Effects of Robinia pseudoacacia afforestation on aggregate size distribution and organic C dynamics in the central Loess Plateau of China: A chronosequence approach

Afforestation has been proven to have enormous potential for carbon (C) sequestration; however, the dynamics of aggregate-associated organic carbon (OC) following afforestation and their contribution to changes in bulk soil OC are not well understood in regions with serious soil erosion. Therefore, we investigated the dynamics of OC associated with aggregates along a Robinia pseudoacacia (RP) afforestation chronosequence in the Loess Plateau. Soil aggregate size distribution and OC dynamics in bulk soil were analyzed 10, 18, 28, and 42 years after RP afforestation at depths of 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm. Results showed that total macroaggregates (>0.25 mm), mean weight diameter, and geometric mean diameter increased significantly with stand age, after 42 years of afforestation, increased by 433.5%, 437.2%, 302.1% in the 0-20 cm depth, respectively, while microaggregate amounts decreased by 52.9%, and the proportions of silt + clay fraction showed no obvious changes. Long-term afforestation increased OC content and stock, both in bulk soil (245.6% and 222.9% in the 0-20 cm depth, respectively) and soil aggregates. The improvement of soil structure and enrichment of OC stocks were greater at the 0-20 cm depth than the 20-40 cm depth. In addition, small macroaggregates (2-0.25 mm) contained the highest OC content and microaggregates (<0.025 mm) had the highest OC stocks regardless of soil depth and stand age. Across the afforestation chronosequence, OC content and stock in bulk soil positively correlated with large macroaggregate (>2 mm) amounts and small macroaggregate (2-0.25 mm) associated OC dynamics (P < 0.01). These results indicated that changes in bulk soil OC dynamics mainly depend on changes in the proportion of large macroaggregates and in the OC dynamics associated with small macroaggregates after RP afforestation.