Soil microbial biomass and microbial products play an important role in the
stabilization of soil structure and, in turn, as a feedback, structure is
believed to be a significant control of C dynamics in soils. We investigate
d the microbial mineralization and assimilation of added C-13-[U]-glucose w
ithin macro- and microaggregates from surface soils (Humic Gleysol) obtaine
d from long-term plots amended or not with cattle manure (20 Mg ha(-1) yr(-
1) for 18 yr). Slaking-resistant macroaggregates (250-1000 mu m) and microa
ggregates (53-250 mu m) were separated by wet sieving and incubated with C-
13-labeled glucose (1000 mu g C g(-1) soil) and (NH4)SO4 (67 mu g N g(-1) s
oil) for 14 d at 25 degrees C following a 7-d period of conditioning at 25
degrees C. The production of C-13- labeled CO2 was measured periodically an
d the chloroform-labile C (microbial biomass) derived from glucose was dete
rmined at the end of the 14-d incubation. The added glucose was mineralized
less but assimilated more in the microbial biomass of macroaggregates than
in microaggregates, and this effect was generally greater in the manure-am
ended soil. Overall,the percentage of C-13-labeled glucose assimilated was
inversely correlated (r = 0.59) with that mineralized during the 14-d incub
ation, The size of the native biomass 14 d after glucose addition followed
the same trend as that of the glucose-derived biomass. Our results support
the hypothesis that stable macroaggregates, especially those from manured-s
oil, support a greater microbial biomass than microaggregates and constitut
e 'hot-spots' for the metabolism of readily-available substrates, (C) 2000
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