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Open Access Green möglich sobald Postprint bei der ZB eingereicht worden ist.
Organic carbon sequestration in earthworm burrows.
Soil Biol. Biochem. 40, 1803-1812 (2008)
Earthworms strongly affect soil organic carbon cycling. The aim of this study was to determine whether deep burrowing anecic earthworms enhance carbon storage in soils and decrease C turnover. Earthworm burrow linings were separated into thin cylindrical sections with different distances from the burrow wall to determine gradients from the burrow wall to the surrounding soil. Organic C, total N, radiocarbon (14C) concentration, stable isotope values (?13C, ?15N) and extracellular enzyme activities were measured in these samples. Anecic earthworms increased C stocks by 270 and 310 g m-2 accumulated in the vertical burrows. C-enrichment of the burrow linings was spatially highly variable within a distance of millimetres around the burrow walls. It was shown that C accumulation in burrows can be fast with C sequestration rates of about 22 g C m-2 yr-1 in the burrow linings, but accumulated C in the burrows may be mineralised fast with turnover times of only 3–5 years. Carbon stocks in earthworm burrows strongly depended on the earthworm activity which maintains continuous C input into the burrows. The enhanced extracellular enzyme activity of fresh casts was not persistent, but was 47% lower in inhabited burrows and 62% lower in abandoned burrows. Enzyme activities followed the C concentrations in the burrows and were not further suppressed due to earthworms. Radiocarbon concentrations and stable isotopes in the burrow linings showed an exponential gradient with the youngest and less degraded organic matter in the innermost part of the burrow wall. Carbon accumulation by anecic earthworm is restricted to distinct burrows with less influence to the surrounding soil. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, that organic C is stabilised due to earthworms, relaxation time experiments with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) did not reveal any enhanced adsorption of C on iron oxides with C stabilising effect. Our results suggest that earthworm activity does not substantially increase subsoil C stocks but burrows serve as fast ways for fresh C transport into deep soil horizons.
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Publikationstyp
Artikel: Journalartikel
Dokumenttyp
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
Schlagwörter
Anecic earthworms; C turnover; Earthworm burrows; Lumbricus terrestris; Soil organic carbon
ISSN (print) / ISBN
0038-0717
e-ISSN
1879-3428
Zeitschrift
Soil Biology & Biochemistry
Quellenangaben
Band: 40,
Heft: 7,
Seiten: 1803-1812
Verlag
Elsevier
Verlagsort
Amsterdam
Nichtpatentliteratur
Publikationen
Begutachtungsstatus
Peer reviewed
Institut(e)
Institute of Soil Ecology (IBOE)