Different drivers of soil C accumulation in aggregates in response to altered precipitation in a semiarid grassland

Soil carbon (C) stabilization partially depends on its distribution within soil structural aggregates, and on the physicochemical processes of C within these aggregates. Changes in precipitation can alter the size distribution of aggregate classes within soils, and C input and output processes within these aggregates, which have potential consequences for soil C storage. However, the mechanisms underlying C accumulation within different aggregates under various precipitation regimes remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a 3-year field manipulation experiment to test the effects of a gradient of altered precipitation (-70%, -50%, -30%, 0%, +30%, and +50% amounts compared with ambient rainfall) on soil aggregate distribution and C accumulation in aggregates (53-250 μm, microaggregates; < 53 μm, silt and clay fractions) in a meadow steppe of northeastern China. Our results revealed that the distribution of soil microaggregates decreased along the precipitation gradient, with no detectable discrepant responses with respect to soil C accumulation within the microaggregates to precipitation treatments. In contrast, higher precipitation amounts coupled with a greater proportion of silt and clay fractions enhanced the accumulation of soil C. Importantly, structural equation models revealed that the pathways by which changes in precipitation control the accumulation of soil C varied across aggregate size fractions. Plant biomass was the main direct factor controlling the accumulation of C within soil microaggregates, whereas soil aggregate distribution and enzyme activities strongly interacted with soil C accumulation in the silt and clay fractions. Our findings imply that identifying how plant and soil aggregate properties respond to precipitation changes and drive C accumulation among soil particles will enhance the ability to predict responses of ecosystem processes to future global change.