The main causes of the variation in the soil aggregate proportion and stability along gradient of natural forests in the outer Western Carpathians, Czech Republic

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F86652079%3A_____%2F25%3A00640224" target="_blank" >RIV/86652079:_____/25:00640224 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60460709:41210/25:102521 RIV/62156489:43410/25:43927560

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125003842?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125003842?via%3Dihub</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117543" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117543</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The main causes of the variation in the soil aggregate proportion and stability along gradient of natural forests in the outer Western Carpathians, Czech Republic

Original language description

In soils, the proportion and stability of aggregates tends to differ with local relief and/or plant cover. In this study, we assess the dependence of forest soil aggregation on physical, physicochemical and (bio)chemical properties in a) topsoil and subsurface horizons, and b) between reference soil groups, altitudes and natural vegetation, in the Outer Western Carpathians (Czech Republic). Relationships between soil properties were modelled using multiple logistic regression, while impacts of habitat divisions were assessed through discriminant analysis. Overall, soil properties impacted aggregate stability indices more (R 2 proportion (R 2 0.40–0.57) than aggregate 0.12–0.58) with diameter < 3 mm. Aggregate stability in topsoil was mainly influenced by clay content, total organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, base saturation and activity of the enzymes acid phosphomonoesterase and urease. In deeper horizons, the influence of biogenic activity was reduced, with aggregation controlled mainly by sorption processes such as pH, base saturation and catalase activity. Bulk density was most affected by biogenic components in topsoil, which indirectly influenced porosity, total organic carbon and acid phosphomonoesterase activity. Water-holding capacity and porosity, closely linked to aggregate structure, better predicted macroaggregation than microaggregation. Thus, in natural forests, soil aggregation is most correlated with distribution of soil properties. Aggregate proportion differed markedly between broadleaved and coniferous forests, while aggregate stability differed most between marginal forest-steppe conditions and temperate forests from floodplains to mountains. Importantly, the results strongly support the main hypothesis that vegetation (forest community) has a stronger influence on soil aggregation than natural factors such as soil type or altitude. In contrast, presence of natural forest accounted for 59.9–71.9 % of soil aggregate proportion (SAP) in topsoil or subsurface horizons, and 54.0–75.0 % of aggregate stability (AS), Altitude affected 63.3–85.4 % of SAP and 53.9–64.6 % of AS, and soil group 57.3–81.3 % of SAP and 51.8–71.3 % of AS. These patterns reflect strong ecosystem gradients, with mixed and broadleaved forests supporting deeper, more stable aggregation than coniferous or marginal forest-steppe. Our findings highlight the fact that soil microbial activity and enzymatic functions, enhanced by species-rich vegetation, are the drivers of carbon sequestration and soil structure resilience, and that mixed forests promote aggregation across horizons, increasing carbon retention and ecosystem adaptability under changing habitat conditions.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

40102 - Forestry

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Geoderma

ISSN

0016-7061

e-ISSN

1872-6259

Volume of the periodical

462

Issue of the periodical within the volume

OCT

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

13

Pages from-to

117543

UT code for WoS article

001598213600001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105018298138