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Characteristics of water extractable organic carbon fractions in the soil profiles of Picea asperata and Betula albosinensis forests

  • Soils, Sec 1 • Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Nutrient Cycling • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Objective

Soil organic carbon (SOC) in deeper soils may be more protected by mineral particles than SOC in shallower soils; thus, the vertical SOC distribution is closely related to the overall SOC stability. This study aimed to verify the relationship between the solubility temperature dependence of water extractable SOC fractions and their vertical distribution characteristics.

Methods

Soil samples collected from each soil horizon in natural dragon spruce (Picea asperata) and red birch (Betula albosinensis) forests were analyzed. Cold water-extracted organic carbon (CWEOC) and hot water-extracted organic carbon (HWEOC) were extracted at 20 °C and 80 °C, respectively. The sum of CWEOC and HWEOC was considered the water-extracted organic carbon (WEOC) content. The carbohydrate-C (Car-C) and phenolic-C (Phe-C) contents extracted by hot water were also determined.

Results

The CWEOC, HWEOC, Car-C, and Phe-C contents varied significantly (P < 0.001) among soil horizons. The WEOC/SOC ratio increased significantly from the decomposed organic (H-) horizon to the surface mineral (A-) horizon (P < 0.05) but was not significantly different among the surface (A-), the subsurface (B-), and the bottom (C-) mineral horizons (Brunisols, according to the Canadian Soil Classification System). In both forests, CWEOC/HWEOC increased from the H- horizon to the B- horizon but was not significantly different between the B- and C- horizons. The Car-C/Phe-C ratios in the mineral soil horizons were significantly higher than those in the H-horizon and litter.

Conclusions

The more water-soluble SOC fractions tended to be more distributed in the deeper horizons. Therefore, WEOC in mineral soils may be more stable than is generally believed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments that helped to improve the manuscript, AJE (American Journal Experts) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.

Funding

Special Fund for Forest Scientific Research in the Public Welfare (201304307); Open Foundation of the Key Laboratory for Agricultural Environment (K4030217149).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, 712100, Yangling, People’s Republic of China

    Zhikang Wang, Jiawei Ren, Chenyang Xu & Zengchao Geng

  2. Key Laboratory for Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, 100081, People’s Republic of China

    Zengchao Geng

  3. Agrotechnical Promotion Station in Mianxian Country, Hanzhong, 724200, People’s Republic of China

    Xuguang Du

  4. Cultivated Land Quality and Agri-Environment Protection Workstation, Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Shaanxi Province, 710003, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China

    Yan Li

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  1. Zhikang Wang
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Correspondence to Zengchao Geng.

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Wang, Z., Ren, J., Xu, C. et al. Characteristics of water extractable organic carbon fractions in the soil profiles of Picea asperata and Betula albosinensis forests. J Soils Sediments 21, 3580–3589 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03034-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03034-6

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