Soil colloids as binding agents in the formation of soil microaggregates in wet-dry cycles: A case study for arable Luvisols under different management

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Autoren

  • Ni Tang
  • Stefan Dultz
  • Daniel Gerth
  • Erwin Klumpp

Organisationseinheiten

Externe Organisationen

  • Forschungszentrum Jülich
  • Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH)
Forschungs-netzwerk anzeigen

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer116830
Seitenumfang12
FachzeitschriftGEODERMA
Jahrgang443
Frühes Online-Datum21 Feb. 2024
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - März 2024

Abstract

In the hierarchical model of soil aggregates, small soil microaggregates (small SMA; <20 μm) are often considered to be fundamental building units at the micron scale. Below which, soil colloids (<1 µm) have recently been proposed as binding agents of (micro)aggregates. However, the way in which soil colloids contribute to the formation and stability of soil micro- and macroaggregates remains largely unknown. For clarification, we evaluated potential impacts of the colloidal content, particularly the <450 nm colloids, on the aggregation of small SMA. Free water stable small SMA and <450 nm colloids were isolated from Ap-horizons of Stagnic Luvisols under different management (cropped and bare fallow). The size-resolved elemental composition of the <450 nm colloids was analyzed by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation in combination with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and an organic carbon detector. To vary the colloidal content in small SMA, (1) suspensions containing different amounts of <450 nm colloids were added in small SMA, or (2) <1 µm colloids were removed from small SMA by centrifugation. In the maximum colloidal addition treatment, the mass ratios of added colloids to small SMA were 3.0 and 5.1 wt% for the cropped and bare fallow soil samples, respectively. Aggregation of small SMA with different colloidal amounts was performed in three successive wet-dry cycles. Afterwards, the size distribution of the resulting aggregates was measured by laser diffraction. Our results indicated that, in wet-dry cycles, colloids were important binding agents for the formation of SMA. Their presence, especially those <450 nm, was likely to support the formation of solid bridges during drying at particle contacts of 1–10 µm small SMA, favoring hereby SMA build-up in a relatively small size range of 1–40 µm. In contrast, the absence of <1 μm colloids in small SMA led to a preferential generation of relatively large aggregates in wet-dry cycles, i.e., typically with sizes >40 μm up to 1700 μm in maximum. Our study on aggregation in wet-dry cycles revealed that the colloidal content has a controlling effect on the size distribution of resulting aggregates by acting as a binding agent and provides hereby new insights into the evolvement of aggregate hierarchy in soils.

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

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Soil colloids as binding agents in the formation of soil microaggregates in wet-dry cycles: A case study for arable Luvisols under different management. / Tang, Ni; Dultz, Stefan; Gerth, Daniel et al.
in: GEODERMA, Jahrgang 443, 116830, 03.2024.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Tang N, Dultz S, Gerth D, Klumpp E. Soil colloids as binding agents in the formation of soil microaggregates in wet-dry cycles: A case study for arable Luvisols under different management. GEODERMA. 2024 Mär;443:116830. Epub 2024 Feb 21. doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116830
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title = "Soil colloids as binding agents in the formation of soil microaggregates in wet-dry cycles: A case study for arable Luvisols under different management",
abstract = "In the hierarchical model of soil aggregates, small soil microaggregates (small SMA; <20 μm) are often considered to be fundamental building units at the micron scale. Below which, soil colloids (<1 µm) have recently been proposed as binding agents of (micro)aggregates. However, the way in which soil colloids contribute to the formation and stability of soil micro- and macroaggregates remains largely unknown. For clarification, we evaluated potential impacts of the colloidal content, particularly the <450 nm colloids, on the aggregation of small SMA. Free water stable small SMA and <450 nm colloids were isolated from Ap-horizons of Stagnic Luvisols under different management (cropped and bare fallow). The size-resolved elemental composition of the <450 nm colloids was analyzed by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation in combination with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and an organic carbon detector. To vary the colloidal content in small SMA, (1) suspensions containing different amounts of <450 nm colloids were added in small SMA, or (2) <1 µm colloids were removed from small SMA by centrifugation. In the maximum colloidal addition treatment, the mass ratios of added colloids to small SMA were 3.0 and 5.1 wt% for the cropped and bare fallow soil samples, respectively. Aggregation of small SMA with different colloidal amounts was performed in three successive wet-dry cycles. Afterwards, the size distribution of the resulting aggregates was measured by laser diffraction. Our results indicated that, in wet-dry cycles, colloids were important binding agents for the formation of SMA. Their presence, especially those <450 nm, was likely to support the formation of solid bridges during drying at particle contacts of 1–10 µm small SMA, favoring hereby SMA build-up in a relatively small size range of 1–40 µm. In contrast, the absence of <1 μm colloids in small SMA led to a preferential generation of relatively large aggregates in wet-dry cycles, i.e., typically with sizes >40 μm up to 1700 μm in maximum. Our study on aggregation in wet-dry cycles revealed that the colloidal content has a controlling effect on the size distribution of resulting aggregates by acting as a binding agent and provides hereby new insights into the evolvement of aggregate hierarchy in soils.",
keywords = "Elemental composition, Field flow fractionation, Size distribution of aggregates, Soil microaggregation",
author = "Ni Tang and Stefan Dultz and Daniel Gerth and Erwin Klumpp",
note = "Funding Information: This work is associated with the MAD Soil project (MAD Soil - Microaggregates: Formation and turnover of the structural building blocks of soils), which is funded by the DFG ( Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft , Research Unit 2179 ). Ni Tang appreciates the China Scholarship Council (No. 201806190224 ) for supporting her studies at Forschungszentrum J{\"u}lich and RWTH Aachen University . Additionally, we would like to thank Liming Wang for assisting with size fractionation. ",
year = "2024",
month = mar,
doi = "10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116830",
language = "English",
volume = "443",
journal = "GEODERMA",
issn = "0016-7061",
publisher = "Elsevier",

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Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - Soil colloids as binding agents in the formation of soil microaggregates in wet-dry cycles

T2 - A case study for arable Luvisols under different management

AU - Tang, Ni

AU - Dultz, Stefan

AU - Gerth, Daniel

AU - Klumpp, Erwin

N1 - Funding Information: This work is associated with the MAD Soil project (MAD Soil - Microaggregates: Formation and turnover of the structural building blocks of soils), which is funded by the DFG ( Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft , Research Unit 2179 ). Ni Tang appreciates the China Scholarship Council (No. 201806190224 ) for supporting her studies at Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University . Additionally, we would like to thank Liming Wang for assisting with size fractionation.

PY - 2024/3

Y1 - 2024/3

N2 - In the hierarchical model of soil aggregates, small soil microaggregates (small SMA; <20 μm) are often considered to be fundamental building units at the micron scale. Below which, soil colloids (<1 µm) have recently been proposed as binding agents of (micro)aggregates. However, the way in which soil colloids contribute to the formation and stability of soil micro- and macroaggregates remains largely unknown. For clarification, we evaluated potential impacts of the colloidal content, particularly the <450 nm colloids, on the aggregation of small SMA. Free water stable small SMA and <450 nm colloids were isolated from Ap-horizons of Stagnic Luvisols under different management (cropped and bare fallow). The size-resolved elemental composition of the <450 nm colloids was analyzed by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation in combination with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and an organic carbon detector. To vary the colloidal content in small SMA, (1) suspensions containing different amounts of <450 nm colloids were added in small SMA, or (2) <1 µm colloids were removed from small SMA by centrifugation. In the maximum colloidal addition treatment, the mass ratios of added colloids to small SMA were 3.0 and 5.1 wt% for the cropped and bare fallow soil samples, respectively. Aggregation of small SMA with different colloidal amounts was performed in three successive wet-dry cycles. Afterwards, the size distribution of the resulting aggregates was measured by laser diffraction. Our results indicated that, in wet-dry cycles, colloids were important binding agents for the formation of SMA. Their presence, especially those <450 nm, was likely to support the formation of solid bridges during drying at particle contacts of 1–10 µm small SMA, favoring hereby SMA build-up in a relatively small size range of 1–40 µm. In contrast, the absence of <1 μm colloids in small SMA led to a preferential generation of relatively large aggregates in wet-dry cycles, i.e., typically with sizes >40 μm up to 1700 μm in maximum. Our study on aggregation in wet-dry cycles revealed that the colloidal content has a controlling effect on the size distribution of resulting aggregates by acting as a binding agent and provides hereby new insights into the evolvement of aggregate hierarchy in soils.

AB - In the hierarchical model of soil aggregates, small soil microaggregates (small SMA; <20 μm) are often considered to be fundamental building units at the micron scale. Below which, soil colloids (<1 µm) have recently been proposed as binding agents of (micro)aggregates. However, the way in which soil colloids contribute to the formation and stability of soil micro- and macroaggregates remains largely unknown. For clarification, we evaluated potential impacts of the colloidal content, particularly the <450 nm colloids, on the aggregation of small SMA. Free water stable small SMA and <450 nm colloids were isolated from Ap-horizons of Stagnic Luvisols under different management (cropped and bare fallow). The size-resolved elemental composition of the <450 nm colloids was analyzed by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation in combination with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and an organic carbon detector. To vary the colloidal content in small SMA, (1) suspensions containing different amounts of <450 nm colloids were added in small SMA, or (2) <1 µm colloids were removed from small SMA by centrifugation. In the maximum colloidal addition treatment, the mass ratios of added colloids to small SMA were 3.0 and 5.1 wt% for the cropped and bare fallow soil samples, respectively. Aggregation of small SMA with different colloidal amounts was performed in three successive wet-dry cycles. Afterwards, the size distribution of the resulting aggregates was measured by laser diffraction. Our results indicated that, in wet-dry cycles, colloids were important binding agents for the formation of SMA. Their presence, especially those <450 nm, was likely to support the formation of solid bridges during drying at particle contacts of 1–10 µm small SMA, favoring hereby SMA build-up in a relatively small size range of 1–40 µm. In contrast, the absence of <1 μm colloids in small SMA led to a preferential generation of relatively large aggregates in wet-dry cycles, i.e., typically with sizes >40 μm up to 1700 μm in maximum. Our study on aggregation in wet-dry cycles revealed that the colloidal content has a controlling effect on the size distribution of resulting aggregates by acting as a binding agent and provides hereby new insights into the evolvement of aggregate hierarchy in soils.

KW - Elemental composition

KW - Field flow fractionation

KW - Size distribution of aggregates

KW - Soil microaggregation

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U2 - 10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116830

DO - 10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116830

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85185882926

VL - 443

JO - GEODERMA

JF - GEODERMA

SN - 0016-7061

M1 - 116830

ER -