Architecture of soil microaggregates: Advanced methodologies to explore properties and functions

Amelung W, Tang N, Siebers N, Aehnelt M, Eusterhues K, Felde VJ, Guggenberger G, Kaiser K, Kögel-Knabner I, Klumpp E, Knief C, Kruse J, Lehndorff E, Mikutta R, Peth S, Ray N, Prechtel A, Ritschel T, Schweizer SA, Woche SK, Wu B, Totsche KU (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article, Review article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science Wiley-VCH Verlag

DOI: 10.1002/jpln.202300149

Abstract

The functions of soils are intimately linked to their three-dimensional pore space and the associated biogeochemical interfaces, mirrored in the complex structure that developed during pedogenesis. Under stress overload, soil disintegrates into smaller compound structures, conventionally named aggregates. Microaggregates (<250 µm) are recognized as the most stable soil structural units. They are built of mineral, organic, and biotic materials, provide habitats for a vast diversity of microorganisms, and are closely involved in the cycling of matter and energy. However, exploring the architecture of soil microaggregates and their linkage to soil functions remains a challenging but demanding scientific endeavor. With the advent of complementary spectromicroscopic and tomographic techniques, we can now assess and visualize the size, composition, and porosity of microaggregates and the spatial arrangement of their interior building units. Their combinations with advanced experimental pedology, multi-isotope labeling experiments, and computational approaches pave the way to investigate microaggregate turnover and stability, explore their role in element cycling, and unravel the intricate linkage between structure and function. However, spectromicroscopic techniques operate at different scales and resolutions, and have specific requirements for sample preparation and microaggregate isolation; hence, special attention must be paid to both the separation of microaggregates in a reproducible manner and the synopsis of the geography of information that originates from the diverse complementary instrumental techniques. The latter calls for further development of strategies for synlocation and synscaling beyond the present state of correlative analysis. Here, we present examples of recent scientific progress and review both options and challenges of the joint application of cutting-edge techniques to achieve a sophisticated picture of the properties and functions of soil microaggregates.

Authors with CRIS profile

Alexander Prechtel Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Mathematik (Modellierung und Numerik)

Involved external institutions

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover DE Germany (DE) Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena DE Germany (DE) Technische Universität München (TUM) DE Germany (DE) Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt DE Germany (DE) Forschungszentrum Jülich / Research Centre Jülich (FZJ) DE Germany (DE) Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn DE Germany (DE) Universität Bayreuth DE Germany (DE) Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Amelung, W., Tang, N., Siebers, N., Aehnelt, M., Eusterhues, K., Felde, V.J.,... Totsche, K.U. (2023). Architecture of soil microaggregates: Advanced methodologies to explore properties and functions. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jpln.202300149

MLA:

Amelung, Wulf, et al. "Architecture of soil microaggregates: Advanced methodologies to explore properties and functions." Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science (2023).

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