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Species and root traits impact macroaggregation in the rhizospheric soil of a Mediterranean common garden experiment

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Abstract

Background and aims

We evaluated the influence of plant species and life forms on soil aggregate distribution among size-classes, total macroaggregate mass and aggregate mean weight diameter (MWD), and examined how specific root traits were related to these aggregation variables.

Methods

We analyzed the soil attached to the roots (i.e., rhizospheric soil) under 13 Mediterranean species grown in monocultures in a common garden experiment for four years, and compared it to a bare soil. The mass distribution of aggregates in six size-classes and aggregate MWD were calculated, both on a rhizospheric soil and root biomass basis.

Results

Compared to bare soil, macroaggregate mass increased by an average of 13% in the presence of plants, with a strong effect of species and life forms (both P < 0.0001); some species such as Sanguisorba minor showing increases of up to ~40%. Although the soil under graminoids had a greater macroaggregate mass, their MWD was lower than under non-woody dicots. Large (2000–1000 μm) and intermediate (1000–500 μm) macroaggregate mass increased with root mass and length density and decreased with root lignin concentration, while very large macroaggregate (6000–2000 μm) mass and the MWD increased with root soluble compound concentration.

Conclusions

Species and life forms differently influenced the distribution of macroaggregates among size-classes and aggregate MWD. Easily-decomposable roots with traits related to resource acquisition (i.e., high fine root length, high water-soluble compound concentration) are more favorable for the development of water-stable macroaggregates than roots traits related to resource conservation (high lignin concentration, thick roots).

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies for financial support through a postdoctoral fellowship awarded to Vincent Poirier, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for a Discovery grant awarded to Alison D. Munson., the Groupement de Recherche International “Dynamique de la biodiversité et traits d’histoire de vie” (GDRI-n°BFC 44745, CNRS, France) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (project O2LA, ANR-09-STRA-09) for financial support through the experiment. Thanks are due to the staff of the Plateforme d’Analyses Chimiques en Ecologie (PACE) and of the CEFE experimental field (technical facilities of the Labex Centre Méditerranean de l’Environnement et de la Biodiversité, CEMEB). We are also thankful to Étienne Laliberté, Claire Chenu and Grégoire Freschet for helpful comments and discussions.

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Author notes

  1. Vincent Poirier

    Present address: Unité de recherche et de développement en agroalimentaire de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 79 rue Côté, Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Québec, J0Z 3B0, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Forest Research, Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt, Faculté de foresterie, de géographie et de géomatique, Université Laval, 2405 rue de la Terrasse, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Vincent Poirier & Alison D. Munson

  2. Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Catherine Roumet

  3. Quebec Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2560 Hochelaga Blvd., Québec, Québec, G1V 2J3, Canada

    Denis A. Angers

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  1. Vincent Poirier
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Correspondence to Vincent Poirier.

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Fig. S1.

Mass distribution of rhizospheric soil among aggregate size classes expressed per unit soil mass for bare soil, 13 species and life forms. a) Very large macroaggregates (VLMsoil), b) Large macroaggregates (LMsoil), c) Intermediate macroaggregates (IMsoil), d) Small macroaggregates (SMsoil), e) Microaggregates (Misoil) and f) Fine fraction (Finesoil). See Table 1 for species abbreviations. * The mass distribution of aggregates in the bulk soil is given since no plants were present in the bare soil. (GIF 422 kb)

High resolution image (TIFF 3672 kb)

Fig. S2.

Mass distribution of rhizospheric soil among aggregate size classes expressed per unit belowground biomass to depth of 0-10 cm (BB) for bare soil, 13 species and life forms. a) Very large macroaggregates (VLMBB), b) Large macroaggregates (LMBB), c) Intermediate macroaggregates (IMBB), d) Small macroaggregates (SM BB), e) Microaggregates (MiBB) and f) Fine fraction (FineBB). See Table 1 for species abbreviations. (GIF 407 kb)

High resolution image (TIFF 3100 kb)

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Poirier, V., Roumet, C., Angers, D.A. et al. Species and root traits impact macroaggregation in the rhizospheric soil of a Mediterranean common garden experiment. Plant Soil 424, 289–302 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3407-6

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