Decomposition and stabilization of root litter in top- and subsoil horizons: what is the difference?

Mechanisms leading to high mean residence times of organic matter in subsoil horizons are poorly understood. In lower parts of the soil profile root material contributes greatly to soil organic matter (SOM). The objective of this study was to elucidate the decomposition dynamics of root-derived C and N in different soil depths during a 3 year field experiment and to examine the importance of different protection mechanisms as well as abiotic factors for the decomposition dynamics. Additionally, we assessed the effect of root litter addition on native SOM. Our conceptual approach included the exposure of litterbags with ¹³C and ¹⁵N labeled wheat root material mixed to loamy agricultural soil at three different soil depths (30, 60 and 90 cm). During the incubation period, we monitored soil temperature, humidity and the incorporation of root derived C and N into the soil microbial biomass and physical SOM fractions. Our results showed that abiotic decay conditions were better in subsurface horizons compared to the topsoil. Root litter addition significantly increased the size of microbial biomass in all three soil horizons. In the topsoil, root-derived C decomposition was significantly higher in the first 6 months of incubation compared to subsoil horizons. In 60 and 90 cm depths, a lag phase with development of soil microbial biomass seemed to be prevailing before decomposition was activated. For root-derived N, similar decomposition kinetics could be observed in top- and subsoil horizons. Despite of higher SOM contents, better soil structure and higher microbial activity in the topsoil horizon compared to subsoil horizons, the amounts of root-derived C and N remaining after 3 years were similar for all three depths. Most of the root-derived C and N was present as organo-mineral complexes or occluded in soil aggregates (oPOM), illustrating similar importance of these two protection mechanisms in all three soil depths. Addition of fresh root litter caused small losses of native soil C whereas native N was retained. We conclude that despite of similar SOM protection mechanisms, there are distinct differences in decomposition dynamics of root litter between top- and subsoil horizons. In the long run, the better abiotic decay conditions prevailing in subsoil horizons may compensate for their poorer physico-chemical characteristics.     

易分解有机碳输入量对武夷山常绿阔叶林不同土层深度土壤激发效应的影响

土壤有机碳(SOC)的矿化在碳、氮循环过程中起着极为重要的作用。易分解有机碳的输入可以通过正(负)激发效应加快(减缓)原有SOC的矿化。然而,先前的研究更多关注易分解有机碳输入量对表层(0~20 cm)土壤激发效应的影响,而较少关注其对深层(>20 cm)土壤激发效应的影响。本研究利用¹³C标记葡萄糖(99 atom%)添加试验,研究葡萄糖添加量对武夷山常绿阔叶林表层(0~20 cm)和深层(30~40 cm)土壤激发效应的影响,并通过分析微生物群落组成的变化以及土壤可利用氮含量的变化探讨土壤激发效应产生的机理。结果表明:葡萄糖的添加抑制了表层和深层SOC的矿化(P<0.05),使SOC的矿化量分别减少了26%~61%与62%~68%,呈现负的激发效应,但激发强度因葡萄糖添加量和土层深度而异。对于表层土壤,激发强度随着葡萄糖添加量的增加而增加;而对于深层土壤,激发强度对葡萄糖添加量的响应并不敏感。而且,葡萄糖的添加并未显著影响表层和深层土壤的微生物量碳氮含量和微生物群落组成(总磷脂脂肪酸含量;细菌、真菌、放线菌磷脂脂肪酸含量以及细菌真菌比)(P>0.05)。土壤激发强度并非取决于土壤微生物群落组成,而是取决于土壤中可利用氮的含量,其可以分别解释表层和深层土壤激发效应变化的90.8%与63.4%。虽然葡萄糖的添加降低了土壤可利用氮的含量,但并未造成土壤氮的固持,这表明土壤现有可利用氮仍能够满足微生物对氮的需求。因此,在土壤矿质养分充足的情况下,微生物对外源易分解有机物的优先利用可能是负激发效应产生的主要原因。     

Controls on microbial CO2 production: a comparison of surface and subsurface soil horizons

Although a significant amount of the organic C stored in soil resides in subsurface horizons, the dynamics of subsurface C stores are not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine if changes in soil moisture, temperature, and nutrient levels have similar effects on the mineralization of surface (0–25 cm) and subsurface (below 25 cm) C stores. Samples were collected from a 2 m deep unsaturated mollisol profile located near Santa Barbara, CA, USA. In a series of experiments, we measured the influence of nutrient additions (N and P), soil temperature (10–35°C), and soil water potential (?0.5 to ?10 MPa) on the microbial mineralization of native soil organic C. Surface and subsurface soils were slightly different with respect to the effects of water potential on microbial CO₂ production; C mineralization rates in surface soils were more affected by conditions of moderate drought than rates in subsurface soils. With respect to the effects of soil temperature and nutrient levels on C mineralization rates, subsurface horizons were significantly more sensitive to increases in temperature or nutrient availability than surface horizons. The mean Q₁₀ value for C mineralization rates was 3.0 in surface horizons and 3.9 in subsurface horizons. The addition of either N or P had negligible effects on microbial CO₂ production in surface soil layers; in the subsurface horizons, the addition of either N or P increased CO₂ production by up to 450% relative to the control. The results of these experiments suggest that alterations of the soil environment may have different effects on CO₂ production through the profile and that the mineralization of subsurface C stores may be particularly susceptible to increases in temperature or nutrient inputs to soil.     

Deepened snow cover increases grassland soil carbon stocks by incorporating carbon inputs into deep soil layers

Climate-induced changes in snow cover can greatly impact winter soil microclimate and spring water supply. These effects, in turn, can influence plant and microbial activity and the strength of leaching processes, potentially altering the distribution and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) across different soil depths. However, few studies have examined how changes in snow cover will affect SOC stocks, and even less is known about the impact of snow cover on SOC dynamics along soil profiles. By selecting 11 snow fences along a 570 km climate gradient in Inner Mongolia, covering arid, temperate, and meadow steppes, we measured plant and microbial biomass, community composition, SOC content, and other soil parameters from topsoil to a depth of 60 cm. We found that deepened snow increased aboveground and belowground plant biomass, as well as microbial biomass. Plant and microbial carbon input were positively correlated with grassland SOC stocks. More importantly, we found that deepened snow altered SOC distribution along vertical soil profiles. The increase in SOC caused by deepened snow was much greater in the subsoil (+74.7%; 40–60 cm) than that in the topsoil (+19.0%; 0–5 cm). Additionally, the controls on SOC content under deepened snow differed between the topsoil and subsoil layers. The increase in microbial and root biomass jointly enhanced topsoil C accumulation, while the increase in leaching processes became critical in promoting subsoil C accumulation. We conclude that under deepened snow, the subsoil had a high capacity to sink C by incorporating C leached from the topsoil, suggesting that the subsoil, originally thought to be climate insensitive, could have a higher response to precipitation changes due to vertical C transport. Our study highlights the importance of considering soil depth when assessing the impacts of snow cover changes on SOC dynamics.     

Drivers of microbially and plant-derived carbon in topsoil and subsoil

Plant- and microbially derived carbon (C) are the two major sources of soil organic matter (SOM), and their ratio impacts SOM composition, accumulation, stability, and turnover. The contributions of and the key factors defining the plant and microbial C in SOM along the soil profile are not well known. By leveraging nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and biomarker analysis, we analyzed the plant and microbial C in three soil types using regional-scale sampling and combined these results with a meta-analysis. Topsoil (0–40 cm) was rich in carbohydrates and lignin (38%–50%), whereas subsoil (40–100 cm) contained more proteins and lipids (26%–60%). The proportion of plant C increases, while microbial C decreases with SOM content. The decrease rate of the ratio of the microbially derived C to plant-derived C (C_M:P) with SOM content was 23%–30% faster in the topsoil than in the subsoil in the regional study and meta-analysis. The topsoil had high potential to stabilize plant-derived C through intensive microbial transformations and microbial necromass formation. Plant C input and mean annual soil temperature were the main factors defining C_M:P in topsoil, whereas the fungi-to-bacteria ratio and clay content were the main factors influencing subsoil C_M:P. Combining a regional study and meta-analysis, we highlighted the contribution of plant litter to microbial necromass to organic matter up to 1-m soil depth and elucidated the main factors regulating their long-term preservation.     

Fate and stability of dissolved organic carbon in topsoils and subsoils under beech forests

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from Oa horizons has been proposed to be an important contributor for subsoil organic carbon stocks. We investigated the fate of DOC by directly injecting a DOC solution from ¹³C labelled litter into three soil depths at beech forest sites. Fate of injected DOC was quantified with deep drilling soil cores down to 2 m depth, 3 and 17 months after the injection. 27 ± 26% of the injected DOC was retained after 3 months and 17 ± 22% after 17 months. Retained DOC was to 70% found in the first 10 cm below the injection depth and on average higher in the topsoil than in the subsoil. After 17 months DOC in the topsoil was largely lost (− 19%) while DOC in the subsoil did not change much (− 4.4%). Data indicated a high stabilisation of injected DOC in the subsoils with no differences between the sites. Potential mineralisation as revealed by incubation experiments however, was not different between DOC injected in topsoil or subsoils underlining the importance of environmental factors in the subsoil for DOC stabilisation compared to topsoil. We conclude that stability of DOC in subsoil is primary driven by its spatial inaccessibility for microorganisms after matrix flow while site specific properties did not significantly affect stabilisation. Instead, a more fine-textured site promotes the vertical transport of DOC due to a higher abundance of preferential flow paths.

     

土壤增温对亚热带杉木幼树不同深度土壤微生物胞外酶活性的影响

土壤微生物胞外酶可有效反映气候变暖对土壤微生物功能和土壤有机质分解的影响.目前关于气候变暖对土壤微生物胞外酶活性(EEAs)影响的相关研究主要关注有机碳含量较丰富的表层土壤(0～20 cm),而对深层土壤(>20 cm)EEAs的研究仍较缺乏.因此,本研究关注土壤增温对亚热带不同深度(0～10 cm、10～20 cm、20～40 cm和40～60 cm)EEAs的影响及主要调控因素,其中微生物胞外酶包括参与碳循环的β-葡萄糖苷酶(BG)、纤维二糖水解酶(CBH)、酚氧化酶(PHO)和过氧化物氧化酶(PEO).结果表明: 土壤增温提高了0～10 cm和10～20 cm土壤所有胞外酶的活性(18%～69%).在20 cm以下的深层土壤中,土壤增温仅显著提高了20～40 cm的PHO(10%),而对其余胞外酶的活性无显著影响或有一定的抑制作用(13%～31%).冗余分析(RDA)结果表明: 在微生物可利用有机碳较丰富的表层土壤中,铵态氮(NH₄⁺-N)和土壤含水率(M)是调控EEAs的主要因素,增温增强了微生物与植物之间的养分竞争,因而提高EEAs以获取微生物所需的养分NH₄⁺-N;而在微生物底物有效性较低的深层土壤中,EEAs主要受可溶性有机质(可溶性有机碳和可溶性有机氮)和微生物生物量(MBC)的影响,增温提高深层土壤可溶性有机质的含量,为微生物提供更多的底物,减少微生物对EEAs的需求,进而降低EEAs.本研究发现,不同深度EEAs对土壤增温具有不同响应,且土壤增温条件下表层和深层土壤的EEAs具有明显不同的调控因素.因此,加强不同深度土壤微生物的研究对于准确评估生态系统碳循环对全球变暖的响应具有重要意义.     

Climate warming alters subsoil but not topsoil carbon dynamics in alpine grassland

Subsoil contains more than half of soil organic carbon (SOC) globally and is conventionally assumed to be relatively unresponsive to warming compared to the topsoil. Here, we show substantial changes in carbon allocation and dynamics of the subsoil but not topsoil in the Qinghai‐Tibetan alpine grasslands over 5 years of warming. Specifically, warming enhanced the accumulation of newly synthesized (¹⁴C‐enriched) carbon in the subsoil slow‐cycling pool (silt‐clay fraction) but promoted the decomposition of plant‐derived lignin in the fast‐cycling pool (macroaggregates). These changes mirrored an accumulation of lipids and sugars at the expense of lignin in the warmed bulk subsoil, likely associated with shortened soil freezing period and a deepening root system. As warming is accompanied by deepening roots in a wide range of ecosystems, root‐driven accrual of slow‐cycling pool may represent an important and overlooked mechanism for a potential long‐term carbon sink at depth. Moreover, given the contrasting sensitivity of SOC dynamics at varied depths, warming studies focusing only on surface soils may vastly misrepresent shifts in ecosystem carbon storage under climate change.     

不同经营模式茶园土壤微生物熵对台风干扰的响应

台风干扰可能显著影响我国东南沿海山地茶园土壤有机碳稳定性和矿化过程，而土壤微生物熵（qMB）是指示土壤有机碳稳定性和矿化潜力的敏感指标。因此，研究不同经营模式茶园土壤微生物熵对台风干扰的响应，可为山地茶园土壤碳库管理提供重要科学依据。为此，以浙江省台州市天台县苍山顶传统化肥经营的纯茶园（M0）、林茶间作（M1）、茶园养鸡（M2）、施用微生物肥料的纯茶园（M3）四种经营模式茶园为研究对象，在2021年7月28日台风"烟花"（第6号台风）来临前一天（T1）、台风过境后一天（T2）和台风过境后7天（T3），按照表层土壤（0-10 cm）和亚表层土壤（10-30 cm）采集四种经营模式的茶园土样，同步测定土壤有机碳（SOC）含量、微生物生物量碳（MBC）和可溶性有机碳（DOC）含量。结果表明：（1）台风干扰对M2和M3的土壤有机碳影响更显著，而且不同经营模式茶园中表层和亚表层的土壤有机碳含量对台风干扰的响应存在差异；（2）台风干扰对M2的土壤微生物熵影响更显著，对表层土壤的微生物熵影响更显著，说明台风干扰对M2土壤有机碳稳定性和矿化影响显著，M2的土壤微生物熵对台风干扰的响应显著；（3）台风干扰对M2的土壤微生物生物量碳影响最显著，对M0和M1的影响最弱，且不同经营模式茶园中不同土层的土壤微生物生物量碳对台风干扰的响应存在差异；（4）台风干扰对M0的土壤可溶性有机碳含量影响更显著，M1和M3次之，对M2的影响最弱。而且不同经营模式茶园中表层和亚表层土壤的可溶性有机碳含量对台风干扰的响应存在差异。综上，台风干扰会对不同经营模式茶园土壤微生物熵影响程度不同，说明台风干扰对不同经营模式茶园土壤有机碳稳定性具有不同程度的影响，其中M2的土壤有机碳是响应台风干扰最敏感的经营模式茶园。     

Dynamics of soil carbon following destruction of tropical rainforest and the subsequent establishment of Imperata grassland in Indonesian Borneo using stable carbon isotopes

Southeast Asia has the highest rate of tropical rainforest deforestation worldwide, and large deforested areas have been replaced ultimately by the highly invasive grass Imperata cylindrica. However, information on the carbon (C) budget with such land transition is very scarce. This study presents the dynamics of soil C following rainforest destruction and the subsequent establishment of Imperata grassland in the lowland humid tropics of Indonesian Borneo using stable C isotopes. To evaluate the relative contribution of organic matter originating from primary forest (C₃) and grasslands (C₄), we compared soil C stock and natural ¹³C abundance from six sites to a depth of 100 cm using samples with a wide range of soil textures. Twelve years after the first soil sampling in the grasslands, we re‐sampled to examine temporal changes in soil organic matter. The grassland topsoil (0–5 cm) is an active layer with rapid decomposition and incorporation of fresh C (mean residence time: 7.5 year) and a substantial proportion of the stable C pool (37%). The decline in forest‐derived C was slight, even at 5–10 cm depths, and subsoil (20–100 cm depth) forest‐derived C did not change along the forest‐to‐grassland chronosequence. Grassland‐derived C stock increased significantly in the subsurface and subsoils (5–100 cm). Simulation indicated that total soil C stock (0–100 cm) increased by 18.6 Mg ha^?1 from initial primary forest (58.0 Mg ha^?1) to a new equilibrium state of the grassland (76.6 Mg ha^?1) after 30–50 years of grassland establishment. This research indicates that the soil did not function as a CO₂ source when the deforested area was replaced by Imperata grassland on the Ultisols of the Asian humid tropics. Instead, increased soil C stocks offset CO₂ emissions, with the C offset accounting for 6.6–7.4% of the loss of biomass C stock.     

Soil reconstruction after mining fails to restore soil function in an Australian arid woodland

The biogeochemical properties of soils drive ecosystem function and vegetation dynamics, and hence soil restoration after mining should aim to reinstate the soil properties and hydrological dynamics of remnant ecosystems. The aim of this study is to assess soil structure in two vegetation types in an arid ecosystem, and to understand how these soil properties compare to a reconstructed soil profile after mining. In an arid ecosystem in southeast Australia, soil samples were collected at five depths (to 105 cm) from remnant woodland and shrubland sites, and sites either disturbed or totally reconstructed after mining. We assessed soil physico‐chemical properties and microbial activity. Soils in the remnant arid ecosystem had coarse‐textured topsoils that overlay clay horizons, which allows water to infiltrate and avoid evaporation, but also slows drainage to deeper horizons. Conversely, reconstructed soils had high sand content at subsoil horizons and high bulk density and compaction at surface layers (0–20 cm). Reconstructed soils had topsoils with higher pH and electrical conductivity. The reconstructed soils did not show increased microbial activity with time since restoration. Overall, the reconstructed soil horizons were not organized in a way that allowed rainfall infiltration and water storage, as is imperative to arid‐zone ecosystem function. Future restoration efforts in arid ecosystems should focus on increasing sand content of soils near the surface, to reduce evaporative water loss and improve soil quality and plant health.     

Microbial diversity and activity are increased by compost amendment of metal-contaminated soil

Unlike organic pollutants, heavy metals cannot be degraded and can constitute a persistent environmental hazard. Here, we investigated the success of different remediation strategies in promoting microbial diversity and function with depth in an acidic soil heavily contaminated with Cu, Pb and Zn. Remediation involved the incorporation of either a high- or a low-quality compost or inorganic fertilizer into the topsoil and monitoring of microbial activity and diversity with soil depth over a 4-month period. While changes in topsoil microbial activity were expected, the possible effects on the subsurface microbial community due to the downward movement of metals, nutrients and/or soluble organic matter have not been examined previously. The results showed that both compost additions, especially the low-quality compost, resulted in significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity (as assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism) and activity compared with the inorganic and control treatments in the topsoil. Although phospholipid fatty acid profiling indicated that compost addition had promoted enhanced microbial diversity in the subsoil, no concomitant increase in subsoil microbial activity was observed, suggesting that amelioration of the heavy metals remained localized in the topsoil. We conclude that although composts can successfully immobilize heavy metals and promote ecosystem diversity/function, surface incorporation had little remedial effect below the surface layer over the course of our short-term trial.     

长期施肥对红壤和黑土硫形态演变的影响

以红壤和黑土肥力与肥料效益监测站土壤为研究对象,研究了长期(21年)不同施肥(不施肥对照、施用氮磷钾、氮磷钾配施有机肥)处理下,表层(0～20 cm)和亚表层(20～40 cm)土壤硫素形态组成、分布及演变规律.结果表明: 长期施用化肥及化肥配施有机肥处理下,表层土壤全硫比对照分别增加42%、33%(红壤)和6%、76%(黑土);除红壤氮磷钾处理外,亚表层土壤全硫受施肥影响较小,且明显低于相应表层土壤.有效硫和盐酸可提取态硫分别为红壤和黑土中的主要无机硫形态.施用化肥及化肥配施有机肥的红壤表层有效硫比对照分别增加了447%和102%,并促进了有效硫向亚表层的迁移、累积;而施用化肥及化肥配施有机肥处理的黑土表层有效硫仅比对照分别增加54%和93%,其对亚表层土壤有效硫的影响也不大.有机硫形态在两种土壤中都以酯键硫和残渣态硫为主.长期施肥影响下的表层和亚表层土壤中残渣态硫含量比对照分别增加了32%和55%以上;土壤中性质相对活跃的酯键硫和碳键硫受施肥影响不显著,而与土壤有机碳含量呈显著正相关关系(P<0.05).此外,长期施肥试验表明大气硫沉降对土壤硫素输入的影响值得重视.     

植茶年限对土壤微生物群落结构及多样性的影响

为探明植茶年限对土壤微生物群落结构及多样性的影响,以0、20、25、38和48年茶园土壤表层(0～20 cm)、亚表层(20～40 cm)土壤样品为研究对象,采用T-RFLP技术及qPCR方法对土壤细菌(B)、真菌(F)群落进行分析。结果表明: 植茶后土壤理化性质明显改变,随植茶年限的增加土壤有机碳、碱解氮及有效磷含量呈先升高后降低的趋势,表层土壤有机碳和全氮含量均显著高于亚表层土壤。不同植茶年限土壤细菌群落组分存在差异且多样性指数随植茶年限的增加呈下降趋势,而不同植茶年限土壤真菌群落组分差异不明显且多样性指数无显著差异。总体来看,土壤细菌群落对植茶年限的响应比真菌群落敏感。随植茶年限的增加,茶园土壤微生物群落有从F/B较低的“细菌型”向F/B较高的“真菌型”转变的趋势。     

生态恢复对红壤侵蚀地土壤有机碳组成及稳定性的影响

为了研究红壤侵蚀区生态恢复过程中土壤有机碳的组成与动态变化,选择红壤侵蚀区生态恢复10 a和30 a的马尾松林为对象,以侵蚀裸地和次生林为对照,应用土壤有机碳物理分组方法,研究了侵蚀地植被恢复过程中表层土壤粗颗粒态有机碳(cPOC)、细颗粒态有机碳(f POC)和矿质结合有机碳(MOC)含量及POC/MOC比值的变化。结果表明:生态恢复显著提高了土壤有机碳含量(P0.05),土壤中不同组分有机碳含量也相应增加。生态恢复10 a,土壤有机碳主要以f POC形式积累,cPOC和MOC没有显著变化,其中0—10 cm土层POC占总土壤有机碳(SOC)比例高达64.1%,但稳定性较差。与恢复10 a相比,生态恢复至30 a时,0—10 cm土壤f POC含量相对不变,cPOC和MOC含量均显著增加(P0.05),10—20 cm土壤f POC和MOC增加量达到显著水平,而cPOC含量仍未显著增加,说明生态恢复过程中土壤固碳模式符合SOC饱和理论。生态恢复过程中土壤POC/MOC比值呈先升高后降低的趋势,且表层土壤大于亚表层土壤,说明随着生态恢复时间的增加,土壤有机碳稳定性逐渐提高,且亚表层土壤高于表层。因此,生态恢复对于侵蚀地碳固定的长期有效性具有重要意义。     

Variations in bacterial and fungal communities through soil depth profiles in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Betula albosinensis</Emphasis> forest

Microbial communities in subsurface soil are specialized for their environment, which is distinct from that of the surface communities. However, little is known about the microbial communities (bacteria and fungi) that exist in the deeper soil horizons. Vertical changes in microbial alpha-diversity (Chao1 and Shannon indices) and community composition were investigated at four soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm) in a natural secondary forest of Betula albosinensis by high-throughput sequencing of the 16S and internal transcribed spacer rDNA regions. The numbers of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and the Chao1 and Shannon indices decreased in the deeper soil layers. Each soil layer contained both mutual and specific OTUs. In the 40–60 cm soil layer, 175 and 235 specific bacterial and fungal OTUs were identified, respectively. Acidobacteria was the most dominant bacterial group in all four soil layers, but reached its maximum at 40–60 cm (62.88%). In particular, the 40–60 cm soil layer typically showed the highest abundance of the fungal genus Inocybe (47.46%). The Chao1 and Shannon indices were significantly correlated with the soil organic carbon content. Redundancy analysis indicated that the bacterial communities were closely correlated with soil organic carbon content (P = 0.001). Collectively, these results indicate that soil nutrients alter the microbial diversity and relative abundance and affect the microbial composition.     

森林次生演替和土壤层次对微生物群落结构的影响

森林次生演替与生态系统结构和功能的动态变化密切相关。大多数研究主要关注植物群落以及土壤有机碳(SOC)的变化,然而土壤微生物群落如何响应森林次生演替还需要进一步探究。本研究以长白山森林次生演替序列(20、80、120、200和≥300年)和两个土壤层次为对象,采用磷脂脂肪酸微生物标志物,探究温带森林次生演替过程中地下微生物群落结构变化。森林次生演替改变了土壤微生物群落结构,主要归因于某些特定微生物类群的变化,演替前期革兰氏阴性菌和腐生真菌占主导,而在演替后期革兰氏阳性菌和丛枝菌根真菌占主导。另外,土壤有机质数量和质量差异是影响微生物群落结构和生物量的主要环境因素。森林演替前期和中期增加的SOC含量促进了微生物生物量,而演替后期增加的难分解芳香族有机组分抑制了微生物生物量合成。土壤层次间理化性质的差异导致微生物群落变化,有机质层高的SOC以及氮含量导致更多微生物生物量的合成。微生物群落在时间和空间尺度的变化及其驱动因素反映了生态系统结构和功能对环境变化的响应。     

Storage and turnover of carbon in grassland soils along an elevation gradient in the Swiss Alps

Amount, composition, and rate of turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC) in mountainous cold regions is largely unknown, making predictions of future responses of this carbon (C) to changing environmental conditions uncertain. We hypothesized increasing amounts and declining turnover times of soil organic matter (SOM) under permanent grassland with increasing elevation and decreasing temperature. Samples from an irrigated transect in the Swiss Alps (880 to 2200 m elevation, mean annual temperatures +8.9 to +0.9 °C) were analyzed. Soil C stocks ranged from 49 to 96 t C ha⁻¹ (0–20 cm) and were not related to elevation, though the highest site stored least C. Particulate organic carbon (POC) increased significantly with elevation and accounted for > 80% of the total soil C at 2200 m (0–5 cm). Mean residence times (MRTs) of POC computed by means of radiocarbon dating were in the order of years to decades and were positively related to elevation in the topsoil. At higher elevations, the estimated total C flux through the soil profile mainly depended on this fraction. MRT of mineral-associated matter ranged from decades to centuries and was not systematically related to elevation, but positively related to the soil mineral surface area and it increased with soil depth. Turnover rates from simulations with the soil C model RothC exceeded those from ¹⁴C measurements by a factor of 1.7–3.3 which suggests that C dynamics at these sites is overestimated by the model. Size of model pools and amount of C in soil fractions were only weakly correlated, thereby challenging previously postulated hypotheses concerning the correspondence of pools and fractions for grasslands at higher elevations.     

藏东南典型暗针叶林不同土壤剖面微生物群落特征

深层土壤中的微生物群落对陆地生态系统养分和能量循环转化过程不可或缺,研究青藏高原典型暗针叶林带土壤微生物群落在土壤垂直剖面的变化特征,对深入认识高寒区域森林生态系统土壤微生物群落构建特征及全球变化影响预测具有重要意义。运用Illumina Miseq高通量测序技术和分子生态网络分析,研究藏东南色季拉山暗针叶林带表层（0-20 cm）和底层土壤（40-60 cm）微生物群落组成及分子生态网络结构。研究结果表明随着土壤深度增加,真菌和细菌的丰富度和Shannon多样性指数显著降低。主坐标分析（PCoA）显示土壤深度显著影响真菌和细菌的群落结构（P < 0.01）。不同微生物种群对土壤深度的响应有显著差异,座囊菌纲（Dothideomycetes）、银耳纲（Tremellomycetes）和拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）、变形菌门（Proteobacteria）的相对丰度随剖面加深而显著降低,而古菌根菌纲（Archaeorhizomycetes）和绿弯菌门（Chloroflexi）则显著增加。分子生态网络分析发现,真菌网络以负相关连接为主（占总连接数65%-98%）,而细菌网络以正相关连接为主（69%-75%）,真菌和细菌网络中正相关连接的比例均随剖面加深而增加。底层土壤真菌和细菌网络的平均连接度和平均聚类系数均高于表层土壤,说明微生物网络随土壤深度的增加而变得更复杂。真菌网络的平均路径距离和模块性在底层土壤均大于表层土壤,意味着真菌网络应对环境变化的稳定性随剖面加深而增加,而细菌网络则正相反,在表层土壤的稳定性更强。真菌网络中连接节点的个数随剖面加深而增加,锤舌菌纲（Leotiomycetes）是连接网络模块的关键菌种;在细菌网络中模块枢纽和连接节点则随剖面加深而降低,并且放线菌门、变形菌门等关键种群在分子生态网络中的功能在表层和底层土壤有明显差异。综上所述,藏东南色季拉山暗针叶林带深层土壤中微生物群落特征与表层土壤有显著差别,揭示影响深层土壤微生物网络构建和稳定的关键种群,对深入理解和预测青藏高原森林生态系统对全球变化的响应与反馈有重要意义。