European Journal of Soil Science最新文献

{"title":"Modelling Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics at the Continental Extent Using Pedogenon Mapping","authors":"Quentin Styc,&nbsp;Budiman Minasny,&nbsp;Ho Jun Jang,&nbsp;Alex McBratney","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70070","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a critical role in key soil functions, yet SOC is highly vulnerable to human activities, which can shift soil from acting as a net carbon sink to becoming a net carbon source. Despite considerable efforts to monitor soil conditions, traditional evaluations often focus on temporal comparisons within similar locations, which can limit the understanding of broader changes. To address these challenges, this study employs the pedogenon map framework to systematically compare SOC changes in soils under natural conditions (genosoils) and those affected by human activity (phenosoils) across Australia. By analysing SOC fractions with different mean residence times – mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) – the study aims to assess the durability of SOC changes over time. The methodology includes selecting soil profiles within pedogenons, evaluating SOC changes, and estimating the impact of these changes on SOC's residence time using the soil tonne-year carbon (STYC) metric. The findings reveal significant spatial variations in SOC changes and their impact on residence time. Areas where SOC increased are mainly due to genosoils with lower SOC values, while genosoils with high SOC values have significantly decreased when converted to phenosoils, reflecting potentially unsustainable agricultural practices. Similar results have been found concerning the residence time of SOC regarding the genosoils SOC values. The study demonstrates that the pedogenon map is an effective tool for detecting SOC changes due to human activities, providing a robust framework for assessing soil carbon storage and informing targeted remediation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70070","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143481291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biochar Addition Changes the Aggregation of Clay Mineral and Natural Soil Nanoparticles via Different Mechanisms","authors":"Qi-rui Li,&nbsp;Chen-yang Xu,&nbsp;Zeng-chao Geng,&nbsp;Fei-nan Hu,&nbsp;Chun-li Wang","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70056","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Wide application of biochar and subsequent release of biochar nanoparticles (NPs) significantly impact the stability of natural clay minerals and soil NPs, which are crucial for soil quality and play a vital role in determining the fate of nutrients and contaminants in the environment. Soil is a naturally occurring complex system composed of multiple components. Existing research on soil particle aggregation has predominantly focused on homo-aggregation. However, the addition of biochar to soil inevitably induces hetero-aggregation with soil components. In this study, the effects of biochar NPs on the aggregation of representative clay minerals (hematite and illite) and natural soil NPs from Luvisol, Phaeozem and Ferralsol under various solution chemistry were studied. The mechanisms were further elucidated by adopting the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. The results indicated that the addition of negatively charged biochar NPs significantly altered the aggregation behaviours of positively charged hematite NPs through charge neutralisation. The aggregation of negatively charged illite particles was inhibited by the generating H-bonding and steric repulsion. Biochar NPs significantly increased the colloidal stability of Luvisol (from 343.82 to 382.96 mM) and Ferralsol NPs (from 28.39 to 215.35 mM) by increasing the net DLVO repulsive forces. Nevertheless, the stability of Phaeozem NPs, containing higher organic matter, decreased with increasing biochar NP concentrations due to electrostatic shielding. In conclusion, for complicated natural soil systems with significant differences between organic and inorganic components, the application of biochar NPs has a profound impact on colloidal particle interactions, particularly affecting positively-charged mineral colloids and soils with low soil organic matter content.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143481534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Crop Diversification and Season on Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency Across a European Pedoclimatic Gradient","authors":"Julia Schroeder,&nbsp;Alexander König,&nbsp;Christopher Poeplau,&nbsp;Tobias Bölscher,&nbsp;Katharina H. E. Meurer,&nbsp;Monika Toleikienė,&nbsp;Marjoleine Hanegraaf,&nbsp;Annelein Meisner,&nbsp;Josef Hakl,&nbsp;Katharina M. Keiblinger,&nbsp;Abad Chabbi,&nbsp;Marjetka Suhadolc,&nbsp;Anton Govednik,&nbsp;Erich Inselsbacher,&nbsp;Heike Knicker,&nbsp;Laura Gismero Rodríguez,&nbsp;Anke M. Herrmann","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Microbial transformation of soil organic matter plays a critical role in carbon (C) cycling making it essential to understand how land use and management practices influence microbial physiology and its connection to C dynamics. One factor that is likely to impact soil microbial physiology is crop diversification via its influence on belowground diversity (e.g., chemical heterogeneity of C inputs, microbial community composition). However, the effect of crop diversification measures on microbial physiology and potential effects on C cycling in agricultural soils is still unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we sampled topsoil from eight experimental sites covering different crop diversification measures across Europe (i.e., cover crops, ley farming, vegetation stripes). We used the ¹⁸O-labelling method to analyse microbial C use efficiency (CUE), growth, respiration and biomass C. Additionally, a second sampling at five selected sites examined whether the growing season influenced the impact of crop diversification. Meta-analysis revealed no overall effect of crop diversification on CUE, microbial activity, biomass or soil organic C (SOC). However, the effects varied with the type of diversification measure: cover crops did not affect carbon processing, vegetation stripes increased microbial activity, and ley farming enhanced CUE. The largest variation in CUE was observed between samplings at the same sites, indicating seasonal dynamics. Temperature, precipitation and photosynthetically active radiation predicted seasonal variation in CUE (<i>R</i>² = 0.36). While cover crops did not significantly impact C storage in our study, both ley farming and vegetation stripes increased SOC. The overall effect of crop diversification on SOC seems to be decoupled from highly temporally variable CUE in the bulk soil and rather relate to C-inputs.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70078","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143481292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil Water Repellency in Natural and Semi-Natural Habitats: A Nexus Between Abiotic Factors and Prokaryotic Communities","authors":"Anne-Cathrine Storgaard Danielsen,&nbsp;Cecilie Hermansen,&nbsp;Peter Lystbæk Weber,&nbsp;Deividas Mikstas,&nbsp;Charles Pesch,&nbsp;Lucas de Carvalho Gomes,&nbsp;Sebastian Gutierrez,&nbsp;Per Halkjær Nielsen,&nbsp;Mogens Humlekrog Greve,&nbsp;Per Møldrup,&nbsp;Signe Normand,&nbsp;Lis Wollesen de Jonge","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70063","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Soil water repellency (SWR) significantly impacts water infiltration and soil health, influencing ecological processes across various habitats. Although the mechanisms behind SWR remain partially unclear, it is influenced by both soil and biological properties. While several studies have examined SWR in agricultural soils, fewer studies have focused on natural habitats. This study examines the relationships between soil properties (electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and total carbon (TC)), prokaryotic communities, and potential SWR (measured by the molarity of ethanol droplet test, 60°C pretreatment) in 1153 soil samples spanning 33 habitat types across Denmark. Using path model analysis, we show that both biotic and abiotic factors contribute significantly to SWR. A model including pH, EC, TC, and prokaryotic community composition (β-diversity) could explain ~50% of the variation in SWR, with β-diversity and TC being the most important properties. Furthermore, we reveal distinct variations in SWR across habitat types, which cover a wide range of SWR, from not water repellent to strongly water repellent. Prokaryotic α-diversity was negatively correlated to the degree of SWR, and we found a clear gradient in β-diversity from the highest to the lowest degree of SWR. The degree of SWR was divided into five classes, and we identified 69 genera indicating one or a combination of the SWR classes, which could potentially be used as indicators of the degree of SWR. This research underscores the importance of including the microbial communities in studies examining SWR. In perspective, the observed relations between SWR and soil prokaryotic diversity and community composition also imply that SWR could become a key biophysical indicator of soil health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70063","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143481290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards Explainable AI: Interpreting Soil Organic Carbon Prediction Models Using a Learning-Based Explanation Method","authors":"Nafiseh Kakhani,&nbsp;Ruhollah Taghizadeh-Mehrjardi,&nbsp;Davoud Omarzadeh,&nbsp;Masahiro Ryo,&nbsp;Uta Heiden,&nbsp;Thomas Scholten","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70071","url":null,"abstract":"<p>An understanding of the key factors and processes influencing the variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) is essential for the development of effective policies aimed at enhancing carbon storage in soils to mitigate climate change. In recent years, complex computational approaches from the field of machine learning (ML) have been developed for modelling and mapping SOC in various ecosystems and over large areas. However, in order to understand the processes that account for SOC variability from ML models and to serve as a basis for new scientific discoveries, the predictions made by these data-driven models must be accurately explained and interpreted. In this research, we introduce a novel explanation approach applicable to any ML model and investigate the significance of environmental features to explain SOC variability across Germany. The methodology employed in this study involves training multiple ML models using SOC content measurements from the LUCAS dataset and incorporating environmental features derived from Google Earth Engine (GEE) as explanatory variables. Thereafter, an explanation model is applied to elucidate what the ML models have learned about the relationship between environmental features and SOC content in a supervised manner. In our approach, a post hoc model is trained to estimate the contribution of specific inputs to the outputs of the trained ML models. The results of this study indicate that different classes of ML models rely on interpretable but distinct environmental features to explain SOC variability. Decision tree-based models, such as random forest (RF) and gradient boosting, highlight the importance of topographic features. Conversely, soil chemical information, particularly pH, is crucial for the performance of neural networks and linear regression models. Therefore, interpreting data-driven studies requires a carefully structured approach, guided by expert knowledge and a deep understanding of the models being analysed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70071","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143481293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimising Root and Grain Yield Through Variety Selection in Winter Wheat Across a European Climate Gradient","authors":"H. Heinemann,&nbsp;F. Durand-Maniclas,&nbsp;F. Seidel,&nbsp;F. Ciulla,&nbsp;T. G. Bárcena,&nbsp;M. Camenzind,&nbsp;S. Corrado,&nbsp;Z. Csűrös,&nbsp;Zs. Czakó,&nbsp;D. Eylenbosch,&nbsp;A. Ficke,&nbsp;C. Flamm,&nbsp;J. M. Herrera,&nbsp;V. Horáková,&nbsp;A. Hund,&nbsp;F. Lüddeke,&nbsp;F. Platz,&nbsp;B. Poós,&nbsp;D. Rasse,&nbsp;M. da Silva-Lopes,&nbsp;M. Toleikiene,&nbsp;A. Veršulienė,&nbsp;M. Visse-Mansiaux,&nbsp;K. Yu,&nbsp;J. Hirte,&nbsp;A. Don","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ensuring food security through sustainable practices while reducing greenhouse gas emissions are key challenges in modern agriculture. Utilising genetic variability within a crop species to identify varieties with higher root biomass carbon (C) could help address these challenges. It is thus crucial to quantify and understand intra-specific above- and belowground performance under varying environmental conditions. The study objectives were to: (a) quantify root biomass and depth distribution in different winter wheat varieties under various pedoclimatic conditions, (b) investigate the influence of variety and pedoclimatic conditions on the relationship between above- and belowground biomass production, and (c) assess whether optimised winter wheat variety selection can lead to both greater root biomass C and yield, boosting C accrual. Root biomass, root distribution to 1 m soil depth and root-to-shoot ratios were assessed in 10 different winter wheat varieties grown at 11 experimental sites covering a European climatic gradient from Spain to Norway. Median root biomass down to 1 m depth was 1.4 ± 0.7 Mg ha⁻¹. The primary explanatory factor was site, accounting for 60% of the variation in root biomass production, while the genetic diversity between wheat varieties explained 9.5%. Precipitation had a significantly negative effect on total root biomass, especially in subsoil. Significant differences were also observed between varieties in root-to-shoot ratios and grain yield. The difference between the variety with the lowest root biomass and the one with the highest across sites was on average 0.9 Mg ha⁻¹ which is an increase of 45%. Pedoclimatic conditions had a greater influence than variety, and determined the relationship's direction between root biomass and grain yield. A site-specific approach is, therefore, needed to realise the full potential for increased root biomass and yield offered by optimised variety selection.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70077","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143481502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Placement of Acidified Biowastes: Unveiling Abiotic and Biotic Effects on Soil P Dynamics Using 18O as a Tracer","authors":"Pietro Sica,&nbsp;Maria Monrad Rieckmann,&nbsp;Mario Álvarez Salas,&nbsp;Jakob Magid,&nbsp;Federica Tamburini","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70076","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Placement and acidification can improve phosphorus (P) availability from biowastes. However, little is known about how the placement of acidified biowastes affects biotic and abiotic processes in the soil. Thus, we selected two biowastes: digestate solid fraction (DSF) and meat and bone meal (MBM). Both were applied in their untreated and acidified forms. We hypothesised that the acidification would affect biotic and abiotic processes and, consequently, the P dynamics in the soil. All fertilisers were incubated for 12 days to evaluate abiotic and biotic processes in the placement zone and in the adjacent soil. Assessments included resin-extractable P (resin P) and microbial P contents and δ¹⁸O values at different distances from the placement zone. Microbial respiration was also measured. Acidification significantly increased P release for DSF and MBM. The soil resin P content of acidified biowastes was larger even at greater distances (10–12 mm). For untreated MBM, soil resin P was significantly larger than the negative control up to 4 mm from the placement zone (50–60 mg kg⁻¹). For this treatment, microbial P was relatively increased even at greater distances (150 mg kg⁻¹ at 6–8 mm). Acidification suppressed microbial activity and resulted in lower respiration rates for both MBM and DSF. In addition to that, our results showed a significant correlation between ¹⁸O incorporation into microbial P and microbial respiration. Thus, the greater the microbial activity, the more P is biologically cycled in the microbial biomass. However, no correlation was found between respiration and ¹⁸O incorporation into resin P. These results may indicate an insufficient incubation time for microbes to release P into the soil and/or the co-occurrence of abiotic processes which are not exchanging oxygen between water and phosphate (e.g., desorption). We conclude that for untreated MBM, biotic processes may be the main driver of P movement in the soil. In the case of acidified biowaste, diffusion is the main process moving the P in the soil. This research shows that acidifying biowastes like DSF and MBM boosts P availability through abiotic processes. These findings suggest that acidification can enhance nutrient use efficiency and improve soil fertility. However, further studies are needed to assess the long-term effects on microbial communities and soil health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70076","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143481555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crop Rotation With Ley and Nitrogen Fertilisation Reduced Soil Carbon Loss in Three Swedish Long-Term Field Experiments","authors":"Rong Lang,&nbsp;Martin A. Bolinder,&nbsp;Gunnar Börjesson,&nbsp;Thomas Kätterer","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70072","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks by improving cropland management practices has great potential to mitigate climate change. Long-term field experiments (LTEs) are valuable to study management effects on soil properties and crop yield. Yet most LTE studies are limited to the topsoil, and farming systems integrating multiple management strategies are often not assessed. This study used three Swedish LTEs to assess the effects of crop rotations and fertilisation on SOC changes. One arable rotation with only annual crops and a ley rotation with annuals, perennial ley and receiving manure were investigated at different application rates of mineral fertilisers. We analysed changes in SOC content and the distribution of SOC content and stocks at multiple soil depths, calculated C inputs and used phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) to evaluate how management practices affected SOC in relation to C inputs and microbial communities. Both systems lost carbon in the 0–20 cm topsoil from 1966 to 2019 across sites, but the sandy site lost more than the clayey sites. The ley rotation and nitrogen (N) fertilisation reduced carbon losses. In 2019, SOC stocks in the top 25 cm soil were 3.3 ± 1.6 Mg C ha⁻¹ higher in the ley rotation compared with arable rotation and 2.9 ± 1.6 Mg C ha⁻¹ higher with N fertilisation at the highest rate compared with no N fertilisation. However, the positive effects decreased with depth and became negative at some depths. As a result, differences in SOC stocks to an equivalent depth of 60 cm declined to 0.6 ± 2.4 Mg C ha⁻¹ for rotations and to 1.0 ± 2.4 Mg C ha⁻¹ for N fertilisation. The ley rotation had significantly higher belowground C inputs than the arable rotation, and belowground C inputs were highly associated with changes in SOC. Compared with the arable rotation, total PLFAs, bacterial PLFAs and the ratio of bacteria to fungi in topsoil were significantly higher in the ley rotation, partly attributed to manure application. Our study supports the beneficial effects of leys and manure amendments on SOC compared with systems with only annual crops. It also highlights the risk of losing SOC in the subsoil, especially under mineral N fertilisation. Site characteristics helped to explain the large variation, which must be considered when developing local strategies for SOC accrual in cropland.</p>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70072","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"General Enhancement of Soil Water Repellency by Moss Crusts in Degraded Subtropical Karst Ecosystems","authors":"Xin Zhao,&nbsp;Dong Chen,&nbsp;Guanting Guo,&nbsp;Jiaojiao Wu,&nbsp;Mingzhong Long,&nbsp;Linmei Long,&nbsp;Xiaona Li","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70064","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Soil water repellency, a crucial soil physical property, is widespread globally, affecting hydrology positively or negatively by impeding soil wetting. Nonetheless, research on soil and biocrust water repellency in degraded subtropical karst environments is lacking. This research examined how moss crusts affect soil water repellency in these environments using the Water Drop Penetration Time (WDPT) method. The research utilised moss crusts from degraded karst areas with varying levels of degradation, contrasting them with bare soils as controls. Results indicate that degraded subtropical karst soils (calcareous and yellow soils) exhibited no water repellency (WDPT &lt; 5 s). Moss crusts notably enhanced water repellency consistently across various degradation stages, exhibiting slight water repellency (5 s ≤ WDPT &lt; 60 s). Soil water repellency diminished following the removal of moss; however, it remained significantly elevated compared to bare soil. Factors such as soil water content, fine particle content, aggregate stability, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total potassium were found to significantly influence water repellency. In bare soils, water repellency peaked at 10% water content, weakening thereafter, whereas moss crusts exhibited strongest repellency at 0% water content, diminishing as water content increased. Moreover, both moss crusts and bare soils showed heightened repellency with smaller particle sizes (&lt; 0.05 mm). The hydrological impacts of biocrust-induced water repellency vary, presenting both positive and negative effects that necessitate further investigation. This research establishes a foundation for upcoming studies on the impact of biocrusts on hydrology within these environments, providing essential theoretical knowledge for addressing soil erosion and loss in the context of global changes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tree Species Effects on SOC and Soil Microbial Properties: Case Study From Beech and Spruce Stands in Bohinj Valley, Slovenia","authors":"Peter Horvat,&nbsp;Anton Govednik,&nbsp;Matija Klopčič,&nbsp;Marjetka Suhadolc","doi":"10.1111/ejss.70060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70060","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Climate change and forest management strategies in Central Europe are driving the decline of spruce in forests, while beech is expected to expand its range. Beech is seen as a key species for converting spruce-dominated forests to mixed forests, aiming to improve forest resilience. The objective of our study was to examine the long-term effects of a spruce stand and a beech stand that transitioned from a conifer-dominated stand on soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass and the abundance of total bacteria, archaea and fungi. In contrast to most other studies, we used a horizon-based soil sampling approach, which provides better insights into how changes in soil chemical properties influence microbial community composition, and consequently, microbial-based processes like C-sequestration. Composite soil samples from two depths, corresponding to the A horizon (approx. 0–10 cm) and the B horizon (approx. 10–20 cm), representing the entire shallow soil profile, were collected from a European beech (&lt;i&gt;Fagus sylvatica&lt;/i&gt; L.) stand and a Norway spruce (&lt;i&gt;Picea abies&lt;/i&gt; [L.] Karst.) stand sharing the same soil group on limestone and dolomite. In the top A horizon, the spruce stand exhibited significantly higher levels of total organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), dissolved organic C and dissolved N compared to the beech stand (11.5% vs. 9.0%; 0.63% vs. 0.52%; 15.3% vs. 9.5 mg C kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; dry soil; 2.9 vs. 1.6 mg N kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; dry soil; respectively). The beech stand had significantly higher base saturation (84.6%) in the A horizon compared to the spruce stand (43.6%), primarily due to increased levels of exchangeable Ca&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt;. The soil pH did not show statistically significant differences between the stands, indicating a strong buffering capacity of the soil and its slow response to changes in the composition of tree species in the stand. Microbial biomass C (MBC) in the A horizon was significantly higher in the spruce than in the beech stand (585 vs. 492 mg C kg&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; dry soil, respectively). While the abundance of bacteria and fungi did not differ significantly between the stands, a higher abundance of archaea was observed in the spruce compared to the beech stand. Total SOC stock in the entire soil profile (A and B horizons) was significantly lower in the beech than in the spruce stand (71.20 ± 3.08 t ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; and 85.35 ± 2.84 t ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively), similar to the total MBC stock (0.42 ± 0.01 t ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; and 0.48 ± 0.02 t ha&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively), with no significant differences observed in the B horizon. In conclusion, 20 years after the transition to a beech stand, significant differences in soil properties compared to spruce stand remain limited and confined to the A horizon. This reflects the gradual nature of changes driven by the litter input. The transition from a conifer-dominated to a beech-dominated stand leads to a reduction in SOC stocks. In comparison to beech-dominated ","PeriodicalId":12043,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Science","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ejss.70060","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143423992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}