Comparative and Experimental Approaches to the Study of Microbial Food Webs

ABSTRACT The study of microbial food webs is dominated by field measurements of microbial standing stocks and rate processes and to a lesser extent by laboratory studies. These approaches reflect the concerns of microbial ecologists to assess accurately the capabilities of microorganisms and to compare microbial processes to other ecosystem parameters. These approaches have led to enormous advances in understanding microbial food webs. Reconciling our expanding knowledge with general questions about the significance and representation of microbial food webs in ecosystem studies requires additional approaches including comparative studies and field experiments. Comparative studies, analyses of microbial stocks or rates across a wide range of ecosystems, lead to quantitative models of microbial processes. These models facilitate testing of hypotheses at a very general level, allow the comparison of different stocks or rate processes across a gradient of systems, and detect unusual situations or outlier systems. Field experimental manipulations offer the advantages of working with intact natural communities, of direct evaluation of results with statistical methods, and of testing important qualitative hypotheses. Both comparative and field manipulation studies have led to important advances in the study of microbial food webs and should be expanded.     

Dynamics and trophic roles of heterotrophic protists in the plankton of a freshwater tidal estuary

Freshwater tidal estuaries comprise the most upstream reaches of estuaries and are often characterised by the presence of dense bacterial and algal populations which provide a large food source for bacterivorous and algivorous protists. In 1996, the protistan community in the freshwater tidal reaches of the Schelde estuary was monitored to evaluate whether these high food levels are reflected in a similarly high heterotrophic protistan biomass. Protistan distribution patterns were compared to those of metazoan zooplankton to evaluate the possible role of top-down regulation of protists by metazoans. Apart from the algivorous sarcodine Asterocaelum, which reached high densities in summer, heterotrophic protistan biomass was dominated by ciliates and, second in importance, heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNAN). HNAN abundance was low (annual average 2490 cells ml^–1) and did not display large seasonal variation. It is hypothesised that HNAN were top-down controlled by oligotrich ciliates throughout the year and by rotifers in summer. Ciliate abundance was generally relatively high (annual average 65 cells ml^–1) and peaked in winter (maximum 450 cells ml^–1). The decline of ciliate populations in summer was ascribed to grazing by rotifers, which developed dense populations in that season. In winter, ciliate populations were probably regulated `internally' by carnivorous ciliates (haptorids and Suctoria). Our observations suggest that, in this type of productive ecosystems, the microbial food web is mainly top-down controlled rather than regulated by food availability.     

Abundance of terrestrial gymnamoebae at a northeastern U. S. site: a four-year study, including the El Niño winter of 1997-1998

ABSTRACT. The abundance, sizes, and when appropriate, diversity of gymnamoebae were documented at approximately monthly intervals for four years (1995–1998) at a grassy, terrestrial site slightly upslope from a freshwater pond. Soil samples were analyzed for viable gymnamoebae using a standard laboratory culturing protocol. The mean density of gymnamoebae based on the total data set was ca. 1,600/g (s.e. ± 190). Minimum densities of gymnamoebae (156/g) occurred in January 1995, and a maximum for the sampling period (5,838/g) occurred in July 1997, when a rainy period followed an extended period of drought. Among the environmental variables monitored (precipitation, soil moisture, organic content, and temperature) only precipitation correlated significantly with abundance of gymnamoebae (r= 0.34 , p = 0.02 ). During the mild, moist El Niño winter of 1997–1998, a larger than usual number of gymnamoebae was recorded at the site (～3,800/g) compared to a mean density of ～900/g for comparable periods in preceding years. The mean sizes were also larger. Since gymnamoebae are increasingly recognized as major members of soil microbial communities enhancing soil fertility through nutrient mineralization, it is important to document environmental variables that influence their abundance and activity in terrestrial ecosystems.     

Plant community structure, soil properties and microbial characteristics in revegetated quarries

Quarries are an important type of degraded land in southern China requiring ecological improvement and rehabilitation. In this study, plant community structure, soil properties, and microbial biomass and community function were examined at different rehabilitated phases in three quarries, namely Turret Hill Quarry, Lam Tei Quarry and Shek O Quarry, in Hong Kong. Results show that plant species richness and the percentage of native species increased with rehabilitated ages in the three quarries. The highest coverage of woody species was found at older phases, while the lowest woody coverage occurred at younger phases. Soils were strongly to moderately acidic in reaction, and more acidic soils were found in the older than in the younger sites. Organic C as well as total N and P accumulated in soil along with secondary succession in the three quarries, which were positively correlated with woody species richness. Older phases had higher total microbial biomass C and N which were positively correlated with soil organic C, total N and extractable NO₃-N, as well as woody species coverage and native species richness as shown by the biplot of redundancy analysis. Diversity of utilized carbons suggested that metabolic abilities developed gradually with rehabilitation ages in Shek O Quarry, but Turret Hill Quarry and Lam Tei Quarry had similar patterns of carbon source utilization. Principal component analysis further revealed consistent differences in metabolic diversity. Woody coverage and native species richness were significantly correlated with carbon source utilization and functional diversity.     

Relationship between plant species diversity and soil microbial functional diversity along a longitudinal gradient in temperate grasslands of Hulunbeir,Inner Mongolia,China

Numerous experiments have been established to examine the effect of plant diversity on the soil microbial community. However, the relationship between plant diversity and microbial functional diversity along broad spatial gradients at a large scale is still unexplored. In this paper, we examined the relationship of plant species diversity with soil microbial biomass C, microbial catabolic activity, catabolic diversity and catabolic richness along a longitudinal gradient in temperate grasslands of Hulunbeir, Inner Mongolia, China. Preliminary detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) indicated that plant composition showed a significant separation along the axis 1, and axis 1 explained the main portion of variability in the data set. Moreover, DCA-axis 1 was significantly correlated with soil microbial biomass C (r = 0.735, P = 0.001), microbial catabolic activity (average well color development; r = 0.775, P < 0.001) and microbial functional diversity (catabolic diversity: r = 0.791, P < 0.001 and catabolic richness: r = 0.812, P < 0.001), which suggested thatsome relationship existed between plant composition and the soil microbial community along the spatial gradient at a large scale. Soil microbial biomass C, microbial catabolic activity, catabolic diversity and catabolic richness showed a significant, linear increase with greater plant species richness. However, many responses that we observed could be explained by greater aboveground plant biomass associated with higher levels of plant diversity, which suggested that plant diversity impacted the soil microbial community mainly through increases in plant production.     

氮磷添加对亚热带常绿阔叶林土壤微生物群落特征的影响

为了探讨氮磷添加对土壤微生物特点的影响,选择安徽省池州仙寓山常绿阔叶老龄林,设定了4个水平的氮磷添加试验,即对照(CK,0 kg N/hm~2)、低氮(LN,50 kg N/hm~2)、高氮(HN,100 kg N/hm~2)、高氮+磷(HN+P,100 kg N/hm~2+50 kg P/hm~2)。利用氯仿熏蒸法和Biolog微平板技术,分析不同水平氮磷添加对不同土层(0-10 cm、10-20 cm和20-30 cm)土壤微生物生物量C(MBC)、N(MBN)和微生物群落功能多样性的影响。结果表明:MBC、MBN随土层加深而降低,且差异性极显著,MBC与MBC/MBN比在氮磷添加后均表现出显著性差异;土壤微生物群落的代谢活性随土层加深而降低,HN与LN处理的土壤微生物活性最高;Mc Intosh、Shannon和Simpson多样性指数在不同土层和不同N、P添加水平上都存在差异,表层土壤微生物多样性指数差异性较为显著。土壤微生物对羧酸类、氨基酸类和碳水类碳源利用率最高;主成分分析显示不同土层的土壤微生物碳源利用上有明显的变化,表层土壤微生物碳源利用在不同N、P添加水平上有明显的空间变异性,其他土层分布较为集中,空间差异性主要表现在对碳水类与羧酸类碳源的利用上。土层与氮、磷添加剂量对土壤微生物生物量C、N及功能多样性都有显著影响,其中高氮处理对表层土壤微生物影响最大。     

Warming alters the size spectrum and shifts the distribution of biomass in freshwater ecosystems

Organism size is one of the key determinants of community structure, and its relationship with abundance can describe how biomass is partitioned among the biota within an ecosystem. An outdoor freshwater mesocosm experiment was used to determine how warming of～4 °C would affect the size, biomass and taxonomic structure of planktonic communities. Warming increased the steepness of the community size spectrum by increasing the prevalence of small organisms, primarily within the phytoplankton assemblage and it also reduced the mean and maximum size of phytoplankton by approximately one order of magnitude. The observed shifts in phytoplankton size structure were reflected in changes in phytoplankton community composition, though zooplankton taxonomic composition was unaffected by warming. Furthermore, warming reduced community biomass and total phytoplankton biomass, although zooplankton biomass was unaffected. This resulted in an increase in the zooplankton to phytoplankton biomass ratio in the warmed mesocosms, which could be explained by faster turnover within the phytoplankton assemblages. Overall, warming shifted the distribution of phytoplankton size towards smaller individuals with rapid turnover and low standing biomass, resulting in a reorganization of the biomass structure of the food webs. These results indicate future environmental warming may have profound effects on the structure and functioning of aquatic communities and ecosystems.     

Litter quality and decomposition in Danthonia richardsonii swards in response to CO2 and nitrogen supply over four years of growth

Litter quality parameters of Danthonia richardsonii grown under CO₂ concentrations of ≈ 359 & ≈ 719 μL L^{? 1} at three mineral N supply rates (2.2, 6.7 & 19.8 g m^{? 2} y^{? 1}) were determined. C:N ratio was increased in senesced leaf (enhancement ratios, R_e/c, of 1.25–1.67), surface litter (1.34–1.64) and root (1.13–1.30) by CO₂ enrichment. After 3 years of growth, nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations were reduced in senesced leaf lamina (avg. R_e/c= 0.84) but not in root in response to CO₂ enrichment. Cellulose concentrations increased slightly in senesced leaf (avg. R_e/c= 1.07) but not in root in response to CO₂ enrichment. Lignin and polyphenolic concentrations in senesced leaf and root were not changed by CO₂ enrichment. Decomposition, measured as cumulative respiration in standard conditions in vitro, was reduced in leaf litter grown under CO₂ enrichment. Root decomposition in vitro was lower in the material produced under CO₂ enrichment at the two higher rates of mineral N supply. Significant correlations between decomposition of leaf litter and initial %N, C:N ratio and lignin:N ratio were found. Decomposition in vivo, measured as carbon disappearance from the surface litter was not affected by CO₂ concentration. Arbuscular mycorrhizal infection was not changed by CO₂ enrichment. Microbial carbon was higher under CO₂ enrichment at the two higher rates of mineral N supply. Possible reasons for the lack of effect of changes in litter quality on in‐sward decomposition rates are discussed.