滩涂围垦和土地利用对土壤微生物群落的影响

土壤微生物在生态系统营养物质循环过程,特别是碳、氮循环过程中扮演着重要的角色。上海市崇明岛位于长江入海口,因其土壤发育时间较短、土地利用历史背景清晰、土壤本底均一,不同土壤围垦年代的土壤,代表了土壤发育年代的不同时期。以空间变化代替时间变化,对崇明岛稻田和旱地6个不同围垦年代土壤的磷酸脂肪酸(PLFA)指纹图谱研究表明,湿地滩涂围垦16a后土壤微生物总PLFA、细菌PLFA、革兰氏阳性菌(G+)PLFA和革兰氏阴性菌(G-)PLFA含量显著降低。随着围垦时间的逐步增加,PLFA含量逐步上升。经过长时间的农业种植,G+PLFA在围垦120a和300a稻田和旱地土壤中没有显著性差异;而总PLFA、细菌和G-PLFA在围垦75、120a和300a的土壤中含量趋于稳定且没有显著性差异。围垦16a和40a稻田土壤中总PLFA和G+PLFA显著高于旱地土壤;围垦40a稻田土壤中细菌和G-PLFA显著高于旱地土壤。不同围垦年代土壤总PLFA、细菌PLFA与土壤总氮、粘土含量成显著的正相关关系。河口湿地围垦后微生物数量的变化与土壤营养含量存在强烈相关关系,提示土壤围垦及演替过程中微生物与土壤肥力之间的紧密关系,对探讨土壤演替过程中微生物群落的变化具有重要意义。

Effects of reclamation on tidal flat and land use on soil microbial community

Soil microbes play a vital role in nutrient cycling, especially in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Microbes are influenced and regulated by many factors, such as anthropogenic disturbances, environmental conditions and soil properties. Little has been reported on soil microbial response to long term cultivation after reclamation of estuary wetland. One of possible reasons may be the heterogeneity of soil background and complicated land use history. The Chongming Island, located in the estuary of Yangtze River, was originated mainly from periodical reclamation on tidal flat. Because of an excellent homogeneous soil background and a relatively short and clear land use history on the island, the chronosequence of soils reflects mainly microbial response to soil development and cultivation. Phospholipid Fatty Acids (PLFA) are principle components of microbial cell membranes. Its pattern can be used as a fingerprint of soil microbes to provide insight information of soil bacterial and fungal communities because different microbes show different PLFA profile patterns.This research focused on a chronosequence of 6 soil ages under two different cultivation (paddy rice and upland cropping) systems, including 0 (unclaimed wetland soil), 16, 40, 75, 120 and 300 years old soils. PLFA analysis results showed that after reclamation of coastal wetland, soil total PLFA, bacterial PLFA, Gram-positive (G⁺) PLFA and Gram-negative (G^-) PLFA all reduced significantly in both paddy rice and upland cropping soils. Microbial PLFA abundance then increased gradually over several decades in both paddy rice and upland cropping soils. After a long-term human cultivation, no significant difference in G⁺ PLFA was observed in 120 or 300 years old soils, either in paddy rice or upland cropping soils. No significant difference in total PLFA, bacterial PLFA or G^- PLFA was observed among 75, 120 or 300 years old soils. Principle component analysis (PCA) showed that two principle components, PC1 and PC2, could explain 51.12% and 18.57% of the total PLFA variation, respectively. PCA also revealed that PLFA profiles of 75, 120 and 300 years old soil were clearly different from those of 0, 16 and 40 years old soil. Cultivations of paddy rice and upland crops have significantly affected soil microbial structure. Total PLFA and G⁺ PLFA were significantly higher in 16 and 40 years old paddy soils than those of upland cropping soils. Bacterial and G^- PLFA were significantly higher in 40 years old paddy rice soils than those of upland cropping soils. Soil total PLFA and bacterial PLFA were significantly correlated to soil total nitrogen and clay content, suggesting strong relations between soil microbes and soil nutrient status. The PLFA results indicated that human cultivations have led to environmental stress on soil microbes and this stress was gradually relieved along with long-term cultivations, because of improved soil nutrient conditions due to inputs of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers.This study provided deep insights into soil microbial structures of different soil ages based on PLFA analysis under paddy and upland cultivation systems, which are two major cropping systems in China. It was helpful for us to better understand the development of soil microbial communities along with soil succession in arable soils.