Pore structure in detritusphere of soils under switchgrass and restored
prairie vegetation community
Abstract
Root detritusphere, i.e., the soil in vicinity of decomposing root
residues, plays an important role in soil microbial activity and C
sequestration. Pore structure (size distributions and connectivity of
soil pores) in the detritusphere serves as a major driver for these
processes and, in turn, is influenced by physical characteristics of
both soil and roots. This study compared pore structure characteristics
in root detritusphere of soils of contrasting texture and mineralogy
subjected to >6 years of contrasting vegetation:
monoculture switchgrass and polyculture prairie systems. Soil samples
were collected from five experimental sites in the US Midwest
representing three soil types. Soil texture and mineralogy were measured
using hydrometer and X-ray powder diffraction, respectively. The intact
cores were scanned with X-ray computed micro-tomography to identify
visible soil pores, biopores, and particulate organic matter (POM). We
specifically focused on pore structure within the detritusphere around
the POM of root origin. Results showed that detritusphere of
coarser-textured soils, characterized by high sand and quartz contents,
had lower porosity in the vicinity of POM compared to finer-textured
soils. POM vicinities in finer soils had high proportions of large
(>300 μm Ø) pores, and their pores were better connected
than in coarser soils. Lower porosity in outer (>1 mm)
parts of detritusphere of switchgrass than of prairie suggested soil
compaction by roots, and the effect especially pronounced in coarser
soils. The results demonstrated that soil texture and mineralogy played
a major, while vegetation a more modest, role in defining the pore
structure in root detritusphere.