Effects of short-Term experimental warming on soil microbes in a typical alpine steppe北大核心CSCD

Aims Soil microbe plays key role in mediating terrestrial carbon cycles. It has been suggested that climate warming may affect the microbial community, which may accelerate carbon release and induce a positive feedback to soil climate warming. However, there is still controversy on how microbial community responds to experimental warming, especially in cold and drought environment. Methods We conducted an open top chambers (OTCs) experiment to explore the effects of warming on soil microbial community in an alpine steppe on Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. During the maximum of the growing seasons (August) of 2015 and 2016, we monitored the biomass and structure of soil microbial community in warming and control plots using phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) as biomarkers. Important findings Short-Term warming treatment significantly increased the soil temperature by 1.6 and 1.6 C and decreased soil moisture by 3.4% and 2.4% (volume fraction) respectively, but did not alter either soil properties or normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) during the growing season (from May to October) in 2015 and 2016. During the maximum of growing seasons (August) of 2015 and 2016, the magnitude of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) were 749.0 and 844.3 mg·kg-1, microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) were 43.1 and 102.1 mg·kg-1, and the microbial biomass C:N ranged between 17.9 and 8.4. Moreover, all three showed no significant differences between warming and control treatments. The abundance of bacteria was the most in microbial community, while arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was the least, and warming treatment did not alter the abundance of different microbial group and the microbial community structure. Nonetheless, our result revealed that warming-induced changes in MBC had significant positive correlation with changes in soil temperature and soil moisture. These patterns indicate that, microbial community in this alpine steppe may not respond substantially to future climate warming due to the limitation of soil drought. Therefore, estimation of microbial community response to climate change calls for consideration on the combined effect of warming and drought. © 2018 Editorial Office of Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology. All rights reserved.     

Effects of transportation direction of photosynthate on soil microbial processes in the rhizosphere of Phyllostachys bissetii北大核心CSCD

Aims Clonal integration contributes greatly to the adaption of clonal plants to heterogeneous habitats. However, effects of transportation direction of photosynthate on microbial processes need to be further investigated in the rhizosphere. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of directional differences in photosynthate transport on microbial processes in the rhizosphere of clonal plant Phyllostachys bissetii. Methods By removing the aboveground parts of the ramets, acropetal treatment and basipetal treatment were applied in this study to control the transportation direction of photosynthate. In acropetal treatment, aboveground parts of distal ramets were cut off (with 20 cm above ground kept), and proximal ramets were left intact. While in basipetal treatment, aboveground parts of proximal ramets were cut off (with 20 cm above ground kept), and distal ramets were left intact. Rhizomes between the two ramets were either connected or severed. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) availabilities, and enzyme activities in the rhizosphere soils were measured. Important findings In acropetal treatment, total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and soil inorganic nitrogen (NH4 +-N and NO3 --N) content in the rhizosphere soil of distal ramets with connected rhizomes were significantly higher than those with severed rhizome. The activities of urease, polyphenol oxidase (POXase), N-acetyl-β-D-Glucosaminidase (NAGase) were significantly enhanced. Further, clonal integration had a significant effect on C and N availability, and microbial processes in the rhizosphere soil of neighbouring ramets. In basipetal treatment, clonal integration did not show a significant effect on C availability in the rhizosphere soil of proximal ramets, but microbial processes along with soil enzyme activities were altered accordingly. Effects of transportation direction of photosynthate on microbial processes in the rhizosphere of P. bissetii provides insights into the adaptation mechanisms of clonal plant populations. © 2018 Editorial Office of Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology. All rights reserved.     

Soil microbial properties under different vegetation types on Mountain Han

This study investigated the influence of broadleaf and conifer vegetation on soil microbial communities in a distinct vertical distribution belt in Northeast China.Soil samples were taken at 0-5,5-10 and 10-20 cm depths from four vegetation types at different altitudes,which were characterized by poplar(Populus davidiana)(1250-1300 m),poplar(P.davidiana) mixed with birch(Betula platyphylla)(1370-1550 m),birch(B.platyphylla)(1550-1720 m),and larch(Larix principis-rupprechtii)(1840-1890 m).Microbial biomass and community structure were determined using the fumigation-extraction method and phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) analysis,and soil fungal community level physiological profiles(CLPP) were characterized using Biolog FF Microplates.It was found that soil properties,especially soil organic carbon and water content,contributed significantly to the variations in soil microbes.With increasing soil depth,the soil microbial biomass,fungal biomass,and fungal catabolic ability diminished;however,the ratio of fungi to bacteria increased.The fungal ratio was higher under larch forests compared to that under poplar,birch,and their mixed forests,although the soil microbial biomass was lower.The direct contribution of vegetation types to the soil microbial community variation was 12%.If the indirect contribution through soil organic carbon was included,variations in the vegetation type had substantial influences on soil microbial composition and diversity.     

Characteristics of the microbial community in rhizosphere of Camptotheca acuminata cultured with exotic invasive plant Eupatorium adenophorum

The traditional culture-dependent plate counting and culture-independent small-subunit-ribosomal RNA gene-targeted molecular techniques, Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) and ter-minal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (tRFLP) combined with 16S rDNA clone library were adopted to investigate the impacts of secretion from Camptotheca acuminata (abbreviated to Ca) roots on the quantities and structure of eukaryotic microbes and bacteria in the rhizosphere, and the possi-bility that Ca controls exotic invasive plant Eupatorium adenophorum (Ea). The counting results indi-cated that the number of bacteria increased in turn in rhizospheres of Ea, Ca-Ea mixed culture and Ca, while that of eukaryotic microbes decreased. PCR-SSCP profiles showed eukaryotic microbial bands (corresponding to biodiversity) in rhizosphere of Ea were more complex than those of Ca and CE. Meristolohmannia sp., Termitomyces sp. and Rhodophyllus sp. were the dominant populations in the rhizosphere of Ca. Bacterial terminal restriction fragments (TRFs) profiles showed no difference among three kinds of rhizospheres, and the sequences of the 16S rDNA clone library from Ca rhizospheres were distributed in 10 known phyla, in which phylum Proteobacteria were the absolute dominant group and accounted for 24.71% of the cloned sequences (δ-Proteobacteria accounted for up to 17.65%), and phyla Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes accounted for 16.47% and 10.59% of the cloned sequences, respectively. In addition, high performance liquid chromatography detected a trace amount of camp-tothecin and hydroxycamptothecin in the rhizospheric soil of Ca and CE, but examined neither camp-tothecin nor hydroxycamptothecin in rhizospheric soil of Ea. Therefore, invasion and diffusion of Ea evidently depended on distinguishing the eukaryotic community structure, but not on that of the bac-terial pattern. Ca was able to alter the eukaryotic community structure of invasive Ea by secreting camptothecin and hydroxycamptothecin into rhizospheres, and may benefit the control of overspread of Ea. This study provided theoretical evidence for rhizospheric microbial aspects on substituting Ca for Ea.     

Impact of allelopathic rice seedlings on rhizospheric microbial populations and their functional diversity

Field performance of rice allelopathic potential is indirectly regulated by the microflora in the rhizosphere. The present study aimed to investigate the dynamics of microbial populations and their functional diversities in the seedling rhizospheres of rice cultivars with varied allelopathic activities by employing agar plate bioassay, fumigation and BIOLOG analysis. Rice cultivars significantly affected the microbial carbon content in their associated rhizospheric soil. The microbial carbon contents were ranked in a decreasing order as Iguape Cateto (441.0 mg·kg^–1) > IAC47 (389.7 mg·kg^–1) > PI312777 (333.2 mg·kg^–1) > Lemont (283.8 mg·kg^–1) with the nil-rice control soil of 129.3 mg·kg^–1. Similarly, the respiration rate of the soils was 1.404, 1.019, 0.671 and 0.488 μgC·g^–1· h^–1 for PI312777, Iguape Cateto, IAC47 and Lemont, respectively. The respiration rate was only 0.304 μ gC·g^–1·h^–1 for the control soil. The microbial flora in the rhizospheric soil of different rice cultivars was dominated by bacteria (58.4%–65.6%), followed by actinomycete (32.2%–39.4%) and fungi (2.2%–2.8%). BIOLOG analysis showed that the value of Average Well Color Development (AWCD) differed significantly among rice cultivars. It was always the highest in the rhizospheric soil of the strongly allelopathic rice cv. PI312777, and the lowest in the rhizospheric soil of the poorly allelopathic rice cv. Lemont. The AWCD value reached the maximum in all the sampled soils after 144 hours of incubation. The AWCD values from the rhizospheric soils of PI312777, IAC47, Iguape Cateto and Lemont were 1.89, 1.79, 1.60 and 1.43 times higher than that of the control soil. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified 3 principal component factors (PCF) in relation to carbon sources, accounting for 70.1%, 11.3% and 7.0% of the variation, respectively. 19 categories of carbon sources were significantly positively correlated to the 3 principal components. Phenolic acids, carbohydrates, amino acids and amides were significantly correlated to the principal component 1, phenolic acids, carbohydrates and fatty acids to the principal component 2, and carbohydrates and hydroxylic acids to the principal component 3. Amino acids and amides were the two main carbon sources separating the 3 principal component factors. In addition, the total microbial population in the rhizospheric soil was significantly positively correlated with AWCD, microbial biomass carbon, microbial respiration and Shannon index. There was a significantly positive correlation between the total microbial population and the inhibition rate (IR) on the root length of lettuce owing to the different allelopathic activities of the rice cultivars. These results suggest that changes in microbial population, activity and functional diversity in the rhizospheres are highly cultivar-dependent. These changes might play an important role in governing the rice allelopathic activity in the field.     

土壤微生物增强了外来植物紫茎泽兰对本地植物种的竞争力

【Background】The soil microbial community plays an important role in plant establishment, growth and nutrition. Invasion success may be linked to plant microbe interactions. 【Method】Under glasshouse conditions, we compared the effect of soil microbial communities to the growth and interactions between the exotic weed Ageratina adenophora and native plants. The microbial communities were from soil invaded by A.adenophora (IS) vs. that dominated by native weeds (NS). 【Result】A.adenophora which received inoculum from IS had higher arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization rate than that from NS, especially when Medicago falcata or Setaria viridis grew near A.adenophora. Microbial inoculum from IS accelerated the growth of A.adenophora, when planted in polyculture with the native plant S.viridis, but the native species growth was not affected. A.adenophora, receiving an inoculum from IS, inhibited the growth of its two neighboring native species, while no such effect was observed when using inoculum from NS. A.adenophora responded positively to the inoculum taken from IS in all planting combinations, but responded negatively to inoculum from NS both in monoculture and in polyculture with M.falcata. 【Conclusion and significance】Soil microbes, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi present in soil in the rhizosphere of A.adenophora enhanced the competiveness of this invasive weed against native species, which may be an important invasion mechanism of exotic plants.     

Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, organic fertilizer and soil sterilization on maize growth ☆

The effects of inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, organic fertilizer (F) applications, and soil sterilization on maize growth were evaluated in a pot experiment. The experiment was in a completely randomized factorial design (2 × 4 × 2) with six replicates for each treatment. There were two soil treatments (sterilized soil, SS and unsterilized soil, US), four organic fertilizer treatments (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g kg^-1 soil), and two AM fungi treatments (inoculation with Glomus mosseae, +AM and uninoculated control, －AM). Inoculated plants generally had greater AM colonization, plant height, dry weight and phosphorus (P) uptake than uninoculated controls, and these parameters were significantly increased as the organic fertilizer application increased up to 0.5 g kg^-1 but decreased or had no significant effect compared to the uninoculated plants at the highest fertilizer rate (2.0 g kg^-1). Plant growth, P uptake and AM colonization of root system were significantly higher in sterilized soil compared to the unsterilized control. Our results indicated that the inoculation of AM fungi in field soil with optimal organic fertilizer application greatly improved maize growth and nutrient uptake, and the effect was greater under sterilized soil condition.     

Nitrogen released from different plant residues of the Loess Plateau and their additions on contents of microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen in soil

An incubation method was used to investigate the nitrogen release characteristics from the residue of ten plant species which commonly grow in the northern part of the Loess Plateau. The effect of the residue on soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) was also determined. There were significant differences in the total N content and the C/N ratios among the different types of plant residue. The total N content of the residues ranged from 6.61 to 32.78 g kg^?1. The C/N ratio of the residue ranged from 14 to 65. There was an immediate increase in soil N after alfalfa, erect milkvetch, and korshinsk peashrub residue was added to the soil. In contrast, soil N decreased after elm, sea buckthorn, and wild peach residue was added to the soil. The soil N content remained relatively low for 14–34 days and then increased. This indicated that N immobilization occurred during the early portion of the incubation period when elm, sea buckthorn and wild peach residue was added to the soil. Soil N levels were low during the entire incubation period when simon poplar, locust, Stipa bungeana, and old world bluestem residue were added to the soil. The addition of plant residue significantly increased SMBC and SMBN in all treatments. The SMBC and SMBN values were greatest in treatments containing plant residue with high total N content and low C/N ratios. The C/N ratios of korshinsk peashrub, sea buckthorn, and wild peach residues were similar, but the amount of N released from these residues and the effects of the residue on SMBC and SMBN in soil were significantly different. This indicates that not only the C/N ratio but also the chemical composition of the plant residue affected decomposition. It is important to consider C and N release characteristics from plant residue in order to adjust the C and N balance of soil when revegetating degraded ecosystems.     

Nitrogen released from different plant residues of the Loess Plateau and their additions on contents of microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen in soil

An incubation method was used to investigate the nitrogen release characteristics from the residue of ten plant species which commonly grow in the northern part of the Loess Plateau. The effect of the residue on soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) was also determined. There were significant differences in the total N content and the C/N ratios among the different types of plant residue. The total N content of the residues ranged from 6.61 to 32.78 g kg^?1. The C/N ratio of the residue ranged from 14 to 65. There was an immediate increase in soil N after alfalfa, erect milkvetch, and korshinsk peashrub residue was added to the soil. In contrast, soil N decreased after elm, sea buckthorn, and wild peach residue was added to the soil. The soil N content remained relatively low for 14–34 days and then increased. This indicated that N immobilization occurred during the early portion of the incubation period when elm, sea buckthorn and wild peach residue was added to the soil. Soil N levels were low during the entire incubation period when simon poplar, locust, Stipa bungeana, and old world bluestem residue were added to the soil. The addition of plant residue significantly increased SMBC and SMBN in all treatments. The SMBC and SMBN values were greatest in treatments containing plant residue with high total N content and low C/N ratios. The C/N ratios of korshinsk peashrub, sea buckthorn, and wild peach residues were similar, but the amount of N released from these residues and the effects of the residue on SMBC and SMBN in soil were significantly different. This indicates that not only the C/N ratio but also the chemical composition of the plant residue affected decomposition. It is important to consider C and N release characteristics from plant residue in order to adjust the C and N balance of soil when revegetating degraded ecosystems.     

Plant species, atmospheric CO2 and soil N interactively or additively control C allocation within plant-soil systems

Two plant species,Medicago truncatula (legume) and Avena sativa (non-legume),were grown in low-or high-N soils under two CO2 concentrations to test the hypothesis whether C allocation within plant-soil system is interactively or additively controlled by soil N and atmospheric CO2 is dependent upon plant species. The results showed the interaction between plant species and soil N had a significant impact on microbial activity and plant growth. The interaction between CO2 and soil N had a significant impact on soil soluble C and soil microbial biomass C under Madicago but not under Avena. Although both CO2 and soil N affected plant growth significantly,there was no interaction between CO2 and soil N on plant growth. In other words,the effects of CO2 and soil N on plant growth were additive. We considered that the interaction between N2 fixation trait of legume plant and elevated CO2 might have obscured the interaction between soil N and elevated CO2 on the growth of legume plant. In low-N soil,the shoot-to-root ratio of Avena dropped from 2.63±0.20 in the early growth stage to 1.47±0.03 in the late growth stage,indicating that Avena plant allocated more energy to roots to optimize nutrient uptake (i.e. N) when soil N was limiting. In high-N soil,the shoot-to-root ratio of Medicago increased significantly over time (from 2.45±0.30 to 5.43±0.10),suggesting that Medicago plants allocated more energy to shoots to optimize photosynthesis when N was not limiting. The shoot-to-root ratios were not significantly different between two CO2 levels.     

The influences of arboraceous layer on spatial patterns and morphological characteristics of herbaceous layer in an arid plant community

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of arboraceous layer on the spatial pattern and morphological characteristics of herbaceous layer in Elaeagnus angustifolia–Achnatherum splendens community in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. The analyses of community composition and structural characteristics as well as the investigation of soil moisture and salinity showed that different life forms of plants differ in the soil depth at which they absorb and utilize soil moisture. Wavelet analysis showed that there were differences between the spatial patterns of A. splendens in the canopy-projected regions and other regions, and the intrinsic scales were detected. The results from the buffer analysis showed that the control of arboraceous layer on the herbaceous layer on the spatial patterns and the morphological characteristics were influenced not only by canopy shading but also by other causes such as distribution patterns of roots as the morphological characteristics did not monotonically change with distance.     

The annual habitat selection of released Père David’s Deer in Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve

The number of Père David’s (Elaphurus davidinus) deer which have been released into the wild is over one hundred in the third core area of Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve. Annual habitat selection of released Père David’s deer was studied from November 2008 to November 2009. The results of our research showed that: in autumn and winter released Père David’s deer preferred to choose the locations at Spartina alterniflora community with higher plant density, higher plant height and larger aboveground biomass; in spring and summer released Père David’s deer preferred to choose the locations at S. alterniflora community with lower plant height, smaller aboveground biomass. Released Père David’s deer preferred to choose the locations at S. alterniflora community which are close to water sources and shallow bogs but have a moderate distance from the sea. Principal components analysis was performed on 8 ecological factors. The cumulative contribution of the first 3 principal components reached to 75% and these factors could represent the annual habitat features of released Père David’s deer. According to the results of principal component analysis, the influential factors for annual habitat selection of released Père David’s deer were classified separately as food factor (aboveground biomass, plant height), water factor (distance to water, distance from the shallow bogs), disturbance factor (distance from human disturbance).     

The annual habitat selection of released Père David’s Deer in Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve

The number of Père David’s (Elaphurus davidinus) deer which have been released into the wild is over one hundred in the third core area of Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve. Annual habitat selection of released Père David’s deer was studied from November 2008 to November 2009. The results of our research showed that: in autumn and winter released Père David’s deer preferred to choose the locations at Spartina alterniflora community with higher plant density, higher plant height and larger aboveground biomass; in spring and summer released Père David’s deer preferred to choose the locations at S. alterniflora community with lower plant height, smaller aboveground biomass. Released Père David’s deer preferred to choose the locations at S. alterniflora community which are close to water sources and shallow bogs but have a moderate distance from the sea. Principal components analysis was performed on 8 ecological factors. The cumulative contribution of the first 3 principal components reached to 75% and these factors could represent the annual habitat features of released Père David’s deer. According to the results of principal component analysis, the influential factors for annual habitat selection of released Père David’s deer were classified separately as food factor (aboveground biomass, plant height), water factor (distance to water, distance from the shallow bogs), disturbance factor (distance from human disturbance).     

Impact of allelopathic rice seedlings on rhizospheric microbial populations and their functional diversity

Field performance of rice allelopathic potential is indirectly regulated by the microflora in the rhizosphere. The present study aimed to investigate the dynamics of microbial populations and their functional diversities in the seedling rhizospheres of rice cultivars with varied allelopathic activities by employing agar plate bioassay, fumigation and BIOLOG analysis. Rice cultivars significantly affected the microbial carbon content in their associated rhizospheric soil. The microbial carbon contents were ranked in a decreasing order as Iguape Cateto (441.0 mg·kg^–1) > IAC47 (389.7 mg·kg^–1) > PI312777 (333.2 mg·kg^–1) > Lemont (283.8 mg·kg^–1) with the nil-rice control soil of 129.3 mg·kg^–1. Similarly, the respiration rate of the soils was 1.404, 1.019, 0.671 and 0.488 μgC·g^–1· h^–1 for PI312777, Iguape Cateto, IAC47 and Lemont, respectively. The respiration rate was only 0.304 μ gC·g^–1·h^–1 for the control soil. The microbial flora in the rhizospheric soil of different rice cultivars was dominated by bacteria (58.4%–65.6%), followed by actinomycete (32.2%–39.4%) and fungi (2.2%–2.8%). BIOLOG analysis showed that the value of Average Well Color Development (AWCD) differed significantly among rice cultivars. It was always the highest in the rhizospheric soil of the strongly allelopathic rice cv. PI312777, and the lowest in the rhizospheric soil of the poorly allelopathic rice cv. Lemont. The AWCD value reached the maximum in all the sampled soils after 144 hours of incubation. The AWCD values from the rhizospheric soils of PI312777, IAC47, Iguape Cateto and Lemont were 1.89, 1.79, 1.60 and 1.43 times higher than that of the control soil. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified 3 principal component factors (PCF) in relation to carbon sources, accounting for 70.1%, 11.3% and 7.0% of the variation, respectively. 19 categories of carbon sources were significantly positively correlated to the 3 principal components. Phenolic acids, carbohydrates, amino acids and amides were significantly correlated to the principal component 1, phenolic acids, carbohydrates and fatty acids to the principal component 2, and carbohydrates and hydroxylic acids to the principal component 3. Amino acids and amides were the two main carbon sources separating the 3 principal component factors. In addition, the total microbial population in the rhizospheric soil was significantly positively correlated with AWCD, microbial biomass carbon, microbial respiration and Shannon index. There was a significantly positive correlation between the total microbial population and the inhibition rate (IR) on the root length of lettuce owing to the different allelopathic activities of the rice cultivars. These results suggest that changes in microbial population, activity and functional diversity in the rhizospheres are highly cultivar-dependent. These changes might play an important role in governing the rice allelopathic activity in the field.     

Plant community complexity in the arid valley of Minjiang River, southwestern China

Biocomplexity theory is becoming increasingly important in understanding natural vegetation dynamics and interrelation among all components of the ecosystem. In this study, based on the field investigation of plant species and environmental factors (altitude, microtopography, soil water content, and soil nutrients) in an arid valley of the upper reaches of Minjiang River, Sichuan Province, southwestern China, plant community complexity and its relationship with environmental factors, community diversity, species evenness and richness were studied. Both total and structural complexities of the communities showed a “high- low-high” tendency with the increase in altitude of the area, which meant that the complexity of communities was the highest at the sites of low and high altitude, whereas it was the lowest at the sites of intermediate altitude. It was found that the total community complexity had significant quadratic correlations with soil organic matter (SOM) content, total nitrogen (N), hydrolyzable N, soil water content, and available potassium (K), whereas it had no significant correlations with soil total K, total phosphorus (P), available P, and pH value. The total community complexity positively correlated with community diversity, species evenness and species richness, whereas the structural complexity negatively correlated with the community evenness. Of the two components of the total community complexity, namely, the structural complexity and the structural diversity, the structural complexity was more sensitive than the structural diversity to the changes of species in the community, which was not only related to the community evenness but also to the community richness. The relative contribution of both the structural complexity and the structural diversity to the total complexity would be different for different study areas or ecosystems.     

Plant community complexity in the arid valley of Minjiang River, southwestern China

Biocomplexity theory is becoming increasingly important in understanding natural vegetation dynamics and interrelation among all components of the ecosystem. In this study, based on the field investigation of plant species and environmental factors (altitude, microtopography, soil water content, and soil nutrients) in an arid valley of the upper reaches of Minjiang River, Sichuan Province, southwestern China, plant community complexity and its relationship with environmental factors, community diversity, species evenness and richness were studied. Both total and structural complexities of the communities showed a “high- low-high” tendency with the increase in altitude of the area, which meant that the complexity of communities was the highest at the sites of low and high altitude, whereas it was the lowest at the sites of intermediate altitude. It was found that the total community complexity had significant quadratic correlations with soil organic matter (SOM) content, total nitrogen (N), hydrolyzable N, soil water content, and available potassium (K), whereas it had no significant correlations with soil total K, total phosphorus (P), available P, and pH value. The total community complexity positively correlated with community diversity, species evenness and species richness, whereas the structural complexity negatively correlated with the community evenness. Of the two components of the total community complexity, namely, the structural complexity and the structural diversity, the structural complexity was more sensitive than the structural diversity to the changes of species in the community, which was not only related to the community evenness but also to the community richness. The relative contribution of both the structural complexity and the structural diversity to the total complexity would be different for different study areas or ecosystems.     

Dynamics of soil organic carbon storage following restoration of grassland on Yunwu Mountain

Grassland recovery and reconstruction are critical to ecological restoration in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Investigating changes in soil organic carbon density (SOCD), soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, and the rate of SOC sequestration is very important to assess the effect of ecological recovery and estimate the capacity of soil carbon sequestration. Here, we present the data of SOCD, SOC storage, and SOC sequestration rate from grasslands conversion from farmlands in the CLP. Our results indicate that: (1) The average SOCD (0–100 cm) in sites continued cultivation (CC), cultivation abandonment at 1999 (AC-99) and cultivation abandonment at 1989 (AC-89) is 6.00, 21.64 and 22.23 kg m^?2, respectively. SOCD in sites AC-99 and AC-89 is significantly higher than that in site CC and the average SOCD of China (10.53 kg m^?2), which indicates that vegetation restoration is benefit to increase soil carbon storage as well as preserve soil and water in this area. (2) The SOC storage (0–100 cm) in sites CC, AC-99 and AC-89 is 60.02, 216.35 and 222.32 kg m^?2, respectively. Results of ANOVA indicate that SOC storage of AC-99 is significantly higher than that of CC, while SOC storage of AC-89 is significantly higher than that of AC-99 at the depth of 0–50 cm (P < 0.001). It suggests that the capability of soil carbon sequestration increases after vegetation restoration, which is mainly due to the increase of plant roots. (3) The rate of SOC sequestration varies at different depths, which is high at the depth of 0–50 cm while low at the depth of 50–100 cm. This is probably due to the accumulation of plant root in the surface layer, which is the main controlling factor of SOC in this area. Our results indicate that the SOCD and SOC storage increase with vegetation restoration in our study site significantly.     

Dynamics of soil organic carbon storage following restoration of grassland on Yunwu Mountain

Grassland recovery and reconstruction are critical to ecological restoration in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Investigating changes in soil organic carbon density (SOCD), soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, and the rate of SOC sequestration is very important to assess the effect of ecological recovery and estimate the capacity of soil carbon sequestration. Here, we present the data of SOCD, SOC storage, and SOC sequestration rate from grasslands conversion from farmlands in the CLP. Our results indicate that: (1) The average SOCD (0–100 cm) in sites continued cultivation (CC), cultivation abandonment at 1999 (AC-99) and cultivation abandonment at 1989 (AC-89) is 6.00, 21.64 and 22.23 kg m^?2, respectively. SOCD in sites AC-99 and AC-89 is significantly higher than that in site CC and the average SOCD of China (10.53 kg m^?2), which indicates that vegetation restoration is benefit to increase soil carbon storage as well as preserve soil and water in this area. (2) The SOC storage (0–100 cm) in sites CC, AC-99 and AC-89 is 60.02, 216.35 and 222.32 kg m^?2, respectively. Results of ANOVA indicate that SOC storage of AC-99 is significantly higher than that of CC, while SOC storage of AC-89 is significantly higher than that of AC-99 at the depth of 0–50 cm (P < 0.001). It suggests that the capability of soil carbon sequestration increases after vegetation restoration, which is mainly due to the increase of plant roots. (3) The rate of SOC sequestration varies at different depths, which is high at the depth of 0–50 cm while low at the depth of 50–100 cm. This is probably due to the accumulation of plant root in the surface layer, which is the main controlling factor of SOC in this area. Our results indicate that the SOCD and SOC storage increase with vegetation restoration in our study site significantly.     

Soil and Rhizosphere Associated Fungi in Gray Mangroves(Avicennia marina) from the Red Sea—A Metagenomic Approach

Covering a quarter of the world's tropical coastlines and being one of the most threatened ecosystems, mangroves are among the major sources of terrestrial organic matter to oceans and harbor a wide microbial diversity. In order to protect, restore, and better understand these ecosystems, researchers have extensively studied their microbiology, yet few surveys have focused on their fungal communities. Our lack of knowledge is even more pronounced for specific fungal populations, such as the ones associated with the rhizosphere. Likewise, the Red Sea gray mangroves(Avicennia marina) remain poorly characterized, and understanding of their fungal communities still relies on cultivation-dependent methods. In this study, we analyzed metagenomic datasets from gray mangrove rhizosphere and bulk soil samples collected in the Red Sea coast, to obtain a snapshot of their fungal communities. Our data indicated that Ascomycota was the dominant phylum(76%–85%), while Basidiomycota was less abundant(14%–24%), yet present in higher numbers than usually reported for such environments. Fungal communities were more stable within the rhizosphere than within the bulk soil, both at class and genus level. This finding is consistent with the intrinsic patchiness in soil sediments and with the selection of specific microbial communities by plant roots. Our study indicates the presence of several species on this mycobiome that were not previously reported as mangrove-associated. In particular, we detected representatives of several commercially-used fungi, e.g., producers of secreted cellulases and anaerobic producers of cellulosomes. These results represent additional insights into the fungal community of the gray mangroves of the Red Sea, and show that they are significantly richer than previously reported.     

拉杰沙希大学校园药用植物菌根研究

Forty different medicinal plants were investigated for arbuscular mycorrhizal association in the Rajshahi University Campus in Bangladesh. The results indicated that 35 different plants were infected by AM (arbuscular mycorrhizal) fungi as found by trypan blue staining procedure. The percentage of root colonization by AM fungi varied from 13.3% to 100%. Mangifera indica and Morus indica have maximum percentage of colonization (100%). The intensity of root colonization were abundant in the plants belonging to the families Anacardiaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Moraceae, Leguminosae and Apocynaceae whereas the intensity of colonization of crop roots were moderate and poor belonging to Gramineae and Leguminosae. The presence of greater number of spore in soil was always associated with the incidence of abundant mycelia. In plant roots the formation of spore and mycelia was restricted by low pH. Number of mycorrhizal fungus spores ranged between 35 to100 per 100g air dried soil in different family respective soils. The frequency of mycorrhizal fungus infection showed positive correlation with soil pH, moisture, water holding capacity, texture, total nitrogen, organic carbon, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Especially phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil greatly influenced the plant root infection by AM fungi.