Vertical distribution and pools of microbial residues in tropical forest soils formed from distinct parent materials

The contribution of soil microbial residues to stable carbon pools may be of particular importance in the tropics where carbon residence times are short and any available carbon is rapidly utilized. In this study we investigated the vertical distribution of microbially-derived amino sugars in two tropical forests on contrasting meta-sedimentary and serpentinite parent materials in the lowlands of Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo. Despite their similar climate, vegetative cover, and general microbial community structure, the two soils were chemically and physically distinct. We found that both parent material and depth significantly influenced the pool sizes of microbial residues in the two soils. In particular, the soil derived from sedimentary parent material had greater amino sugar contents, glucosamine to galactosamine ratios, and percentage of total soil carbon that is amino sugar derived, than the soil derived from serpentinite substrate. We speculate that residue stabilization was linked to soil iron oxide content, with significant difference in amino sugars contribution to total soil carbon at depth in the serpentinite-derived soil versus that derived from sedimentary parent material. Based on observed patterns of amino sugar content and relative abundance we suggest that near the surface of both soils vegetation and litter input determines the composition and quantity of microbial residues. With increasing depth the influence of vegetation declines and production and stabilization of microbial amino sugars becomes driven by soil matrix characteristics. These differences in stabilization mechanism and carbon dynamics with depth may be particularly critical in deep weathered tropical soils.     

Tree mycorrhizal type predicts within‐site variability in the storage and distribution of soil organic matter

Forest soils store large amounts of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), yet how predicted shifts in forest composition will impact long‐term C and N persistence remains poorly understood. A recent hypothesis predicts that soils under trees associated with arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) store less C than soils dominated by trees associated with ectomycorrhizas (ECM), due to slower decomposition in ECM‐dominated forests. However, an incipient hypothesis predicts that systems with rapid decomposition—e.g. most AM‐dominated forests—enhance soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization by accelerating the production of microbial residues. To address these contrasting predictions, we quantified soil C and N to 1 m depth across gradients of ECM‐dominance in three temperate forests. By focusing on sites where AM‐ and ECM‐plants co‐occur, our analysis controls for climatic factors that covary with mycorrhizal dominance across broad scales. We found that while ECM stands contain more SOM in topsoil, AM stands contain more SOM when subsoil to 1 m depth is included. Biomarkers and soil fractionations reveal that these patterns are driven by an accumulation of microbial residues in AM‐dominated soils. Collectively, our results support emerging theory on SOM formation, demonstrate the importance of subsurface soils in mediating plant effects on soil C and N, and indicate that shifts in the mycorrhizal composition of temperate forests may alter the stabilization of SOM.     

Long-Term Climate Regime Modulates the Impact of Short-Term Climate Variability on Decomposition in Alpine Grassland Soils

Decomposition of plant litter is an important process in the terrestrial carbon cycle and makes up approximately 70% of the global carbon flux from soils to the atmosphere. Climate change is expected to have significant direct and indirect effects on the litter decomposition processes at various timescales. Using the TeaBag Index, we investigated the impact on decomposition of short-term direct effects of temperature and precipitation by comparing temporal variability over years, versus long-term climate impacts that incorporate indirect effects mediated through environmental changes by comparing sites along climatic gradients. We measured the initial decomposition rate (k) and the stabilization factor (S; amount of labile litter stabilizing) across a climate grid combining three levels of summer temperature (6.5–10.5°C) with four levels of annual precipitation (600–2700 mm) in three summers with varying temperature and precipitation. Several (a)biotic factors were measured to characterize environmental differences between sites. Increased temperatures enhanced k, whereas increased precipitation decreased k across years and climatic regimes. In contrast, S showed diverse responses to annual changes in temperature and precipitation between climate regimes. Stabilization of labile litter fractions increased with temperature only in boreal and sub-alpine sites, while it decreased with increasing precipitation only in sub-alpine and alpine sites. Environmental factors such as soil pH, soil C/N, litter C/N, and plant diversity that are associated with long-term climate variation modulate the response of k and S. This highlights the importance of long-term climate in shaping the environmental conditions that influences the response of decomposition processes to climate change.     

蚯蚓对土壤微生物残留物的影响研究评述与展望

蚯蚓如何影响土壤有机碳的固持是土壤生态学的关键科学问题之一。蚯蚓能同时促进土壤有机碳分解和稳定，这种两面作用带来的不确定性被研究者称为"蚯蚓困境"。研究证据和新兴的"土壤微生物碳泵"概念模型表明土壤微生物残留物是土壤有机质的主要贡献者。为系统了解蚯蚓对土壤微生物残留物的影响与可能的机制，研究分析和总结了已有的国内外蚯蚓与微生物残留物（氨基糖）的相关研究成果，表明：（1）过往的研究忽略了蚯蚓对微生物残留物的影响，导致这一方向的研究严重滞后；（2）蚯蚓对土壤微生物残留物影响的方向和大小仍有很大的不确定性，可供量化分析其驱动机制的研究还很缺乏。研究尝试将蚯蚓整合到"土壤微生物碳泵"概念框架中，分析蚯蚓影响土壤微生物残留物3个方面的可能机制，即：（1）改变土壤微生物量、群落结构，（2）改变微生物生理特性，（3）改变土壤团聚体结构等，影响土壤有机碳的积累。同时，本文提出了未来相关研究的6个重点方向，包括：（1）蚯蚓对微生物的选择性取食，（2）肠道介导的微生物"涨落"现象，（3）蚯蚓对矿质结合有机物的"破坏"与"重组"，（4）蚯蚓引起的"激发"和"续埋"效应，（5）多生态型相互作用，（6）全球变化背景下的蚯蚓生态学等，以期为进一步揭示蚯蚓-微生物相互作用影响土壤有机碳累积与稳定性的机制提供参考。     

Increased topsoil carbon stock across China's forests

Biomass carbon accumulation in forest ecosystems is a widespread phenomenon at both regional and global scales. However, as coupled carbon–climate models predicted, a positive feedback could be triggered if accelerated soil carbon decomposition offsets enhanced vegetation growth under a warming climate. It is thus crucial to reveal whether and how soil carbon stock in forest ecosystems has changed over recent decades. However, large‐scale changes in soil carbon stock across forest ecosystems have not yet been carefully examined at both regional and global scales, which have been widely perceived as a big bottleneck in untangling carbon–climate feedback. Using newly developed database and sophisticated data mining approach, here we evaluated temporal changes in topsoil carbon stock across major forest ecosystem in China and analysed potential drivers in soil carbon dynamics over broad geographical scale. Our results indicated that topsoil carbon stock increased significantly within all of five major forest types during the period of 1980s–2000s, with an overall rate of 20.0 g C m^?2 yr^?1 (95% confidence interval, 14.1–25.5). The magnitude of soil carbon accumulation across coniferous forests and coniferous/broadleaved mixed forests exhibited meaningful increases with both mean annual temperature and precipitation. Moreover, soil carbon dynamics across these forest ecosystems were positively associated with clay content, with a larger amount of SOC accumulation occurring in fine‐textured soils. In contrast, changes in soil carbon stock across broadleaved forests were insensitive to either climatic or edaphic variables. Overall, these results suggest that soil carbon accumulation does not counteract vegetation carbon sequestration across China's forest ecosystems. The combination of soil carbon accumulation and vegetation carbon sequestration triggers a negative feedback to climate warming, rather than a positive feedback predicted by coupled carbon–climate models.     

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.     

Substrate availability and not thermal acclimation controls microbial temperature sensitivity response to long-term warming

Microbes are responsible for cycling carbon (C) through soils, and predicted changes in soil C stocks under climate change are highly sensitive to shifts in the mechanisms assumed to control the microbial physiological response to warming. Two mechanisms have been suggested to explain the long-term warming impact on microbial physiology: microbial thermal acclimation and changes in the quantity and quality of substrates available for microbial metabolism. Yet studies disentangling these two mechanisms are lacking. To resolve the drivers of changes in microbial physiology in response to long-term warming, we sampled soils from 13- and 28-year-old soil warming experiments in different seasons. We performed short-term laboratory incubations across a range of temperatures to measure the relationships between temperature sensitivity of physiology (growth, respiration, carbon use efficiency, and extracellular enzyme activity) and the chemical composition of soil organic matter. We observed apparent thermal acclimation of microbial respiration, but only in summer, when warming had exacerbated the seasonally-induced, already small dissolved organic matter pools. Irrespective of warming, greater quantity and quality of soil carbon increased the extracellular enzymatic pool and its temperature sensitivity. We propose that fresh litter input into the system seasonally cancels apparent thermal acclimation of C-cycling processes to decadal warming. Our findings reveal that long-term warming has indirectly affected microbial physiology via reduced C availability in this system, implying that earth system models including these negative feedbacks may be best suited to describe long-term warming effects on these soils.     

Microbial necromass in cropland soils: A global meta-analysis of management effects

Microbial necromass is a large and persistent component of soil organic carbon (SOC), especially under croplands. The effects of cropland management on microbial necromass accumulation and its contribution to SOC have been measured in individual studies but have not yet been summarized on the global scale. We conducted a meta-analysis of 481-paired measurements from cropland soils to examine the management effects on microbial necromass and identify the optimal conditions for its accumulation. Nitrogen fertilization increased total microbial necromass C by 12%, cover crops by 14%, no or reduced tillage (NT/RT) by 20%, manure by 21%, and straw amendment by 21%. Microbial necromass accumulation was independent of biochar addition. NT/RT and straw amendment increased fungal necromass and its contribution to SOC more than bacterial necromass. Manure increased bacterial necromass higher than fungal, leading to decreased ratio of fungal-to-bacterial necromass. Greater microbial necromass increases after straw amendments were common under semi-arid and in cool climates in soils with pH <8, and were proportional to the amount of straw input. In contrast, NT/RT increased microbial necromass mainly under warm and humid climates. Manure application increased microbial necromass irrespective of soil properties and climate. Management effects were especially strong when applied during medium (3–10 years) to long (10+ years) periods to soils with larger initial SOC contents, but were absent in sandy soils. Close positive links between microbial biomass, necromass and SOC indicate the important role of stabilized microbial products for C accrual. Microbial necromass contribution to SOC increment (accumulation efficiency) under NT/RT, cover crops, manure and straw amendment ranged from 45% to 52%, which was 9%–16% larger than under N fertilization. In summary, long-term cropland management increases SOC by enhancing microbial necromass accumulation, and optimizing microbial necromass accumulation and its contribution to SOC sequestration requires site-specific management.     

Climate warming alters the relative importance of plant root and microbial community in regulating the accumulation of soil microbial necromass carbon in a Tibetan alpine meadow

Climate warming is predicted to considerably affect variations in soil organic carbon (SOC), especially in alpine ecosystems. Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) is an important contributor to stable soil organic carbon pools. However, accumulation and persistence of soil MNC across a gradient of warming are still poorly understood. An 8-year field experiment with four levels of warming was conducted in a Tibetan meadow. We found that low-level (+0–1.5°C) warming mostly enhanced bacterial necromass carbon (BNC), fungal necromass carbon (FNC), and total MNC compared with control treatment across soil layers, while no significant effect was caused between high-level (+1.5–2.5°C) treatments and control treatments. The contributions of both MNC and BNC to soil organic carbon were not significantly affected by warming treatments across depths. Structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated that the effect of plant root traits on MNC persistence strengthened with warming intensity, while the influence of microbial community characteristics waned along strengthened warming. Overall, our study provides novel evidence that the major determinants of MNC production and stabilization may vary with warming magnitude in alpine meadows. This finding is critical for updating our knowledge on soil carbon storage in response to climate warming.     

Soil phosphorus does not keep pace with soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation following woody encroachment

Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles are strongly interlinked and controlled through biological processes, and the phosphorus cycle is further controlled through geochemical processes. In dryland ecosystems, woody encroachment often modifies soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stores, although it remains unknown if these three elements change proportionally in response to this vegetation change. We evaluated proportional changes and spatial patterns of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations following woody encroachment by taking spatially explicit soil cores to a depth of 1.2 m across a subtropical savanna landscape which has undergone encroachment by Prosopis glandulosa (an N₂ fixer) and other woody species during the past century in southern Texas, USA. SOC and TN were coupled with respect to increasing magnitudes and spatial patterns throughout the soil profile following woody encroachment, while TP increased slower than SOC and TN in topmost surface soils (0–5 cm) but faster in subsurface soils (15–120 cm). Spatial patterns of TP strongly resembled those of vegetation cover throughout the soil profile, but differed from those of SOC and TN, especially in subsurface soils. The encroachment of woody species dominated by N₂‐fixing trees into this P‐limited ecosystem resulted in the accumulation of proportionally less soil P compared to C and N in surface soils; however, proportionally more P accrued in deeper portions of the soil profile beneath woody patches where alkaline soil pH and high carbonate concentrations would favor precipitation of P as relatively insoluble calcium phosphates. This imbalanced relationship highlights that the relative importance of biotic vs. abiotic mechanisms controlling C and N vs. P accumulation following vegetation change may vary with depth. Our findings suggest that efforts to incorporate effects of land cover changes into coupled climate–biogeochemical models should attempt to represent C‐N‐P imbalances that may arise following vegetation change.     

Depth‐dependent soil organic carbon dynamics of croplands across the Chengdu Plain of China from the 1980s to the 2010s

Agricultural soils have tremendous potential to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC) and mitigate global climate change. However, agricultural land use has a profound impact on SOC dynamics, and few studies have explored how agricultural land use combined with soil conditions affect SOC changes throughout the soil profile. Based on a paired soil resampling campaign in the 1980s and 2010s, this study investigated the SOC changes of the soil profile caused by agricultural land use and the correlations with parent material and topography across the Chengdu Plain of China. The results showed that the SOC content increased by 3.78 g C/kg in the topsoil (0–20 cm), but decreased in the 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm soil layers by 0.90 and 1.26 g C/kg respectively. SOC increases in topsoil were observed for all types of agricultural land. Afforestation on former agricultural land also caused SOC decreases in the 20–60 cm soil layers, while SOC decreases only occurred in the 40–60 cm soil layer for agricultural land using a traditional crop rotation (i.e. traditional rice–wheat/rapeseed rotation) and with rice–vegetable rotations converted from the traditional rotations. For each agricultural land use, SOC decreases in deep soils only occurred in high relief areas and in soils formed from Q4 (Quaternary Holocene) grey‐brown alluvium and Q4 grey alluvium that had a relatively low soil bulk density and clay content. The results indicated that SOC change caused by agricultural land use was depth dependent and that the effects of agricultural land use on soil profile SOC dynamics varied with soil characteristics and topography. Subsoil SOC decreases were more likely to occur in high relief areas and in soils with low soil bulk density and low clay content.     

Climate change amplifies gross nitrogen turnover in montane grasslands of Central Europe in both summer and winter seasons

The carbon‐ and nitrogen‐rich soils of montane grasslands are exposed to above‐average warming and to altered precipitation patterns as a result of global change. To investigate the consequences of climatic change for soil nitrogen turnover, we translocated intact plant–soil mesocosms along an elevational gradient, resulting in an increase of the mean annual temperature by approx. 2 °C while decreasing precipitation from approx. 1500 to 1000 mm. Following three years of equilibration, we monitored the dynamics of gross nitrogen turnover and ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in soils over an entire year. Gross nitrogen turnover and gene levels of AOB and AOA showed pronounced seasonal dynamics. Both summer and winter periods equally contributed to cumulative annual N turnover. However, highest gross N turnover and abundance of ammonia oxidizers were observed in frozen soil of the climate change site, likely due to physical liberation of organic substrates and their rapid turnover in the unfrozen soil water film. This effect was not observed at the control site, where soil freezing did not occur due to a significant insulating snowpack. Climate change conditions accelerated gross nitrogen mineralization by 250% on average. Increased N mineralization significantly stimulated gross nitrification by AOB rather than by AOA. However, climate change impacts were restricted to the 2–6 cm topsoil and rarely occurred at 12–16 cm depth, where generally much lower N turnover was observed. Our study shows that significant mineralization pulses occur under changing climate, which is likely to result in soil organic matter losses with their associated negative impacts on key soil functions. We also show that N cycling processes in frozen soil can be hot moments for N turnover and thus are of paramount importance for understanding seasonal patterns, annual sum of N turnover and possible climate change feedbacks.     

The influence of soil frost on the quality of dissolved organic carbon in a boreal forest soil: combining field and laboratory experiments

Riparian soils exert a major control on stream water dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in northern latitudes. As the winter climate in northern regions is predicted to be particularly affected by climate change, we tested the sensitivity of DOC formation to winter conditions in riparian soils using an 8?year field-scale soil frost manipulation experiment in northern Sweden. In conjunction with the field experiment, we also carried out a laboratory experiment based on three levels of four winter climatic factors: frost intensity, soil water content, frost duration and frequency of freeze–thaw cycles. We evaluated changes in lability of DOC in soil solution from lysimeter samples taken at different depths (10–80?cm) as well as from DOC extracted from soils in the laboratory, using carbon-specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254?nm (sUVA₂₅₄). In the field, significantly more labile DOC was observed during the spring and summer from upper horizons of frost-exposed soils, when compared to controls. In addition, the amount of labile DOC was positively correlated with frost duration at a soil depth of 10?cm. In the laboratory, frost intensity was the factor that had the greatest positive influence on DOC lability; it also reduced the C:N ratio which may indicate a microbial origin of the DOC. The laboratory experiment also demonstrated significant interactions between some of the applied climatic factors, such as frost intensity interacting with water content. In combination, field and laboratory experiments demonstrate that winter soil conditions have profound effects on DOC-concentration and quality during subsequent seasons.     

采伐剩余物不同处理方式对杉木幼林土壤有机氮组分的影响

采伐剩余物不同处理方式会改变输入土壤的有机质数量和质量,直接或间接影响土壤的养分组成与含量。氮作为重要的土壤养分之一,其有机氮组分对采伐剩余物不同处理方式的响应仍不明确。本研究在福建省三明市格氏栲自然保护区内,对50多年生的杉木成熟林皆伐后的采伐剩余物分别进行清除、保留、火烧处理,并种植杉木5年时,采用H₂SO₄水解法对不同土层(0～10、10～20 cm)土壤有机氮组分及其影响因素进行研究。结果表明: 保留处理显著提高了土壤有机氮及活性组分的含量。0～10 cm土层中,保留处理土壤有机氮含量(3.36 g·kg^-1)分别是清除处理、火烧处理的1.5和1.3倍,活性氮Ⅰ、Ⅱ含量也以保留处理最高;10～20 cm土层中,保留处理土壤有机氮和活性氮Ⅱ含量(2.20、0.73 g·kg^-1)也显著高于清除和火烧处理,而且保留处理的活性氮指数Ⅱ(33.9%)显著高于火烧处理(26.1%)。两个土层均以保留处理的总碳、可溶性有机碳、可溶性有机氮含量,以及微生物生物量碳、氮最高。与清除处理相比,保留处理显著提高0～10 cm土层细菌(革兰氏阳性菌、阴性菌)含量;10～20 cm土层中,保留处理的真菌含量最高,放线菌含量最低。相关分析表明,土壤有机氮及活性组分与土壤总碳、可溶性有机碳、可溶性有机氮、微生物生物量及土壤细菌(革兰氏阳性菌、阴性菌)、真菌呈显著正相关,与放线菌呈显著负相关。保留处理有利于提高土壤有机氮及活性氮组分含量,改善土壤生化性质,对土壤微生物群落组成具有积极的影响,是维持土壤肥力和提高森林生产力的有效经营管理措施。     

不同施肥处理下水稻根际和非根际土壤中氨基糖积累特征

以水稻长期定位施肥试验土壤为研究对象,选取不施肥(CK)、化肥(NPK)、秸秆还田+化肥(NPKS)、30%有机肥+70%化肥(LOM)和60%有机肥+40%化肥(HOM)5种处理,分析水稻分蘖旺期根际土和非根际土中氨基糖积累特征.结果表明: 与CK和NPK处理相比,长期施用有机物料(NPKS、LOM、HOM)显著增加了水稻根际土和非根际土中有机碳、总氨基糖及其氨基单糖(胞壁酸、氨基葡萄糖和氨基半乳糖)含量.不同施肥处理下3种氨基单糖的积累规律不同,说明不同微生物对施肥处理的响应趋势和强度有所不同.受稻田翻耕等均匀化土壤的农事操作影响,各处理总氨基糖含量在根际土与非根际土间无显著差异.氨基糖碳对土壤有机碳积累的贡献范围为24.0～28.3 mg·g^-1,且以NPKS处理最高,HOM和CK处理最低.真菌氨基葡萄糖/胞壁酸比值范围为24.4～36.6,说明该试验点所有处理的根际土与非根际土中有机质的降解与转化过程以真菌为主导,且与NPK和CK相比,NPKS处理的真菌参与度提高,而施用HOM处理的细菌参与度提高.     

Historical precipitation predictably alters the shape and magnitude of microbial functional response to soil moisture

Soil moisture constrains the activity of decomposer soil microorganisms, and in turn the rate at which soil carbon returns to the atmosphere. While increases in soil moisture are generally associated with increased microbial activity, historical climate may constrain current microbial responses to moisture. However, it is not known if variation in the shape and magnitude of microbial functional responses to soil moisture can be predicted from historical climate at regional scales. To address this problem, we measured soil enzyme activity at 12 sites across a broad climate gradient spanning 442–887 mm mean annual precipitation. Measurements were made eight times over 21 months to maximize sampling during different moisture conditions. We then fit saturating functions of enzyme activity to soil moisture and extracted half saturation and maximum activity parameter values from model fits. We found that 50% of the variation in maximum activity parameters across sites could be predicted by 30‐year mean annual precipitation, an indicator of historical climate, and that the effect is independent of variation in temperature, soil texture, or soil carbon concentration. Based on this finding, we suggest that variation in the shape and magnitude of soil microbial response to soil moisture due to historical climate may be remarkably predictable at regional scales, and this approach may extend to other systems. If historical contingencies on microbial activities prove to be persistent in the face of environmental change, this approach also provides a framework for incorporating historical climate effects into biogeochemical models simulating future global change scenarios.     

长期模拟升温对崇明东滩湿地土壤微生物生物量的影响

以崇明东滩芦苇湿地为对象,采用开顶室生长箱(Open top chambers OTCs)原位模拟大气升温试验,研究了连续升温8a对崇明东滩湿地0—40cm土层土壤微生物生物量碳氮含量的影响。结果表明:连续升温显著提高了崇明东滩湿地土壤微生物生物量碳氮含量,从土壤表层到深层(0—10,10—20,20—30,30—40cm),微生物生物量碳分别增加了39.32%、70.79%、65.20%、74.09%,微生物生物量氮分别增加了66.46%、178.27%、47.24%、64.11%。但升温对土壤微生物生物量的影响因不同土层和不同季节并未表现出统一的规律,长期模拟升温显著提高4月0—20cm土层和7月0—40cm土层微生物生物量碳氮含量,对10月0—40cm土层微生物生物量碳含量没有影响,但是显著提高了10月0—40cm土层微生物生物量氮含量,同时,微生物生物量碳氮比在7月也显著提高。相关分析表明:无论在升温条件还是在对照条件下,土壤温度、含水量、总氮与土壤微生物生物量碳氮及微生物生物量碳氮比均无相关关系,升温条件下,有机碳与微生物生物量碳氮含量以及微生物生物量碳氮比呈显著正相关,但是在对照条件下有机碳与微生物生物量碳氮含量以及微生物生物量碳氮比呈显著负相关。因此,土壤有机碳是影响土壤微生物生物量碳氮含量对长期模拟升温响应的重要生态因子。     

Response of the Soil Microbial Community to Changes in Precipitation in a Semiarid Ecosystem

Microbial communities regulate many belowground carbon cycling processes; thus, the impact of climate change on the structure and function of soil microbial communities could, in turn, impact the release or storage of carbon in soils. Here we used a large-scale precipitation manipulation (+18%, −50%, or ambient) in a piñon-juniper woodland (Pinus edulis-Juniperus monosperma) to investigate how changes in precipitation amounts altered soil microbial communities as well as what role seasonal variation in rainfall and plant composition played in the microbial community response. Seasonal variability in precipitation had a larger role in determining the composition of soil microbial communities in 2008 than the direct effect of the experimental precipitation treatments. Bacterial and fungal communities in the dry, relatively moisture-limited premonsoon season were compositionally distinct from communities in the monsoon season, when soil moisture levels and periodicity varied more widely across treatments. Fungal abundance in the drought plots during the dry premonsoon season was particularly low and was 4.7 times greater upon soil wet-up in the monsoon season, suggesting that soil fungi were water limited in the driest plots, which may result in a decrease in fungal degradation of carbon substrates. Additionally, we found that both bacterial and fungal communities beneath piñon pine and juniper were distinct, suggesting that microbial functions beneath these trees are different. We conclude that predicting the response of microbial communities to climate change is highly dependent on seasonal dynamics, background climatic variability, and the composition of the associated aboveground community.     

模拟增温及隔离降雨对中亚热带杉木人工林土壤可溶性有机质的数量及其结构的影响

温度和水分影响森林生态系统的结构与功能,而全球变暖和降雨格局的改变是未来气候变化的趋势。我国中亚热带地区森林覆盖率大,碳库丰富,可溶性有机质(DOM)作为森林生态系统的重要组成部分,气候变化对它的数量和组成具有重要的影响。本文对我国湿润亚热带地区杉木人工林土壤进行模拟增温以及隔离50%的降雨试验,利用光谱技术手段研究增温及隔离降雨对土壤可溶性有机质(DOM)的数量及其结构的影响。试验设对照(CK)、增温(W)、隔离降雨(P)、增温与隔离降雨的交互作用(WP)4种处理。结果表明,与对照相比,土壤增温后,0—10cm和10—20cm土层的土壤可溶性有机碳(DOC)和可溶性有机氮(DON)增加,但其芳香性指数和腐殖化程度降低,增温加速DOM的流失,不利于土壤有机质的稳定。季节变化影响土壤的环境,导致隔离降雨有使DOM的数量增加或减少的趋势;在旱季(2014年10月和2015年1月),隔离降雨降低了土壤DOM的数量,但其芳香性指数和腐殖化程度增加,而进入雨季(2015年4月),隔离降雨有使DOM增加的趋势,但其组分中的芳香化合物较少。增温和隔离降雨的交互作用在一定程度上促进DOM的产生,其结构比对照简单。温度和降雨对DOM的影响较为复杂,在全球气候变化背景下,只有长期对其进行观测并探讨其他因素带来的影响才能深入了解气候变暖和降雨格局的变化对土壤碳、氮的影响。     

Persistent high temperature and low precipitation reduce peat carbon accumulation

Extreme climate events are predicted to become more frequent and intense. Their ecological impacts, particularly on carbon cycling, can differ in relation to ecosystem sensitivity. Peatlands, being characterized by peat accumulation under waterlogged conditions, can be particularly sensitive to climate extremes if the climate event increases soil oxygenation. However, a mechanistic understanding of peatland responses to persistent climate extremes is still lacking, particularly in terms of aboveground–belowground feedback. Here, we present the results of a transplantation experiment of peat mesocosms from high to low altitude in order to simulate, during 3 years, a mean annual temperature c. 5 °C higher and a mean annual precipitation c. 60% lower. Specifically, we aim at understanding the intensity of changes for a set of biogeochemical processes and their feedback on carbon accumulation. In the transplanted mesocosms, plant productivity showed a species‐specific response depending on plant growth forms, with a significant decrease (c. 60%) in peat moss productivity. Soil respiration almost doubled and Q₁₀ halved in the transplanted mesocosms in combination with an increase in activity of soil enzymes. Spectroscopic characterization of peat chemistry in the transplanted mesocosms confirmed the deepening of soil oxygenation which, in turn, stimulated microbial decomposition. After 3 years, soil carbon stock increased only in the control mesocosms whereas a reduction in mean annual carbon accumulation of c. 30% was observed in the transplanted mesocosms. Based on the above information, a structural equation model was built to provide a mechanistic understanding of the causal connections between peat moisture, vegetation response, soil respiration and carbon accumulation. This study identifies, in the feedback between plant and microbial responses, the primary pathways explaining the reduction in carbon accumulation in response to recurring climate extremes in peat soils.