Papers by Karsten Kalbitz
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2002
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Recognition of the importance of feedbacks from plants in determining soil nutrient dynamics and ... more Recognition of the importance of feedbacks from plants in determining soil nutrient dynamics and C storage led to a large number of litter decomposition studies. Despite growing knowledge of short-term litter dynamics, we know relatively little about the fate of plant litter and its role in determining SOM content and nutrient cycling over time scales ranging from decades and centuries.
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The Science of the total environment, Jan 15, 2009
The changes in the amounts and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) following long-term ... more The changes in the amounts and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) following long-term peat restoration are unknown, although this fraction of soil organic matter affects many processes in such ecosystems. We addressed this lack of knowledge by investigating a peatland in south-west Germany that was partly rewetted 20 years ago. A successfully restored site and a moderately drained site were compared, where the mean groundwater levels were close to the soil surface and around 30 cm below surface, respectively. The concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) at 4 depths were measured over one year. The specific absorbance was measured at 280 nm and the fluorescence spectra were used to describe the aromaticity and complexity of DOM. The investigations showed that 20 years of peatland restoration was able to create typical peatland conditions. The rewetted site had significantly lower DOC concentrations at different depths compared to the drained site. The specific UV a...
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PloS one, 2014
A better process understanding of how water erosion influences the redistribution of soil organic... more A better process understanding of how water erosion influences the redistribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) is sorely needed to unravel the role of soil erosion for the carbon (C) budget from local to global scales. The main objective of this study was to determine SOC redistribution and the complete C budget of a loess soil affected by water erosion. We measured fluxes of SOC, dissolved organic C (DOC) and CO2 in a pseudo-replicated rainfall-simulation experiment. We characterized different C fractions in soils and redistributed sediments using density fractionation and determined C enrichment ratios (CER) in the transported sediments. Erosion, transport and subsequent deposition resulted in significantly higher CER of the sediments exported ranging between 1.3 and 4.0. In the exported sediments, C contents (mg per g soil) of particulate organic C (POC, C not bound to soil minerals) and mineral-associated organic C (MOC) were both significantly higher than those of non-eroded so...
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Geoderma, 2010
Paddy soils make up the largest anthropogenic wetlands on earth. They may originate from any type... more Paddy soils make up the largest anthropogenic wetlands on earth. They may originate from any type of soil in pedological terms, but are highly modified by anthropogenic activities. The formation of these Anthrosols is induced by tilling the wet soil (puddling), and the flooding and drainage regime associated with the development of a plough pan and specific redoximorphic features. Redox
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Effects of redox conditions on the adsorption of dissolved organic matter to soil minerals and di... more Effects of redox conditions on the adsorption of dissolved organic matter to soil minerals and differently aged paddy soils Meike Sauerwein1, Alexander Hanke2, Klaus Kaiser3, Karsten Kalbitz2 1) Dept. of Soil Ecology, Bayreuth Centre of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany, meike.sauerwein@gmail.com 2) Institute of ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity, University of Amsterdam, 1018 WV, Netherlands,
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Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2005
The main process by which dissolved organic matter (DOM) is retained in forest soils is likely to... more The main process by which dissolved organic matter (DOM) is retained in forest soils is likely to be sorption in the mineral horizons that adds to stabilized organic matter (OM) pools. The objectives of this study were to determine the extent of degradation of sorbed OM and to investigate changes in its composition during degradation. DOM of different origins was
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Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soils plays an important role in the biogeochemistry of carbon,... more Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soils plays an important role in the biogeochemistry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, in pedogenesis, and in the transport of pollutants in soils. The aim of this review is to summarize the recent literature about controls on DOM concentrations and fluxes in soils. The authors focus on comparing results between laboratory and field investigations and
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In spite of soil salinity having been widely studied in many part of the world, origin of salinit... more In spite of soil salinity having been widely studied in many part of the world, origin of salinity has not been addresses in detail in some of the most productive agricultural areas of Europe (e.g. southeast of Spain). According to the European Commission, salinization affects about 1 to 3 million ha of the area of the European Union and Candidate Countries. In Europe, most of the salt-affected land surfaces are concentrated in the Mediterranean basin. In Spain, about 3% of the 3.5 million hectares of irrigated land are severely affected by salts and another 15% is at serious risk of imminent salinization. Due to the limited water resources in southeast of Spain, water with marginal quality is used for irrigation. The use of this water has led to degradation, reduction of the land's production capacity and soil salinization. The main aim of the present study was to identify the origin of the salts involved in such salinization, using classical and multivariable statistical tech...
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Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2006
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Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2002
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Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2005
Litter is one of the main sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in forest soils and litter de... more Litter is one of the main sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in forest soils and litter decomposition is an important control of carbon storage and DOC dynamics. The aim of our study was to evaluate (i) effects of tree species on DOC production and (ii) relationships ...
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Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2003
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Soil and Tillage Research, 2010
In this study we tested the hypothesis that water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) content and i... more In this study we tested the hypothesis that water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) content and its properties can be used to distinguish conventionally (CONV) from organically (ORG) managed arable soils as responsible for C mineralization. We sampled soils at three different European sites located in Mediterranean (Italy) and continental (Switzerland) regions under conventional and organic management. The Mediterranean sites are here
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Science of The Total Environment, 2014
The conservation of biodiverse wetland vegetation, including that of rich fens, has a high priori... more The conservation of biodiverse wetland vegetation, including that of rich fens, has a high priority at a global scale. Although P-eutrophication may strongly decrease biodiversity in rich fens, some well-developed habitats do still survive in highly fertilized regions due to nutrient filtering services of large wetlands. The occurrence of such nutrient gradients is well-known, but the biogeochemical mechanisms that determine these patterns are often unclear. We therefore analyzed chemical speciation and binding of relevant nutrients and minerals in surface waters, soils and plants along such gradients in the large Ramsar nature reserve Weerribben-Wieden in the Netherlands. P-availability was lowest in relatively isolated floating rich fens, where plant N:P ratios indicated P-limitation. P-limitation can persist here despite high P-concentrations in surface waters near the peripheral entry locations, because only a small part of the P-input reaches the more isolated waters and fens. This pattern in P-availability appears to be primarily due to precipitation of Fe-phosphates, which mainly occurs close to entry locations as indicated by decreasing concentrations of Fe- and Al-bound P in the sub-aquatic sediments along this gradient. A further decrease of P-availability is caused by biological sequestration, which occurs throughout the wetland as indicated by equal concentrations of organic P in all sub-aquatic sediments. Our results clearly show that the periphery of large wetlands does indeed act as an efficient P-filter, sustaining the necessary P-limitation in more isolated parts. However, this filtering function does harm the ecological quality of the peripheral parts of the reserve. The filtering mechanisms, such as precipitation of Fe-phosphates and biological uptake of P, are crucial for the conservation and restoration of biodiverse rich fens in wetlands that receive eutrophic water from their surroundings. This seems to implicate that biodiverse wetland vegetation requires larger areas, as long as eutrophication has not been seriously tackled.
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Science of The Total Environment, 1998
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Journal of Chromatography A, 1994
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Science of The Total Environment, 1997
The β isomer of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) which is formed during synthesis of the... more The β isomer of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) which is formed during synthesis of the pesticide lindane shows high mobility in polluted soils despite its low water solubility. Therefore, we studied the correlation between the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the mobilization and transport of β-HCH in two soil profiles used as grassland and in incubation experiments. From
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Papers by Karsten Kalbitz