Moderate salinity improves the availability of soil P by regulating P-cycling microbial communities in coastal wetlands

Accelerated sea-level rise is expected to cause the salinization of freshwater wetlands, but the responses to salinity of the availability of soil phosphorus (P) and of microbial genes involved in the cycling of P remain unexplored. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the effects of salinity on P cycling by soil microbial communities and their regulatory roles on P availability in coastal freshwater and brackish wetlands. Salinity was positively correlated with P availability, with higher concentrations of labile P but lower concentrations of moderately labile P in the brackish wetland. The diversity and richness of microbial communities involved in P cycling were higher in the brackish wetland than the freshwater wetland. Salinity substantially altered the composition of the P-cycling microbial community, in which those of the brackish wetland were separated from those of the freshwater wetland. Metagenomic sequence analysis indicated that functional genes involved in the solubilization of inorganic P and the subsequent transport and regulation of P were more abundant in coastal soils. The relative abundances of most of the target genes differed between the wetlands, with higher abundances of P-solubilization (gcd and ppa) and -mineralization (phoD, phy, and ugpQ) genes and lower abundances of P-transport genes (pstB, ugpA, ugpB, ugpE, and pit) in the brackish wetland. A significant positive correlation between the concentration of labile P and the abundances of the target genes suggested that salinity may, at least in part, improve P availability by regulating the P-cycling microbial community. Our results suggest that the P-cycling microbial community abundance and P availability respond positively to moderate increases in salinity by promoting the microbial solubilization and mineralization of soil P. Changes in microbial communities and microbially mediated P cycling may represent microbial strategies to adapt to moderate salinity levels, which in turn control soil function and nutrient balance.     

Effects of plant diversity on microbial biomass and community metabolic profiles in a full-scale constructed wetland

There has been less understanding of relations of microbial community patterns with plant diversity in constructed wetlands. We conducted a single full-scale subsurface vertical flow constructed wetland (SVFCW, 1000 m²) study focusing on domestic wastewater processing. This study measured the size and structure of microbial community using fumigation extraction and BIOLOG Ecoplate? techniques, to examine the effects of macrophyte diversity on microbial communities that are critical in treatment efficiency of constructed wetlands. We also determined the relationship of plant diversity (species richness) with its biomass production under disturbance of the same wastewater supply. Linear regression analysis showed that plant biomass production strongly correlated with plant species richness (R = 0.407, P < 0.001). Increase in plant species richness increased microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen (R = 0.494, P < 0.001; R = 0.465, P < 0.001) and utilization of amino acids on Ecoplates (R = 0.235, P = 0.03), but limited the utilization of amine/amides (R = ?0.338, P = 0.013). Principal components analysis (PCA) showed that the diversity and community-level physiological profiles (CLPP) of microbial community at 168 h of incubation strongly depended on the presence or absence of plant species in the SVFCW system, but not on the species richness. This is the first step toward understanding relations of plant diversity with soil microbial community patterns in constructed wetlands, but the effect of species diversity on microbial community should be further studied.     

Responses of soil microbial communities to prescribed burning in two paired vegetation sites in southern China

Prescribed burning is a common site preparation practice for forest plantation in southern China. However, the effects of prescribed burning on soil microbial communities are poorly understood. This study examined changes in microbial community structure, measured by phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), after a single prescribed burning in two paired vegetation sites in southern China. The results showed that the total amount of PLFA (totPLFA) was similar under two vegetation types in the wet season but differed among vegetation type in the dry season, and was affected significantly by burning treatment only in the wet season. Bacterial PLFA (bactPLFA) and fungal PLFA (fungPLFA) in burned plots all decreased compared to the unburned plots in both seasons (P = 0.059). Fungi appeared more sensitive to prescribed burning than bacteria. Both G⁺ bacterial PLFA and G⁻ bacterial PLFA were decreased by the burning treatment in both dry and wet seasons. Principal component analysis of PLFAs showed that the burning treatment induced a shift in soil microbial community structure. The variation in soil microbial community structure was correlated significantly to soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and exchangeable potassium. Our results suggest that prescribed burning results in short-term changes in soil microbial communities but the long-term effects of prescribed burning on soil microbial community remain unknown and merit further investigation.     

若尔盖高原泥炭沼泽湿地土壤细菌群落空间分布及其驱动机制

了解高原泥炭沼泽湿地生态系统土壤微生物群落结构组成、多样性及空间分布特征对认识高原湿地生态特征及演化过程至关重要。利用高通量测序技术，在局域尺度上研究了四川若尔盖高原泥炭沼泽湿地土壤细菌群落结构与多样性特征。通过进一步测定土壤及植物基本理化指标，量化采样点之间的地理距离，比较了细菌群落不同成员（稀有种和丰富种）的空间周转差异，分析了土壤环境变量和空间因子对细菌群落结构的相对贡献。结果表明：若尔盖泥炭土壤细菌群落主要由绿弯菌门（Chloroflexi）（26.25%）、变形菌门（Proteobacteria）（23.21%）、厚壁菌门（Firmicutes）（10.56%）等优势物种门类组成；土壤细菌群落结构表现出较强的空间依赖关系，群落结构相似性随采样点地理距离增加而逐渐降低，细菌群落的周转速率表现为总细菌群落 > 丰富种 > 稀有种；Mantel检验结果显示，地上生物量与细菌群落呈极显著相关性（P<0.01），其中，影响稀有种空间分布特征的环境因子还包括土壤硫含量、活性磷、Mn和土壤pH值；方差分解分析表明，局域尺度上的土壤因子对若尔盖高原泥炭沼泽土壤细菌群落构建的相对贡献大于空间因子，土壤异质性是影响微生物空间分布特征的关键因素。研究为开展高原湿地泥炭土壤微生物多样性调查及揭示微生物群落构建机制提供了重要参考。     

An assessment of soil bacterial community structure and physicochemistry in two microtopographic locations of a palustrine forested wetland

We studied redoximorphic features, field indicators and bacterial communities of soils in hummocks and hollows of a palustrine forested wetland in Virginia. We hypothesized that presence of hydric soils, soil physicochemistry and soil bacterial community structure would differ between hummocks and hollows. We fingerprinted soils collected from different microtopographic locations using Length Heterogeneity Polymerase Chain Reaction (LH-PCR) to study their bacterial community structures. Two hummocks had silty/sandy loam soils with mean chroma values of > 4, showing no indication of ‘hydric soils’ (i.e., wetland soils). Two hollows, however, had clay loam soils with mean chroma values of 2 with gleying and redox concentrations observed, indicative of seasonally inundated wetlands. The soils of hollows also had higher organic matter content and soil moisture compared to the soils of hummocks (P < 0.05). Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) of the fingerprints revealed differences in soil microbial community structures between hummocks and hollows (Global R = 0.30, P < 0.01). The diversity measures of the fingerprints (Shannon’s H′) were also different by microtopography with higher diversity in hollows relative to hummocks (P < 0.05). LH-PCR proves to be a useful tool in examining bacterial community composition of wetland soils in this study. However, cloning and sequencing of specific community LH-PCR profiles of interest is necessary to fully characterize the community down to genus/species level. With species identities we should be able to not only better explain differences observed in the community profiles, but study their relations to hydrologic and/or physicochemical conditions of wetlands.     

Inoculation with Pisolithus tinctorius may ameliorate acid rain impacts on soil microbial communities associated with Pinus massoniana seedlings

Human activities accelerate acidification, particularly as acid rain, which may have lasting impacts on soil abiotic and biotic parameters. However, the effects of acidification on aboveground vegetation, belowground communities, and carbon cycling remains unresolved. We examined the effects of long-term acidic treatments and Pisolithus tinctorius inoculation on plants, soils, and microbial communities in pine (Pinus) plantations and found that exposure to severely-acidic treatments diminished plant performance, altered microbial communities, and decreased organic matter, nitrate, and available phosphorus. Although we did not detect any benefits of P. tinctorius inoculation for Pinus seedlings impacted by severely-acidic treatments, when these severe treatments were inoculated with P. tinctorius, both soil properties and microbial community composition shifted. We posit that inoculation with P. tinctorius may alleviate stressful environmental conditions, and change the structure of mycorrhizal fungal communities. Although acidification may alter biogeochemical cycles and constrain aboveground and belowground communities, P. tinctorius inoculation may provide benefits to some components of forested ecosystems.     

盐城滨海滩涂湿地典型植物群落土壤微生物组成与结构特征

土壤微生物是生态系统维持正常结构与功能的重要组成部分,为探究盐城滩涂典型湿地土壤微生物群落结构特征,以江苏盐城滩涂互花米草、藨草、盐地碱蓬、芦苇及淤泥质光滩5种典型群落为对象,采用16S rRNA高通量测序技术分析0—10 cm(表层)、10—30 cm(中层)、30—60 cm(深层)土壤微生物多样性及群落结构。结果表明：(1)几种植物群落间,土壤微生物群落结构差异较大,主要体现在细菌群落结构的差异性,古菌群落结构差异相对较小。光滩与植物群落间,在土壤细菌种类及相对丰度上差异相对较大,互花米草群落与本土植物群落间,在微生物群落的细菌种类组成上存在较大差异;藨草群落土壤表层微生物群落结构与互花米草群落相似,深层与盐地碱蓬、芦苇群落相似。(2)同一群落不同层次土壤微生物群落结构相似,差异小于不同群落间土壤微生物群落的结构差异性;不同群落对应层次间,表深层土壤中五种群落土壤微生物多样性存在显著差异,中层土壤中五种群落微生物多样性差异不显著。总体上,植物群落类型对土壤微生物群落结构的影响大于土壤深度;与本土植物群落相比,互花米草群落土壤主要优势门微生物种类差异较小,但部分优势门微生物相对丰度...     

Assessing the Microbial Community and Functional Genes in a Vertical Soil Profile with Long-Term Arsenic Contamination

Arsenic (As) contamination in soil and groundwater has become a serious problem to public health. To examine how microbial communities and functional genes respond to long-term arsenic contamination in vertical soil profile, soil samples were collected from the surface to the depth of 4 m (with an interval of 1 m) after 16-year arsenic downward infiltration. Integrating BioLog and functional gene microarray (GeoChip 3.0) technologies, we showed that microbial metabolic potential and diversity substantially decreased, and community structure was markedly distinct along the depth. Variations in microbial community functional genes, including genes responsible for As resistance, carbon and nitrogen cycling, phosphorus utilization and cytochrome c oxidases were detected. In particular, changes in community structures and activities were correlated with the biogeochemical features along the vertical soil profile when using the rbcL and nifH genes as biomarkers, evident for a gradual transition from aerobic to anaerobic lifestyles. The C/N showed marginally significant correlations with arsenic resistance (p = 0.069) and carbon cycling genes (p = 0.073), and significant correlation with nitrogen fixation genes (p = 0.024). The combination of C/N, NO₃ ⁻ and P showed the highest correlation (r = 0.779, p = 0.062) with the microbial community structure. Contradict to our hypotheses, a long-term arsenic downward infiltration was not the primary factor, while the spatial isolation and nutrient availability were the key forces in shaping the community structure. This study provides new insights about the heterogeneity of microbial community metabolic potential and future biodiversity preservation for arsenic bioremediation management.     

干旱区典型盐生植物群落下土壤微生物群落特征

运用Biolog技术,对干旱区玛纳斯河流域扇缘带的6种典型盐生植物群落下土壤微生物群落特征差异性进行了研究,探讨不同植物群落对土壤微生物群落的影响。结果表明:不同盐生植物群落土壤平均颜色变化率(AWCD)随培养时间的延长而逐渐增加,大小顺序依次为:梭梭花花柴白刺绢蒿柽柳雾冰藜,且差异显著。不同植物群落土壤微生物对6类碳源利用差异显著(P0.05),其中梭梭群落利用率最高,雾冰藜群落利用率最低。碳水化合物类和氨基酸类是主要碳源,胺类的利用率最低。主成分分析(PCA)表明,在31种因子中提取的2个主成分因子,分别可以解释所有变量方差的41.51%和25.35%,对PC1和PC2起分异作用的主要碳源分别为碳水化合物类和氨基酸类。土壤微生物群落Shannon指数、Simpson指数上,除雾冰藜群落较低,其他群落之间均差异不显著(P0.05)。植物群落Margalef指数,Shannon指数和Simpson指数上,均为绢蒿,梭梭和柽柳群落较为优势。相关性分析表明,植物群落多样性指数与土壤微生物多样性指数呈显著正相关关系(P0.05),说明了植物多样性越丰富,土壤微生物越丰富。总体来说,干旱区不同盐生植物群落对土壤微生物群落多样性具有重要影响。其中,梭梭群落的土壤微生物群落具有较强的微生物总体活性和功能多样性。     

Soil moisture effect on bacterial and fungal community in Beilu River (Tibetan Plateau) permafrost soils with different vegetation types

Aim

This study investigated the effects of environmental variables on the bacterial and fungal communities of the Beilu River (on the Tibetan Plateau) permafrost soils with different vegetation types.

Methods and Results

Microbial communities were sampled from meadow, steppe and desert steppe permafrost soils during May, June, August and November, and they were analysed by both pyrosequencing and the use of Biolog EcoPlates. The dominant bacterial and fungal phyla in meadow and steppe soils were Proteobacteria and Ascomycota, whereas Actinobacteria and Basidiomycota predominated in desert steppe soils. The bacterial communities in meadow soils degraded amines and amino acids very rapidly, while polymers were degraded rapidly by steppe communities. The RDA patterns showed that the microbial communities differed greatly between meadow, steppe and desert steppe, and they were related to variations in the soil moisture, C/N ratio and pH. A UniFrac analysis detected clear differences between the desert steppe bacterial community and others, and seasonal shifts were observed. The fungal UniFrac patterns differed significantly between meadow and steppe soils. There were significant correlations between the bacterial diversity (H′) and soil moisture (r = 0·506) and C/N (r = 0·527). The fungal diversity (Hf′) was significantly correlated with the soil pH (r = 0·541).

Conclusion

The soil moisture, C/N ratio and pH were important determinants of the microbial community structure in Beilu River permafrost soils.

Significance and Impact of the Study

These results may provide a useful baseline for predicting the variation in microbial communities in response to climate changes.     

Phosphate Addition and Plant Species Alters Microbial Community Structure in Acidic Upland Grassland Soil

Agricultural improvement (addition of fertilizers, liming) of seminatural acidic grasslands across Ireland and the UK has resulted in significant shifts in floristic composition, soil chemistry, and microbial community structure. Although several factors have been proposed as responsible for driving shifts in microbial communities, the exact causes of such changes are not well defined. Phosphate was added to grassland microcosms to investigate the effect on fungal and bacterial communities. Plant species typical of unimproved grasslands (Agrostis capillaris, Festuca ovina) and agriculturally improved grasslands (Lolium perenne) were grown, and phosphate was added 25 days after seed germination, with harvesting after a further 50 days. Phosphate addition significantly increased root biomass (p < 0.001) and shoot biomass (p < 0.05), soil pH (by 0.1 U), and microbial activity (by 5.33 mg triphenylformazan [TPF] g⁻¹ soil; p < 0.001). A slight decrease (by 0.257 mg biomass-C g⁻¹ soil; p < 0.05) in microbial biomass after phosphate addition was found. The presence of plant species significantly decreased soil pH (p < 0.05; by up to 0.2 U) and increased microbial activity (by up to 6.02 mg TPF g⁻¹ soil) but had no significant effect on microbial biomass. Microbial communities were profiled using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis. Multidimensional scaling plots and canonical correspondence analysis revealed that phosphate addition and its interactions with upland grassland plant species resulted in considerable changes in the fungal and bacterial communities of upland soil. The fungal community structure was significantly affected by both phosphate (R = 0.948) and plant species (R = 0.857), and the bacterial community structure was also significantly affected by phosphate (R = 0.758) and plant species (R = 0.753). Differences in microbial community structure following P addition were also revealed by similarity percentage analysis. These data suggest that phosphate application may be an important contributor to microbial community structural change during agricultural management of upland grasslands.     

Decomposition of macrophyte litter in a subtropical constructed wetland in south Florida (USA)

The South Florida Water Management District has constructed large treatment wetlands (stormwater treatment areas (STAs)) to reduce total phosphorus concentrations in agricultural runoff before this water enters the Everglades. An important component of nutrient removal and storage in these systems is incorporation of nutrients into aquatic macrophytes and burial of this biomass in the sediments. However, decomposition of plant biomass before burial returns nutrients to the water column and may reduce STA treatment efficiency. As part of research on biogeochemical control of STA performance, we conducted a summer (July–September) and a long-term (12-month) experiment (February–February) that measured decomposition rates and release of chemical constituents from dominant aquatic macrophytes in a constructed wetland located in south Florida. The rank order of mean decomposition rates was Najas/Ceratophyllum (0.0568 d⁻¹) > Pistia (0.0508 d⁻¹) > Eichhornia (0.0191 d⁻¹) > submerged Typha (0.0059 d⁻¹) > aerial Typha (0.0008 d⁻¹). Summer decomposition rates were generally higher than rates from the long-term experiment, which suggested a temperature effect. Decomposition rates were negatively correlated with litter C:N and C:P molar ratios and cellulose and lignin content and positively correlated with N and P content. There was no significant difference in decomposition rates among sampling stations despite the fact that there was a decreasing gradient in water column inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations at these sites. Relatively little of the initial P mass remained in the litter of all species, except Typha, by the end of both experiments. First-order decomposition models derived using nonlinear regression generally had explanatory power, i.e. accounted for variance, comparable to more complex decreasing-coefficient models. Decomposition rates for the species examined in this study were within the range of published values when comparisons were made either by species or by plant group.     

Characterization of Microbial Communities and Composition in Constructed Dairy Wetland Wastewater Effluent

Constructed wetlands have been recognized as a removal treatment option for high concentrations of contaminants in agricultural waste before land application. The goal of this study was to characterize microbial composition in two constructed wetlands designed to remove contaminants from dairy washwater. Water samples were collected weekly for 11 months from two wetlands to determine the efficiency of the treatment system in removal of chemical contaminants and total and fecal coliforms. The reduction by the treatment was greatest for biological oxygen demand, suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, nitrate, and coliforms. There was only moderate removal of total nitrogen and phosphorus. Changes in the total bacterial community and ammonia-oxidizing bacterial composition were examined by using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing of PCR-amplified fragments of the gene carrying the α subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA) recovered from soil samples and DGGE bands. DGGE analysis of wetlands and manure samples revealed that the total bacterial community composition was dominated by bacteria from phylogenetic clusters related to Bacillus, Clostridium, Mycoplasma, Eubacterium, and Proteobacteria originally retrieved from the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals. The population of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria showed a higher percentage of Nitrosospira-like sequences from the wetland samples, while a higher percentage of Nitrosomonas-like sequences from manure, feces, raw washwater, and facultative pond was found. These results show that the wetland system is a natural process dependent upon the development of healthy microbial communities for optimal wastewater treatment.     

Diverse responses of pqqC- and phoD-harbouring bacterial communities to variation in soil properties of Moso bamboo forests

Phosphate-mobilizing bacteria (PMB) play a critical role in the regulation of phosphorus availability in the soil. The microbial genes pqqC and phoD encode pyrroloquinoline quinone synthase and bacterial alkaline phosphatase, respectively, which regulate inorganic and organic phosphorus mobilization, and are therefore used as PMB markers. We examined the effects of soil properties in three Moso bamboo forest sites on the PMB communities that were profiled using high-throughput sequencing. We observed differentiated responses of pqqC- and phoD-harbouring PMB communities to various soil conditions. There was significant variation among the sites in the diversity and structure of the phoD-harbouring community, which correlated with variation in phosphorus levels and non-capillary porosity; soil organic carbon and soil water content also affected the structure of the phoD-harbouring community. However, no significant difference in the diversity of pqqC-harbouring community was observed among different sites, while the structure of the pqqC-harbouring bacteria community was affected by soil organic carbon and soil total nitrogen, but not soil phosphorus levels. Overall, changes in soil conditions affected the phoD-harbouring community more than the pqqC-harbouring community. These findings provide a new insight to explore the effects of soil conditions on microbial communities that solubilize inorganic phosphate and mineralize organic phosphate.     

Functional diversity of the microbial community in the rhizosphere of chickpea grown in diesel fuel-spiked soil amended with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma ressei</Emphasis> using sole-carbon-source utilization profiles

Present study describes chickpea (Cicer arietinum) growth, microbial activity and community composition in a soil samples spiked with 0, 20 (LCD) and 80 g (HCD) diesel/kg soils, amended with Trichoderma ressei. T. ressei had stimulatory effect on the plant growth parameters as compared with un-inoculated control chickpea plant. Root length, shoot length, plant dry weight and chlorophyll content enhanced 128, 31, 46, 79%, respectively, as compared over the un-inoculated control. At LCD in the presence of T. ressei chickpea root length, shoot length, plant dry weight and chlorophyll content was maximum indicating that at this concentration of diesel chickpea plants could grow very well and T. ressei amendment had synergistic effect. Effect on microbial population was most evident at HCD and resulted in 4.84 log unit reduction of heterogeneous bacterial population, as compared with LCD which caused reduction of 2.8 log unit, compared with non-diesel spiked control soil. Impact of diesel on soil was somewhat lessened in the presence of T. ressei. Our results indicated that application of diesel improved the organic matter status of soils which was in turn reflected in the higher dehydrogenase activity. This could be due to diesel being a good source of hydrocarbon readily available for microbial activity. The structure of the microbial community in rhizosphere was analyzed through the sole-carbon-source utilization profiles using ECO Biolog microplates. Significant differences were found among the diversity and evenness indices on effect of diesel on chickpea rhizosphere microflora in presence and absence of T. ressei, based on Tukey’s test (at P = 0.05). Principal component analysis of substrate source utilization pattern on Biolog Eco plates by chickpea rhizosphere microflora in presence and absence of T. ressei was determined. Distinct resolution of soil microbial communities in the presence of either diesel or, T. ressei observed thus revealed differences in the microbial metabolic profiles for the different treatments. Our results demonstrated that characteristics of the dynamics in microbial communities complemented well with organic matter status of soils and dehydrogenase activity. The technique highlighted the usefulness of this parameter for ecological indication of land use change in diesel contaminated ecosystems.     

Long-Term Phosphorus Fertilization Impacts Soil Fungal and Bacterial Diversity but not AM Fungal Community in Alfalfa

Soil function may be affected by cropping practices impacting the soil microbial community. The effect of different phosphorus (P) fertilization rates (0, 20, or 40 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) on soil microbial diversity was studied in 8-year-old alfalfa monocultures. The hypothesis that P fertilization modifies soil microbial community was tested using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and phospholipids fatty acid (PLFA) profiling to describe soil bacteria, fungi, and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi diversity. Soil parameters related to fertility (soil phosphate flux, soluble P, moisture, phosphatase and dehydrogenase assays, and carbon and nitrogen content of the light fraction of soil organic matter) were also monitored and related to soil microbial ribotype profiles. Change in soil P fertility with the application of fertilizer had no effect on crop yield in 8 years, but on the year of this study was associated with shifts in the composition of fungal and bacterial communities without affecting their richness, as evidenced by the absence of effect on the average number of ribotypes detected. However, variation in soil P level created by a history of differential fertilization did not significantly influence AM fungi ribotype assemblages nor AM fungi biomass measured with the PLFA 16:1ω5. Fertilization increased P flux and soil soluble P level but reduced soil moisture and soil microbial activity, as revealed by dehydrogenase assay. Results suggest that soil P fertility management could influence soil processes involving soil microorganisms. Seasonal variations were also recorded in microbial activity, soil soluble P level as well as in the abundance of specific bacterial and fungal PLFA indicators of soil microbial biomass.     

不同林龄杉木+闽楠复层林土壤磷形态及微生物功能多样性变化

磷是限制亚热带地区林木生长的关键因素之一,研究土壤微生物群落功能多样性对土壤磷素的影响,对亚热带地区人工林可持续经营具有重要意义。在江西官山林场选取了3种不同林龄杉木+闽楠（4 a、7 a、11 a）复层林为研究对象,测定了土壤全磷、有效磷及无机磷组分含量,采用Biolog-ECO法研究了复层林表土层（0-20 cm）土壤微生物群落对碳源的利用特征,并分析了土壤磷素与土壤微生物功能多样性的关系。结果表明：（1）土壤全磷、有效磷及无机磷组分含量随复层林营建时间延长呈增加趋势;（2）不同林分类型土壤微生物群落功能多样性差异显著。土壤微生物碳源代谢活性（AWCD）以及多样性指数也均随复层林营建时间延长呈增加趋势;多聚物类是杉木纯林土壤微生物利用的主要碳源,7 a复层林对碳水化合物、羧酸和酚酸的利用强度较大,11 a复层林对氨基酸、胺类、多聚物、羧酸和酚酸的利用强度较大,并且11 a复层林土壤微生物群落代谢碳水化合物、氨基酸、羧酸、胺类和酚酸的强度显著高于4 a复层林和杉木纯林,而4 a复层林与杉木纯林土壤微生物群落对不同碳源利用率的差异较小（除多聚物外）。（3）土壤微生物多样性指数、氨基酸类、胺类和酚酸类物质与土壤全磷、有效磷、Al-P和Fe-P含量之间显著正相关,随机森林模型分析表明,氨基酸、胺类和酚酸是不同林分类型土壤微生物利用的主要碳源。因此,杉木纯林转化为复层异龄林更有利于森林土壤磷的储存和供应,土壤微生物群落代谢功能多样性的增大可能是提高复层异龄林土壤磷有效性的关键调控因素。     

黄土丘陵沟壑区地形变化对土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响

研究黄土高原丘陵沟壑区破碎地形对土壤微生物功能多样性的影响,对于理解复杂地形区生态过程与系统功能的空间变化具有重要意义。选择陕西省安塞县陈家洼为研究区,依据坡面地形变化选择不同坡位土壤,采用Biolog微平板培养法探究地形变化对土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响。实验发现,土壤微生物群落培养的平均颜色变化率(AWCD)增长曲线总的呈现出坡下部坡中部坡上部的规律,且坡下部AWCD值与坡中部、坡上部间差异显著(P0.05);坡下部土壤微生物群落功能多样性显著高于坡中部和坡上部,但不同土层深度(0—10 cm、10—20 cm)间无显著性差异(P0.05);对土壤微生物群落功能多样性差异贡献较大的碳源是糖类、羧酸类和多酚化合物类碳源;土壤含水率高低是不同坡位土壤微生物群落功能多样性差异显著的主要原因;微生物群落丰富度(H)和均一度(D)与土壤全氮含量正相关,优势度(U)反之,土壤全碳、全磷和p H对土壤微生物群落结构和功能多样性差异作用不显著。     

Responses of Bacterial Communities in Arable Soils in a Rice-Wheat Cropping System to Different Fertilizer Regimes and Sampling Times

Soil physicochemical properties, soil microbial biomass and bacterial community structures in a rice-wheat cropping system subjected to different fertilizer regimes were investigated in two seasons (June and October). All fertilizer regimes increased the soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen. Both fertilizer regime and time had a significant effect on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial community structure. The combined application of inorganic fertilizer and manure organic-inorganic fertilizer significantly enhanced the bacterial diversity in both seasons. The bacterial communities across all samples were dominated by Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi at the phylum level. Permutational multivariate analysis confirmed that both fertilizer treatment and season were significant factors in the variation of the composition of the bacterial community. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on Bray-Curtis distances further revealed that bacterial communities were separated primarily by season. The effect of fertilizer treatment is significant (P = 0.005) and accounts for 7.43% of the total variation in bacterial community. Soil nutrients (e.g., available K, total N, total P and organic matter) rather than pH showed significant correlation with the majority of abundant taxa. In conclusion, both fertilizer treatment and seasonal changes affect soil properties, microbial biomass and bacterial community structure. The application of NPK plus manure organic-inorganic fertilizer may be a sound fertilizer practice for sustainable food production.     

Soil microbial diversity and soil functioning affect competition among grasses in experimental microcosms

A gradient of microbial diversity in soil was established by inoculating pasteurized soil with microbial populations of different complexity, which were obtained by a combination of soil fumigation and filtering techniques. Four different soil diversity treatments were planted with six different grass species either in monoculture or in polyculture to test how changes of general microbial functions, such as catabolic diversity and nutrient recycling efficiency would affect the performance of the plant communities. Relatively harsh soil treatments were necessary to elicit visible effects on major soil processes such as decomposition and nitrogen cycling due to the high redundancy and resilience of soil microbial communities. The strongest effects of soil diversity manipulations on plant growth occurred in polycultures where interspecific competition between plants was high. In polycultures, soil diversity reduction led to a gradual, linear decline in biomass production of one subordinate grass species (Bromus hordeaceus), which was compensated by increased growth of two intermediate competitors (Aegilops geniculata, B. madritensis). This negative covariance in growth of competing grass species smoothed the effects of soil diversity manipulations at the plant community level. As a result, total shoot biomass production remained constant. Apparently the effects of soil diversity manipulations were buffered because functional redundancy at both, the microbial and the plant community level complemented each other. The results further suggests that small trade-offs in plant fitness due to general functional shifts at the microbial level can be significant for the outcome of competition in plant communities and thus diversity at much larger scales.