“…Soil aggregates can be divided according to particle size classification into three particle sizes: macroaggregates ( > 0.25 mm), microaggregates (0.25 −0.053 mm), and silt + clay particles ( < 0.053 mm) ( Dong et al 2022a ). The dynamics of soil C can be further understood by dividing soil C into macroaggregate C, microaggregate C, and silt + clay particles C ( Yao et al 2019 ;Rong et al 2020 ;Liu et al 2023 ). As such, aggregates with different particle sizes respond differently to vegetation restoration ( Zhong et al 2019 ;Liu et al 2023 ).…”