Abstract. Salt-affected soils will become more frequent in the next decades as arid and semiarid ecosystems are predicted to expand as a result of climate change. Nevertheless, little is known about organic matter (OM) dynamics in these soils, though OM is crucial for soil fertility and represents an important carbon sink. We aimed at investigating OM dynamics along a salinity and sodicity gradient in the soils of the southwestern Siberian Kulunda steppe (Kastanozem, non-sodic Solonchak, Sodic Solonchak) by assessing the organic carbon (OC) stocks, the quantity and quality of particulate and mineral-associated OM in terms of non-cellulosic neutral sugar contents and carbon isotopes (δ 13 C, 14 C activity), and the microbial community composition based on phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) patterns. Aboveground biomass was measured as a proxy for plant growth and soil OC inputs. Our hypotheses were that (i) soil OC stocks decrease along the salinity gradient, (ii) the proportion and stability of particulate OM is larger in salt-affected Solonchaks compared to non-salt-affected Kastanozems, (iii) sodicity reduces the proportion and stability of mineral-associated OM, and (iv) the fungi : bacteria ratio is negatively correlated with salinity. Against our first hypothesis, OC stocks increased along the salinity gradient with the most pronounced differences between topsoils. In contrast to our second hypothesis, the proportion of particulate OM was unaffected by salinity, thereby accounting for only < 10 % in all three soil types, while mineral-associated OM contributed > 90 %. Isotopic data (δ 13 C, 14 C activity) and neutral sugars in the OM fractions indicated a comparable degree of OM transformation along the salinity gradient and that particulate OM was not more persistent under saline conditions. Our third hypothesis was also rejected, as Sodic Solonchaks contained more than twice as much mineral-bound OC than the Kastanozems, which we ascribe to the flocculation of OM and mineral components under higher ionic strength conditions. Contrary to the fourth hypothesis, the fungi : bacteria ratio in the topsoils remained fairly constant along the salinity gradient. A possible explanation for why our hypotheses were not affirmed is that soil moisture covaried with salinity along the transect, i.e., the Solonchaks were generally wetter than the Kastanozems. This might cause comparable water stress conditions for plants and microorganisms, either due to a low osmotic or a low matric potential and resulting in (i) similar plant growth and hence soil OC inputs along the transect, (ii) a comparable persistence of particulate OM, and (iii) unaffected fungi : bacteria ratios. We conclude that saltaffected soils contribute significantly to the OC storage in the semiarid soils of the Kulunda steppe, while most of the Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 14 N. Bischoff et al.: Organic matter dynamics along a salinity gradient OC is associated with minerals and is therefore effectively s...

Foliar phosphorus (P) concentrations in beech trees are decreasing in Europe, potentially leading to reductions in the trees’ growth and vitality. In the course of climate change, drying and rewetting (DRW) cycles in forest soils are expected to intensify. As a consequence, P leakage from the root zone may increase due to temporarily enhanced organic matter mineralization. We addressed the questions whether sites with different soil properties, including P pools, differ in their susceptibility to DRW-induced P leaching, and whether this is affected by the DRW intensity. A greenhouse experiment was conducted on naturally structured soil columns with beech saplings from three sites representing a gradient of soil P availability. Four DRW cycles were conducted by air-drying and irrigating the soils over 4 hours (fast rewetting) or 48 hours (slow rewetting). Leachates below the soil columns were analyzed for total P, and molybdate reactive P (considered as inorganic P). The difference was considered to represent organically bound P. Boosted regression trees were used to examine the effects of DRW and soil characteristics on P leaching. Contrary to a first hypothesis, that P leaching increases upon rewetting with the intensity of the preceding desiccation phase, intense soil drying (to pF 3.5 to 4.5) did not generally increase P leakage compared to moderate drying (to pF 2 to 3). However, we observed increased inorganic P concentrations and decreased organic P concentrations in leachates after drying to matric potentials above pF 4. Also against our expectations, fast rewetting did not lead to higher leakage of P than slow rewetting. However, the results confirmed our third hypothesis that the site poorest in P, where P recycling is mainly limited to the humus layer and the uppermost mineral soil, lost considerably more P during DRW than the other two sites. The results of our experiment with naturally structured soils imply that intensified drying and rewetting cycles, as predicted by climate-change scenarios, may not per se lead to increased P leaching from forest soils. Soil properties such as soil organic carbon content and texture appear to be more important predictors of P losses.