoLab, Faculty of Geosciences,Utrecht University,Utrecht,The Netherlands;5.Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology,Dresden University of Technology,Tharandt,Germany;6.Julius Kühn-Institut—Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI),Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics,Braunschweig,Germany;7.Institute of Soil Science,Leibniz Universit?t Hannover,Hannover,Germany;8.College of Resources and Environmental Sciences,China Agricultural University,Beijing,China;9.Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, Soil Biology Department,University of Hohenheim,Stuttgart,Germany;10.Institute of Soil Research,University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna,Vienna,Austria;11.Department of Environmental Microbiology,Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ,Leipzig,Germany;12.Scientific Administrative Project Supervision,Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ,Leipzig,Germany;13.Thünen Institute of Biodiversity,Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries,Braunschweig,Germany;14.Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry,University Koblenz,Landau,Germany;15.Department of Chemistry,NSS College,Manjeri,India;16.Department of Environmental Biotechnology,UFZ—Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research,Leipzig,Germany;17.Research Unit for Environmental Genomics,Helmholtz Zentrum München,Oberschlei?heim,Germany;18.Lehrstuhl für Hydrogeologie,Friedrich-Schiller Universit?t Jena,Jena,Germany |
| Abstract: | Our understanding of the interactions between minerals, organic matter, and microorganisms at so-called biogeochemical interfaces in soil is still hampered by the inherent complexity of these systems. Artificial soil maturation experiments can help to bridge a gap in complexity between simple abiotic sorption experiments and larger-scale field experiments. By controlling other soil-forming factors, the effect of a particular variable can be identified in a simplified system. Here, we review the findings of a series of artificial soil incubation experiments with the aim of revealing general trends and conclusions. The artificial soils were designed to determine the effect of mineral composition and charcoal presence on the development of abiotic and biotic soil properties during maturation. In particular, the development of soil aggregates, organic matter (OM) composition and turnover, sorption properties, and the establishment of microbial community composition and function were considered. The main objectives of the research were to determine (1) how surface properties and sorption of chemicals modify biogeochemical interfaces; (2) how much time is required to form aggregates from mixtures of pure minerals, OM, and a microbial inoculum; and (3) how the presence of different mineral and charcoal surfaces affects aggregation, OM turnover, and the development of microbial community composition. |
