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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soils in hyper‐arid climates, such as the Chilean Atacama Desert, show indications of past and present forms of life despite extreme water limitations. We hypothesize that fog plays a key role in sustaining life. In particular, we assume that fog water is incorporated into soil nutrient cycles, with the inland limit of fog penetration corresponding to the threshold for biological cycling of soil phosphorus (P). We collected topsoil samples (0–10 cm) from each of 54 subsites, including sites in direct adjacency (<10 cm) and in 1 m distance to plants, along an aridity gradient across the Coastal Cordillera. Satellite‐based fog detection revealed that Pacific fog penetrates up to 10 km inland, while inland sites at 10–23 km from the coast rely solely on sporadic rainfall for water supply. To assess biological P cycling we performed sequential P fractionation and determined oxygen isotope of HCl‐extractable inorganic Pδ18OHCl−Pi$$ \mathrm{P}\ \left({\updelta}^{18}{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{HCl}-{\mathrm{P}}_{\mathrm{i}}}\right) $$. Total P (Pt) concentration exponentially increased from 336 mg kg−1 to a maximum of 1021 mg kg−1 in inland areas ≥10 km. With increasing distance from the coast, soil δ18OHCl−Pi$$ {\updelta}^{18}{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{HCl}-{\mathrm{P}}_{\mathrm{i}}} $$ values declined exponentially from 16.6‰ to a constant 9.9‰ for locations ≥10 km inland. Biological cycling of HCl‐Pi near the coast reached a maximum of 76%–100%, which could only be explained by the fact that fog water predominately drives biological P cycling. In inland regions, with minimal rainfall (<5 mm) as single water source, only 24 ± 14% of HCl‐Pi was biologically cycled. We conclude that biological P cycling in the hyper‐arid Atacama Desert is not exclusively but mainly mediated by fog, which thus controls apatite dissolution rates and related occurrence and spread of microbial life in this extreme environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic matter (SOM) and pH are key ecosystem drivers, influencing resilience to environmental change. We tested the separate effects of pH and SOM on nutrient availability, plant strategies, and soil community composition in calcareous and acidic Grey dunes (H2130) with low, intermediate, and/or high SOM, which differ in sensitivity to high atmospheric N deposition. Soil organic matter was mainly important for biomass parameters of plants, microbes, and soil animals, and for microarthropod diversity and network complexity. However, differences in pH led to fundamental differences in P availability and plant strategies, which overruled the normal soil community patterns, and influenced resilience to N deposition. In calcareous dunes with low grass‐encroachment, P availability was low despite high amounts of inorganic P, due to low solubility of calcium phosphates and strong P sorption to Fe oxides at high pH. Calcareous dunes were dominated by low‐competitive arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) plants, which profit from mycorrhiza especially at low P. In acidic dunes with high grass‐encroachment, P availability increased as calcium phosphates dissolved and P sorption weakened with the shift from Fe oxides to Fe‐OM complexes. Weakly sorbed and colloidal P increased, and at least part of the sorbed P was organic. Acidic dunes were dominated by nonmycorrhizal (NM) plants, which increase P uptake through exudation of carboxylates and phosphatase enzymes, which release weakly sorbed P, and disintegrate labile organic P. The shifts in P availability and plant strategies also changed the soil community. Contrary to expectations, the bacterial pathway was more important in acidic than in calcareous dunes, possibly due to exudation of carboxylates and phosphatases by NM plants, which serve as bacterial food resource. Also, the fungal AM pathway was enhanced in calcareous dunes, and fungal feeders more abundant, due to the presence of AM fungi. The changes in soil communities in turn reduced expected differences in N cycling between calcareous and acidic dunes. Our results show that SOM and pH are important, but separate ecosystem drivers in Grey dunes. Differences in resilience to N deposition are mainly due to pH effects on P availability and plant strategies, which in turn overruled soil community patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: All soils harbor microaggregates, i.e., compound soil structures smaller than 250 µm. These microaggregates are composed of diverse mineral, organic and biotic materials that are bound together during pedogenesis by various physical, chemical and biological processes. Consequently, microaggregates can withstand strong mechanical and physicochemical stresses and survive slaking in water, allowing them to persist in soils for several decades. Together with the physiochemical heterogeneity of their surfaces, the three‐dimensional structure of microaggregates provides a large variety of ecological niches that contribute to the vast biological diversity found in soils. As reported for larger aggregate units, microaggregates are composed of smaller building units that become more complex with increasing size. In this context, organo‐mineral associations can be considered structural units of soil aggregates and as nanoparticulate fractions of the microaggregates themselves. The mineral phases considered to be the most important as microaggregate forming materials are the clay minerals and Fe‐ and Al‐(hydr)oxides. Within microaggregates, minerals are bound together primarily by physicochemical and chemical interactions involving cementing and gluing agents. The former comprise, among others, carbonates and the short‐range ordered phases of Fe, Mn, and Al. The latter comprise organic materials of diverse origin and probably involve macromolecules and macromolecular mixtures. Work on microaggregate structure and development has largely focused on organic matter stability and turnover. However, little is known concerning the role microaggregates play in the fate of elements like Si, Fe, Al, P, and S. More recently, the role of microaggregates in the formation of microhabitats and the biogeography and diversity of microbial communities has been investigated. Little is known regarding how microaggregates and their properties change in time, which strongly limits our understanding of micro‐scale soil structure dynamics. Similarly, only limited information is available on the mechanical stability of microaggregates, while essentially nothing is known about the flow and transport of fluids and solutes within the micro‐ and nanoporous microaggregate systems. Any quantitative approaches being developed for the modeling of formation, structure and properties of microaggregates are, therefore, in their infancy. We respond to the growing awareness of the importance of microaggregates for the structure, properties and functions of soils by reviewing what is currently known about the formation, composition and turnover of microaggregates. We aim to provide a better understanding of their role in soil function, and to present the major unknowns in current microaggregate research. We propose a harmonized concept for aggregates in soils that explicitly considers the structure and build‐up of microaggregates and the role of organo‐mineral associations. We call for experiments, studies and modeling endeavors that will link information on aggregate forming materials with their functional properties across a range of scales in order to better understand microaggregate formation and turnover. Finally, we hope to inspire a novel cohort of soil scientists that they might focus their research on improving our understanding of the role of microaggregates within the system of aggregates and so help to develop a unified and quantitative concept of aggregation processes in soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elemental contents in catchment headwaters are indicative of the load of nutrients and minerals cycled or released from ecosystems, yet little is known about natural colloids (1-1000 nm) and especially natural nanoparticles (NNP, 1-100 nm) as nutrient carriers in forested headwater streams. We hypothesize that the majority of P is bound to NNP in forest streams but that their size and composition varies for different forested headwater systems. Four forested sites in Germany and one in Norway, which differ in total P content, were sampled for stream water and analyzed for colloids. The samples were fractionated using field flow fractionation coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and an organic C detector. The results showed that NNP and colloids from all sites could be separated into three distinct fractions (approximately 1-20 nm, >20-60 nm, and >60 nm). The elemental concentrations of P, organic C, Al, Si, Fe, and Mn in the fractions differed among the five sites. However, cluster analysis showed that each fraction had unique elemental signatures with different preferential P binding partners. Phosphorus was preferentially associated with Fe in the smallest size fraction, with an increasing contribution of organic-C-associated P as the fraction size increased. The largest fraction was dominated by clay minerals. Also, the data indicated that the relative contribution of the NNP and colloidal fractions for ecosystem nutrient supply rises as total P concentrations decline. The study highlighted the still underestimated importance of NNP for matter transport in forest streams and thus P cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is essential for sustainable forest growth, yet the impact of anthropogenic impacts on P leaching losses from forest soils is hardly known. We conducted an irrigation experiment with 128 mesocosms from three forest sites representing a gradient of resin extractable P of the A-horizon. On each site we selected a Fagus sylvatica and a Picea abies managed subsite. We simulated ambient rain (AR), anthropogenic nitrogen input (NI) of 100 kg (ha · a)−1 and forest liming (FL) with a dolomite input of 0.3 Mg (ha · a)−1. Soil solution was extracted from the organic layer, 10 cm depth and 20 cm depth of the mesocosms, and analyzed for molybdate reactive phosphorus (MRP) and molybdate unreactive phosphorus (MUP). Additionally, we separated colloids from the soil solution using Asymmetric Field Flow Fractionation for assessing the colloidal fraction of total element concentrations. NI increased MRP and MUP concentrations for all plots with one exception, while FL decreased MRP and MUP with the exception of another plot. While the irrigation treatments had little impact on the P-richest site, MRP and MUP concentrations changed strongly at the poorer sites. The colloidal fraction of P in the soil solution equaled 38-47% of the total P load. Nitrogen input and liming also affected the Fe, Al, Ca, and Corg contents of the colloidal fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding and quantification of phosphorus (P) fluxes are key requirements for predictions of future forest ecosystems changes as well as for transferring lessons learned from natural ecosystems to croplands and plantations. This review summarizes and evaluates the recent knowledge on mechanisms, magnitude, and relevance by which dissolved and colloidal inorganic and organic P forms can be translocated within or exported from forest ecosystems. Attention is paid to hydrological pathways of P losses at the soil profile and landscape scales, and the subsequent influence of P on aquatic ecosystems. New (unpublished) data from the German Priority Program 1685 ' Ecosystem Nutrition: Forest Strategies for limited Phosphorus Resources' were added to provide up-to-date flux-based information. Nitrogen (N) additions increase the release of water-transportable P forms. Most P found in percolates and pore waters belongs to the so-called dissolved organic P (DOP) fractions, rich in orthophosphate-monoesters and also containing some orthophosphate-diesters. Total solution P concentrations range from ca. 1 to 400 µg P L−1, with large variations among forest stands. Recent sophisticated analyses revealed that large portions of the DOP in forest stream water can comprise natural nanoparticles and fine colloids which under extreme conditions may account for 40-100% of the P losses. Their translocation within preferential flow passes may be rapid, mediated by storm events. The potential total P loss through leaching into subsoils and with streams was found to be less than 50 mg P m−2 a−1, suggesting effects on ecosystems at centennial to millennium scale. All current data are based on selected snapshots only. Quantitative measurements of P fluxes in temperate forest systems are nearly absent in the literature, probably due to main research focus on the C and N cycles. Therefore, we lack complete ecosystem-based assessments of dissolved and colloidal P fluxes within and from temperate forest systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles and colloids affect the storage and hence the availability of P in forest ecosystems. We investigated the fine colloids present in forest soils and their association with inorganic and organic P. To differentiate between the different P forms, we performed liquid-state 31P-nucelar magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) measurements on forest bulk soil extracts, on colloid extracts and on the electrolyte phase of their soil suspensions. The 31P-NMR spectra indicated that soil nanoparticles and colloids were more enriched with organic than with inorganic P forms compared to the electrolyte phase. The P concentration was enriched in the colloidal fraction in comparison to the bulk soil and the phosphate diesters were more dominant in the colloidal fraction when compared to the bulk soil. The colloidal P-diester to P-monoester ratios were 2 to 3 times higher in the colloidal fraction than in the bulk soil. In contrast, relatively large percentages of inorganic P were found in the electrolyte phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the limited solubility of phosphorus (P) in soil, understanding its binding in fine colloids is vital to better forecast P dynamics and losses in agricultural systems. We hypothesized that water-dispersible P is present as nanoparticles and that iron (Fe) plays a crucial role for P binding to these nanoparticles. To test this, we isolated water-dispersible fine colloids (WDFC) from an arable topsoil (Haplic Luvisol, Germany) and assessed colloidal P forms after asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation coupled with ultraviolet and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, with and without removal of amorphous and crystalline Fe oxides using oxalate and dithionite, respectively. We found that fine colloidal P was present in two dominant sizes: (i) in associations of organic matter and amorphous Fe (Al) oxides in nanoparticles <20 nm, and (ii) in aggregates of fine clay, organic matter and Fe oxides (more crystalline Fe oxides) with a mean diameter of 170 to 225 nm. Solution 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra indicated that the organically bound P predominantly comprised orthophosphate-monoesters. Approximately 65% of P in the WDFC was liberated after the removal of Fe oxides (especially amorphous Fe oxides). The remaining P was bound to larger-sized WDFC particles and Fe bearing phyllosilicate minerals. Intriguingly, the removal of Fe by dithionite resulted in a disaggregation of the nanoparticles, evident in higher portions of organically bound P in the <20 nm nanoparticle fraction, and a widening of size distribution pattern in larger-sized WDFC fraction. We conclude that the crystalline Fe oxides contributed to soil P sequestration by (i) acting as cementing agents contributing to soil fine colloid aggregation, and (ii) binding not only inorganic but also organic P in larger soil WDFC particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study characterizes bound P on fine colloids and nanoparticles in stream water through asymmetric flow field flow fractionation coupled online to detectors for size-resolved elemental detection. The developed methodology enables tracing both the inputs and source regions of colloidal fractions containing P, Al, Fe, and C for the first time. Natural fine colloids and nanoparticles have the potential to encapsulate and bind nutrients. Their size and composition is therefore relevant to understand the transport of essential nutrients like phosphorus in an aquatic ecosystem. The aim of this study was to characterize fine colloidal and nanoparticulate bound P of distinct hydromorphological areas in stream water from a forested test site in a small headwater catchment. Asymmetric flow field flow fractionation coupled online to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was applied for size-resolved detection of P, Fe, and Al in the fractions. Online P detection was a challenge due to the low concentrations (in this study down to 0.1 μg/L) in many natural waters. Additionally, the "dissolved" organic matter (DOM) content was derived from the online UV signal. The colloidal P occurred in two size fractions (2-20 and 21-300 nm), which constituted up to 100% of the total river P discharge depending on hydromorphology. For the small size fraction, variations in P concentrations correlated with Al variations; in addition, a high Fe presence in both fractions was accompanied by high P concentrations. Moreover, DOM was detected with P in the presence of Fe and Al, suggesting that Fe and Al are carriers of P and associated with organic matter. The developed methodology enables the inputs and source regions of fine colloidal and nanoparticulate fractions within a small river of a headwater catchment to be traced and conceptually defined for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]