Modelling the solid–solution partitioning of organic matter in European forest soils

The processes controlling the solid–solution partitioning of organic matter in soils are central to understanding carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, yet are poorly understood at present. We studied the partitioning of soil organic matter between solid and solution in batch titrations of 12 soil samples from three European forests in a range of climates. We also examined the release of soil organic matter on repeated leaching. The partitioning was simulated using a model that pictures the pool of potentially mobile organic matter to consist of fractions of differing solubilities. Desorption of organic matter was then effected by an increase in the electrical charge of the organic molecules due to their chemical reactions with other soil components. The model could simulate the partitioning of organic matter in all the soils using two parameters describing the amounts of soil organic matter in each fraction. The release of organic matter on repeated leaching was reasonably well described. The model predicted that dissolved organic matter should have become more hydrophilic with depth in the soil, due to the retention of more hydrophobic components in the upper horizons. This accorded with observed compositions of the soil organic matter. The model also showed that at the ambient pH of the soils, only a small proportion of the potentially mobile organic matter (comprising fulvic acids and hydrophilic moieties) was involved in partitioning to the solution.     

Changes in the organic matter of taiga soils during the natural reafforestation after cutting in the middle taiga of the Komi Republic

It has been shown that the distribution features of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic fractions of humic substances (HSs) in the upper genetic horizons of undisturbed podzolic soils and litho-barrier podzols are similar. The concentrations of the separate HS fractions in the mineral horizons are largely determined by the soil mineralogy. In forest litters of secondary phytocenoses developed after the cutting of spruce forests, an increase in the content of hydrophilic compounds has been observed on loamy deposits at a decrease in the portion of lignin-like organic compounds. An increase in the portion of Al-Fe-humus compounds has been revealed in the mineral soil horizons of secondary phytocenoses. It has been proposed to use the degree of hydrophilicity (D _H ) for characterizing the features of the organic matter in taiga soils. An increase in the content of the fractions of occluded organic matter and that bound to minerals (density of 1.6–2.2 g/cm³) has been observed in the eluvial horizons of a young cutover area.     

Transformation of organic matter from maize residues into labile and humic fractions of three European soils as revealed by 13C distribution and CPMAS-NMR spectra

The dynamics of incorporation of fresh organic residues into the various fractions of soil organic matter have yet to be clarified in terms of chemical structures and mechanisms involved. We studied by ¹³C‐dilution analysis and CPMAS‐¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy the distribution of organic carbon from mixed or mulched maize residues into specific defined fractions such as carbohydrates and humic fractions isolated by selective extractants in a year‐long incubation of three European soils. The contents of carbohydrates in soil particle size fractions and relative δ¹³C values showed no retention of carbohydrates from maize but rather decomposition of those from native organic matter in the soil. By contrast, CPMAS‐¹³C‐NMR spectra of humic (HA) and fulvic acids (FA) extracted by alkaline solution generally indicated the transfer of maize C (mostly carbohydrates and peptides) into humic materials, whereas spectra of organic matter extracted with an acetone solution (HE) indicated solubilization of an aliphatic‐rich, hydrophobic fraction that seemed not to contain any C from maize. The abundance of ¹³C showed that all humic fractions behaved as a sink for C from maize residues but the FA fraction was related to the turnover of fresh organic matter more than the HA. Removal of hydrophobic components from incubated soils by acetone solution allowed a subsequent extraction of HA and, especially, FA still containing much C from maize. The combination of isotopic measurements and NMR spectra indicated that while hydrophilic compounds from maize were retained in HA and FA, hydrophobic components in the HE fraction had chemical features similar to those of humin. Our results show that the organic compounds released in soils by mineralization of fresh plant residues are stored mainly in the hydrophilic fraction of humic substances which are, in turn, stabilized against microbial degradation by the most hydrophobic humic matter. Our findings suggest that native soil humic substances contribute to the accumulation of new organic matter in soils.     

Zur Dynamik gelöster organischer Substanzen (DOM) in Fichtenökosystemen - Ergebnisse analytischer DOM-Fraktionierung

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics in spruce forested sites - examinations by analytical DOM fractionation Dissolved organic matter from two spruce forested sites in the Fichtelgebirge (Germany) was divided into different chemical and functional fractions, and the budgets of the fractions obtained were calculated. For both sites hydrophobic acids (HoS), hydrophilic acids (HiS), hydrophobic neutrals (HoN), hydrophilic neutrals (HiN), and hydrophilic bases (HiB) are discriminated concerning their dynamics in the compartments. Most of the HiN and HoN are mobilized by leaching from the forest canopy. Both neutral fractions are netto retained in the forest floor as well as in the mineral soil. In contrast, HoS and HiS are mainly released in the organic layers with a total input of organic acids from the forest floor into the mineral soil of ca 100 kg C (HoS) ha^?1 a^?1, and 50 kg C (HiS) ha^?1 a^?1, respectively. HoS are selectively better retained in the mineral horizons, leading to a mineral soil output of 2.4 – 4.4 kg C (HoS) ha^?1 a^?1, and 2.7 – 6.5 kg C (HiS) ha^?1 a^?1, respectively. It is concluded that the different mobility of the DOM fractions has implications for the mobilization and transport of organic pollutants and heavy metals.     

Significance of DOM in the translocation of cations and acidity in acid forest soils

We estimated the contribution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to cation leaching and the translocation of acidity in three acid forest soils. The analysis was based on monitored (2 years) concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the field, measured total acidities of DOM, and measured as well as predicted weighted mean dissociation constants of the organic acids. Although the forest floor solutions were strongly acidic (pH 3.47–4.10), a considerable proportion of the organic acids was dissociated and organic anions represented 22–40% of the total anions in the mineral soil input. The flux of DOM-associated exchangeable protons from the forest floor to the mineral soil ranged from 0.35 (Wülfersreuth) to 3.72 (Hohe Matzen) kmol ha^?1 yr^?1. In the subsoil, this organic acidity may be neutralized by microbial decomposition of the organic acids, but a part of the hydrogen ions may dissociate and contribute to acidification of the soil solution and to weathering processes. Due to the pronounced retention of DOM in the mineral subsoil horizons, the contribution of DOM to the output of cations and acidity from the soil is much lower than in the surface horizons but still significant.?     

Einfluß der Bodeneigenschaften auf die Freisetzung der gelösten organischen Substanz (DOM) aus dem Oberboden

Influence of Soil Properties on the Release of Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) from the Topsoil A percolation experiment over a period of three month with small monoliths from forest and grassland soils varying in their anthropogenic changes was carried out to identify, to weigh and to quantify important soil properties for DOM release from the topsoil. Quality of soil organic matter determines the amount of DOM released from the topsoil if the soils have a low ability to adsorb and to precipitate DOM. Favorable conditions for high DOC concentrations in the soil solution are wide C/N ratios in the soil and in the hot water soluble fraction, a high soil content of hot water soluble organic carbon and a high portion of hot water soluble organic carbon in the total organic carbon content. Anthropogenic changes of the soils are effective to DOM release via changing quality of soil organic matter. Long dry periods and large water fluxes can further increase DOM release. The effects of soil organic matter can be disguised in soils with a high DOM retention capacity (high CEC, high content of exchangeable bases, Fe_ox and Fe_d). Then adsorption and precipitation determine DOM release from the topsoil and contribute to a decrease of DOM release.     

Dissolved organic matter sorption by mineral constituents of subsoil clay fractions

The retention of dissolved organic matter in soils is mainly attributed to interactions with the clay fraction. Yet, it is unclear to which extent certain clay‐sized soil constituents contribute to the sorption of dissolved organic matter. In order to identify the mineral constituents controlling the sorption of dissolved organic matter, we carried out experiments on bulk samples and differently pretreated clay‐size separates (untreated, organic matter oxidation with H₂O₂, and organic matter oxidation with H₂O₂ + extraction of Al and Fe oxides) from subsoil horizons of four Inceptisols and one Alfisol. The untreated clay separates of the subsoils sorbed 85 to 95% of the dissolved organic matter the whole soil sorbed. The sorption of the clay fraction increased when indigenous organic matter was oxidized by H₂O₂. Subsequent extraction of Al and Fe oxides/hydroxides caused a sharp decrease of the sorption of dissolved organic matter. This indicated that these oxides/hydroxides in the clay fraction were the main sorbents of dissolved organic matter of the investigated soils. Moreover, the coverage of these sorbents with organic matter reduced the amount of binding sites available for further sorption. The non‐expandable layer silicates, which dominated the investigated clay fractions, exhibited a weak sorption of dissolved organic matter. Whole soils and untreated clay fractions favored the sorption of ”︁hydrophobic” dissolved organic matter. The removal of oxides/hydroxides reduced the sorption of the lignin‐derived ”︁hydrophobic” dissolved organic matter onto the remaining layer silicates stronger than that of ”︁hydrophilic” dissolved organic matter.     

Contribution of dissolved organic matter to carbon storage in forest mineral soils

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is often considered the most labile portion of organic matter in soil and to be negligible with respect to the accumulation of soil C. In this short review, we present recent evidence that this view is invalid. The stability of DOM from forest floor horizons, peats, and topsoils against microbial degradation increases with advanced decomposition of the parent organic matter (OM). Aromatic compounds, deriving from lignin, likely are the most stable components of DOM while plant‐derived carbohydrates seem easily degradable. Carbohydrates and N‐rich compounds of microbial origin produced during the degradation of DOM can be relatively stable. Such components contribute much to DOM in the mineral subsoil. Sorption of DOM to soil minerals and (co‐)precipitation with Al (and probably also with Fe), especially of the inherently stable aromatic moieties, result in distinct stabilization. In laboratory incubation experiments, the mean residence time of DOM from the Oa horizon of a Haplic Podzol increased from <30 y in solution to >90 y after sorption to a subsoil. We combined DOM fluxes and mineralization rate constants for DOM sorbed to minerals and a subsoil horizon, and (co‐)precipitated with Al to estimate the potential contribution of DOM to total C in the mineral soil of a Haplic Podzol in Germany. The contribution of roots to DOM was not considered because of lack of data. The DOM‐derived soil C ranges from 20 to 55 Mg ha^–1 in the mineral soil, which represents 19%–50% of the total soil C. The variation of the estimate reflects the variation in mineralization rate constants obtained for sorbed and (co‐)precipitated DOM. Nevertheless, the estimates indicate that DOM contributes significantly to the accumulation of stable OM in soil. A more precise estimation of DOM‐derived C in soils requires mineralization rate constants for DOM sorbed to all relevant minerals or (co‐)precipitated with Fe. Additionally, we need information on the contribution of sorption to distinct minerals as well as of (co‐)precipitation with Al and Fe to DOM retention.     

Differences in the chemical composition of dissolved organic matter from waste material of different sources

The chemical composition of waste-material-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) was characterized by chemolytic analyses and ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Dissolved organic matter was extracted by water from an aerobic fermented urban waste compost, a sewage sludge and a pig slurry and then fractionated using the XAD-8 method. The amount of water-extractable dissolved organic carbon (DOC) ranged from 3% in the sewage sludge to 22% in the pig slurry. Dissolved organic matter isolated from pig slurry was equally distributed between hydrophilic and hydrophobic DOC, whereas in the sewage-sludge-derived material the hydrophobic fraction was predominant. Dissolved organic C from the urban waste compost was mainly within the hydrophilic fraction. Wet-chemical analysis and ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectra showed that both DOM fractions from the urban waste compost were low in neutral, acidic and amino sugars as well as in lignin-derived compounds. In turn, the materials were rich in low-molecular-weight aliphatic compounds. The chemical structure of both fractions is probably the result of the intensive transformation of urban waste compost during its fermentation. The hydrophilic fractions of DOM from sewage sludge and pig slurry contained considerable amounts of carbohydrates but were also rich in low-molecular-weight aliphatics. The respective hydrophobic fractions had the largest contents of CuO-extractable phenols which may in part derive from sources other than lignin. By contrast with the other materials, the hydrophobic fraction from the pig slurry seemed to contain polymeric rather than low-molecular-weight material. The ³¹P-NMR spectrum of the hydrophilic DOM fraction from urban waste compost did not show signals of inorganic or organic P compounds while the spectrum of the hydrophobic fraction revealed traces of monoester P, diester P, and orthophosphate. ³¹P-NMR spectroscopy suggested that both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions from pig slurry did not contain organic P. The hydrophilic DOM fraction from sewage sludge contained orthophosphate, organic monoester P and a little pyrophosphate. The hydrophobic fraction contained mainly organic diester P and smaller amounts of teichoic acids and organic monoester P. Considering that water-soluble fractions of urban waste compost contained no easily plant-available P and a low content of labile organics, we conclude that this material contains less labile nutrients and is more refractory than the soluble constituents of pig slurry and sewage sludge.     

Dissolved organic matter in lysimetric water of mountain forest soils in the southern Sikhote Alin

The fractional composition of dissolved organic matter and the chemical nature of humic and fulvic acids were studied in lysimetric waters from forest soils of different altitudinal zones in the Sikhote Alin Range. The elemental composition, infrared absorption spectra, concentrations of acid functional groups, and pK spectra of humic and fulvic acids were determined. Fulvic acids predominated in the upper soil horizons, and fraction of nonspecific dissolved organic substances predominated in the lower mineral horizons. The portion of humic acids in the humus horizons markedly decreased from the low-mountain soils to the high-mountain soils; the nitrogen content of humic and fulvic acids decreased in the same direction. Three classes of carboxyl and phenolic groups were determined in pK-spectra of humic and fulvic acids. The soils of high-mountain zones had stronger acidic properties of humic and fulvic acids in comparison with the soils of low-mountain zones. The determined characteristics of the composition of dissolved organic matter and the trends of their changes contribute to our knowledge of pedogenetic processes in the altitudinal sequence of forest landscapes of the Sikhote Alin Range.     

Effect of polar-dissolved organic matter fractions on the mobility of prometryne in soil

Purpose  

Using two fractions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with different polarity, we carried out the experiments with standard batch equilibration, soil column leaching, and soil thin layer chromatography to investigate the behavior of the herbicide prometryne in soils. The purpose of the study was to: (1) separate DOM into hydrophilic matter and hydrophobic acid forms and characterize their chemical properties; (2) analyze interaction between the DOM fractions and prometryne in soils.     

Contact angles at the water–air interface of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils and clay minerals

Contact angles at the water–air interface have been measured for triturated preparations of clays and soils in order to assess changes in their hydrophobic properties under the effect of oil hydrocarbons. Tasks have been to determine the dynamics of contact angle under soil wetting conditions and to reveal the effect of chemical removal of organic matter from soils on the hydrophilicity of preparations. The potentialities of static and dynamic drop tests for assessing the hydrophilic–hydrophobic properties of soils have been estimated. Clays (kaolinite, gumbrine, and argillite) have been investigated, as well as plow horizons of soils from the Republic of Tatarstan: heavy loamy leached chernozem, medium loamy dark gray forest soil, and light loamy soddy-calcareous soil. The soils have been contaminated with raw oil and kerosene at rates of 0.1–3 wt %. In the uncontaminated and contaminated chernozem, capillary water capacity has been maintained for 250 days. The contact angles have been found to depend on the degree of dispersion of powdered preparation, the main type of clay minerals in the soil, the presence and amount of oxidation-resistant soil organic matter, and the soil–water contact time. Characteristic parameters of mathematical models for drop behavior on triturated preparations have been calculated. Contamination with hydrocarbons has resulted in a reliable increase in the contact angles of soil preparations. The hydrophobization of soil surface in chernozem is more active than in soils poorer in organic matter. The complete restoration of the hydrophilic properties of soils after hydrocarbon contamination is due to the oxidation of easily oxidizable organic matter at the low content of humus, or to wetting during several months in the absence of the mazut fraction.     

Effect of undesalted dissolved organic matter from composts on persistence, adsorption, and mobility of cyhalofop herbicide in soils

The effect of undesalted dissolved organic matter (DOM) extracted from composts on the degradation, adsorption, and mobility of cyhalofop herbicide in soils was studied. A paddy-field sediment poor in organic matter (OM), an OM-rich forest soil, and DOM from agroindustrial or municipal waste compost were used. DOM increased the cyhalofop-acid but not the cyhalofop-butyl solubility in water. The degradation of cyhalofop-butyl in the sediment was slow, giving cyhalofop-acid as the only metabolite, whereas in forest soil, the process was faster, and three byproducts were detected. Soil pretreatment with DOM did not modify the degradation pattern but only reduced the adsorption of cyhalofop-butyl by soil, whereas it increased the adsorption of cyhalofop-acid. Among the cationic components of DOM solutions, the potassium ion seems to be related to the increased adsorption of the cyhalofop-acid in both OM-poor and OM-rich soils, yielding reversible complexes with the former and favoring hydrophobic interactions with the latter.     

Organic matter retention in an upland humic podzol; the effects of pH and solute type

This paper discusses the effects of different horizons and soil solution compositions on dissolved organic matter retention in a moorland podzol and compares the results with previous studies of forest podzols. Adsorption isotherms were constructed for each of the major horizons of a freely draining, upland, moorland, humic podzol from north-east Scotland, to investigate processes of retention and release of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Carbon retention of a range of solute types was studied, and phthalate was chosen as a model compound to measure carbon retention at three different pH values (3, 4.5 and 6). Retention and release of DOM was related to chemical, physical and mineralogical characteristics of the different soil horizons. All the mineral horizons retained DOM, with the Bs horizon most retentive. Solution pH did not significantly affect DOM retention in the O and A horizons. At pH 3 and 4.5 organic matter was weakly retained in the Bhs horizon, but strongly retained in the Bs and the Cx horizons. At pH 6 reversal of surface charge occurred in the Bs and Cx horizons resulting in the release of similar amounts of organic matter to that released from the O horizon at the same pH. The results demonstrate how podzols act as a ‘valve’ in controlling the input of dissolved organic compounds into surface and ground water, and how sensitive the controlling mechanisms are to pH change.     

Characteristics of hydrophobic and hydrophilic acid fractions in drainage waters of undisturbed soil lysimeters

Purpose

Dissolved organic matter (DOM), a heterogeneous mixture of low concentrations of organic matter draining from soils, plays a significant role in soil C cycling and in nutrient and pollutant transport. DOM from undisturbed soil profiles has rarely been studied. Hydrophobic acids (Ho) and hydrophilic acids (Hi), the major components of DOM, were recovered, using XAD-8 and XAD-4 resins in series, from waters draining in winter and in spring periods from well-drained and poorly drained Irish grassland soil profiles in lysimeters.

Materials and methods

Waters were collected from 45 soil undisturbed lysimeters at the Teagasc Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland. Four Irish representative soils had been collected as undisturbed 1.0-m-deep monoliths, transported to the experiment site and arranged randomly in an experimental facility. Water collections were carried out in winter and spring periods. The DOM was isolated and fractionated using an XAD-8 and XAD-4 resins in-tandem procedure, and hydrophobic acids (Ho) and hydrophilic acids (Hi) were isolated.

Results and discussion

The amounts of DOM recovered in the winter period were much greater than those in the spring period, and the soil types had only minor influences on the DOM concentrations recovered. The Ho and Hi fraction contents ranged from 62 to 90 and 10 to 28%, respectively, of the total DOM content extracted. The Hi acids were most enriched in ¹³C, and considered to reflect greater microbial inputs. The neutral sugar (NS) contents for the Ho and Hi fractions were in the range of 15 to 52 μg mg^?1, with the Hi fraction most enriched. The amino acids (AAs) for the Ho and Hi fractions varied from 0.6 to 2.4%, and the total AAs and NS of the Ho acids were well correlated. The DOM fractions from the drainage waters contained much less AAs and NS than the corresponding fractions in the parent soils. The solid- and liquid-state NMR data indicated organic structures with low aromaticity, significant amounts of carbohydrate and with lesser amounts of peptide structures, and with long-chain methylene (CH₂)_n and methine (-CH-) groups.

Conclusions

The application of a variety of wet chemistry and of spectroscopy procedures has given a more in-depth awareness of the compositions of the DOM in the drainage waters from four different soils in 1.0-m-deep lysimeter arrangements. Based on wet chemistry analyses, and FTIR and liquid- and solid-state NMR spectrometry, it is clear that there are some differences between the compositions of the DOM fractions recovered. Alkyl functionalities dominated the structures. These included significant amounts or O-alkyl (predominantly carbohydrate), and with lesser (and variable amounts in the different fractions) aromatic structures (to which aromatic amino acid components were considered to be significant contributors), and with no evidence for lignin-derived structures The results suggest that, during residence in the soil solution, microbiological processes transform the SOM components released into products that are greatly different from their materials of origin in the SOM.

     

Mineralization of Forest Soil Carbon: Interactions with Metals

Biodegradability of natural dissolved organic compounds was tested in laboratory experiments. Organic matter was extracted from organic and mineral forest soil horizons and was isolated from soil solutions collected by suction cups. Carbon moieties were fractionated into hydrophobic acids, hydrophilic acids, and hydrophilic neutral compounds. Degradability of the organic compounds ranged from less than 5% (acid compounds) to 15% (neutral compounds). Metals (Ca, Al) and solid Al₂O₃ were added to assess the effect of complexation reactions as well as the adsorption of organic ligands to mineral surfaces on the rate of mineralization. The rate of CO₂ respiration was used to measure the degradability. Glucose was used as reference compound and we found that the addition of metals retarded its mineralization. On the contrary the degradation of natural soil organic carbon was not affected, or was even enhanced, with Ca or Al added. Adsorption of organic matter to Al₂O₃ decreased the respiration rate by one order of magnitude.     

Biodegradability of dissolved organic matter extracted from a chronosequence of forest‐floor materials

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important part of the microbially utilizable organic matter in soils. This paper describes an incubation experiment by which the lability and mobility of DOM extracted from forest‐floor materials are related to their age and degree of degradation. DOM extracted from a chronosequence of decomposing leaves (green leaves, fresh fallen leaves, litter [1 y weathering], fibric matter [2–3 y], hemic matter [>3 y], or peat [100+ y]) was applied to intact soil cores, and the CO₂ produced over 5 d was measured to determine biodegradability. Biodegradability of DOM varied somewhat along the chronosequence, with the green leaves yielding more CO₂ on an equal C basis than the older substrates and equivalent to glucose which was used as a reference substrate. Thus, the DOM extracts of the older substrates contain some refractory components. The humic‐acid content (or that of its precursors) of the extracts from older substrates relates to the lowered lability. The hydrophobic and hydrophilic content of DOM extracted from substrates was not related to CO₂ production in the incubation studies conducted.     

Tracing the source and fate of dissolved organic matter in soil after incorporation of a C labelled residue: A batch incubation study

While dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil solution is a small but reactive fraction of soil organic matter, its source and dynamics are unclear. A laboratory incubation experiment was set up with an agricultural topsoil amended with ¹³C labelled maize straw. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in soil solution increased sharply from 25 to 186 mg C L⁻¹ 4 h after maize amendment, but rapidly decreased to 42 mg C L⁻¹ and reached control values at and beyond 2 months. About 65% of DOM was straw derived after 4 h, decreasing to 29% after one day and only 1.3% after 240 days. A significant priming effect of the straw on the release of autochthonous DOM was found. The DOM fractionation with DAX-8 resin revealed that 98% of the straw derived DOM was hydrophilic in the initial pulse while this hydrophilic fraction was 20-30% in control samples. This was in line with the specific UV absorbance of the DOM which was significantly lower in the samples amended with maize residues than in the control samples. The δ¹³C of the respired CO₂ matched that of DOC in the first day after amendment but exceeded it in following days. The straw derived C fractions in respired CO₂ and in microbial biomass were similar between 57 and 240 days after amendment but were 3-10 fold above those in the DOM. This suggests that the solubilisation of C from the straw is in steady state with the DOM degradation or that part of the straw is directly mineralised without going into solution. This study shows that residue application releases a pulse of hydrophilic DOM that temporarily (<3 days) dominates the soil DOM pool and the degradable C. However, beyond that pulse the majority of DOM is derived from soil organic matter and its isotope signature differs from microbial biomass and respired C, casting doubt that the DOM pool in the soil solution is the major bioaccessible C pool in soil.     

Stabilization of dissolved organic matter by sorption to the mineral soil

The main process by which dissolved organic matter (DOM) is retained in forest soils is likely to be sorption in the mineral horizons that adds to stabilized organic matter (OM) pools. The objectives of this study were to determine the extent of degradation of sorbed OM and to investigate changes in its composition during degradation. DOM of different origins was sorbed to a subsoil and incubated for 1 year. We quantified mineralized C by frequent CO₂ measurements in the headspace of the incubation vessels and calculated mean residence times by a double exponential model. Mineralization of C of the corresponding DOM in solution was used as a control to estimate the extent of DOM stabilization by sorption. Changes in the composition of sorbed OM during the incubation were studied by spectroscopic (UV, fluorescence) and isotope (¹³C, ¹⁴C) measurements after hot-water extraction of OM.The fraction of sorbed organic C mineralized during the incubation was only one-third to one-sixth of that mineralized in solution. The mean residence time of the most stable OM sample was estimated to increase from 28 years in solution to 91 years after sorption. For highly degradable DOM samples, the portion of stable C calculated by a double exponential model nearly doubled upon sorption. With less degradable DOM the stability increased by only 20% after sorption. Therefore, the increase in stability due to sorption is large for labile DOM high in carbohydrates and relatively small for stable DOM high in aromatic and complex molecules. Nevertheless, in terms of stability the rank order of OM types after sorption was the same as in solution. Furthermore, the extent of sorption of recalcitrant compounds was much larger than sorption of labile compounds. Thus, sorptive stabilization of this stable DOM sample was four times larger than for the labile ones. We conclude that stabilization of OM by sorption depends on the intrinsic stability of organic compounds sorbed. We propose that the main stabilization processes are selective sorption of intrinsically stable compounds and strong chemical bonds to the mineral soil and/or a physical inaccessibility of OM to microorganisms. The UV, fluorescence and ¹³C measurements indicated that aromatic and complex compounds, probably derived from lignin, were preferentially stabilized by sorption of DOM. The ¹³C and ¹⁴C data showed that degradation of the indigenous OM in the mineral soil decreased after sorption of DOM. We estimated DOM sorption stabilizes about 24 Mg C ha⁻¹ highlighting the importance of sorption for accumulation and preservation of OM in soil.     

Chemodestructive fractionation of soil organic matter

The method of chemodestructive fractionation is suggested to assess the composition of soil organic matter. This method is based on determination of the resilience of soil organic matter components and/or different parts of organic compounds to the impact of oxidizing agents. For this purpose, a series of solutions with similar concentration of the oxidant (K₂Cr₂O₇), but with linearly increasing oxidative capacity was prepared. Chemodestructive fractionation showed that the portion of easily oxidizable (labile) organic matter in humus horizons of different soil types depends on the conditions of soil formation. It was maximal in hydromorphic soils of the taiga zone and minimal in automorphic soils of the dry steppe zone. The portion of easily oxidizable organic matter in arable soils increased with an increase in the rate of organic fertilizers application. The long-lasting agricultural use of soils and burying of the humus horizons within the upper one-meter layer resulted in the decreasing content of easily oxidizable organic matter. It was found that the portion of easily oxidizable organic matter decreases by the mid-summer or fall in comparison with the spring or early summer period.