... theuptake and degradation of organic matter by microorganisms, then DOM should play akey role in the stabilisation and destabilisation of soil organic matter, and thus, in Cdynamics and C pools of soils. ... reserved.Keywords: Bioavailability; Biodegradation; Dissolved organic matter; DOC1. Introduction In the past 10 years, much progress has been made in the understanding of dissolved organic matter (DOM) ... in the preservation of organic matter in soils. Org. Geochem. 31, 711 – 725.Kaiser, K., Guggenberger, G., Zech, W., 2001a. Organically bound nutrients in dissolved organic matter fractionsin...