Conservation agriculture, increased organic carbon in the top-soil macro-aggregates and reduced soil CO2 emissions

Background and aims

Conservation agriculture, the combination of minimal soil movement (zero or reduced tillage), crop residue retention and crop rotation, might have the potential to increase soil organic C content and reduce emissions of CO₂.

Methods

Three management factors were analyzed: (1) tillage (zero tillage (ZT) or conventional tillage (CT)), (2) crop rotation (wheat monoculture (W), maize monoculture (M) and maize-wheat rotation (R)), and (3) residue management (with (+r), or without (?r) crop residues). Samples were taken from the 0–5 and 5–10?cm soil layers and separated in micro-aggregates (< 0.25?mm), small macro-aggregates (0.25 to 1?mm) and large macro-aggregates (1 to 8?mm). The carbon content of each aggregate fraction was determined.

Results

Zero tillage combined with crop rotation and crop residues retention resulted in a higher proportion of macro-aggregates. In the 0–5?cm layer, plots with a crop rotation and monoculture of maize and wheat in ZT+r had the greatest proportion of large stable macro-aggregates (40%) and highest mean weighted diameter (MWD) (1.7?mm). The plots with CT had the largest proportion of micro-aggregates (27%). In the 5–10?cm layer, plots with residue retention in both CT and ZT (maize 1?mm and wheat 1.5?mm) or with monoculture of wheat in plots under ZT without residues (1.4?mm) had the greatest MWD. The 0–10?cm soil layer had a greater proportion of small macroaggregates compared to large macro-aggregates and micro-aggregates. In the 0–10?cm layer of soil with residues retention and maize or wheat, the greatest C content was found in the small and large macro-aggregates. The small macro-aggregates contributed most C to the organic C of the sample. For soil cultivated with maize, the CT treatments had significantly higher CO₂ emissions than the ZT treatments. For soil cultivated with wheat, CTR-r had significantly higher CO₂ emissions than all other treatments.

Conclusion

Reduction in soil disturbance combined with residue retention increased the C retained in the small and large macro-aggregates of the top soil due to greater aggregate stability and reduced the emissions of CO₂ compared with conventional tillage without residues retention and maize monoculture (a cultivation system normally used in the central highlands of Mexico).     

围封对退化高寒草甸土壤微生物群落多样性及土壤化学计量特征的影响

围封对植被处于近自然恢复状态的退化草地有一定的修复作用,开展轻度退化草地围封过程中生物与非生物因素的协同互作研究是完整地认识草地生态系统结构和功能的基础.本试验对围栏封育10年的轻度退化草地的土壤化学计量特征进行了研究,同时采用高通量基因测序技术并结合Biolog-Eco方法,调查了土壤微生物多样性和功能的变化.结果表明:轻度退化草地实施围封后,土壤铵态氮含量显著升高,全钾含量显著降低,土壤有机碳、全氮、全磷、硝态氮、速效磷和速效钾则无明显变化.高寒草甸土壤微生物碳和氮在轻度退化和围栏封育草地间差异不显著;围栏封育后草地土壤微生物碳氮比显著高于轻度退化草地.随培养时间的延长,高寒草甸不同土层土壤微生物碳代谢强度均显著升高,土壤微生物碳代谢指数在轻度退化和围栏封育草地间差异不显著.高寒草甸土壤细菌OTUs显著高于真菌,轻度退化与围栏封育草地土壤微生物相似度为27.0%～32.7%.围封后,土壤真菌子囊菌门、接合菌门和球壶菌门相对丰富度显著升高,担子菌门显著降低,土壤细菌酸杆菌门显著低于轻度退化草地.土壤真菌和细菌群落组成在不同土层间差异较大,在轻度退化和围栏封育草地间仅有表层土壤真菌群落组成表现出较大差异.土壤细菌多样性受土壤全氮和速效钾影响较大,真菌多样性受地上生物量影响较大.土壤微生物对碳源利用能力主要受土壤速效钾影响.综上,长期围封禁牧对轻度退化草地土壤养分和土壤微生物无明显影响,且会造成牧草资源浪费,适度放牧可以保持草地资源的可持续利用.     

Rainfall and labile carbon availability control litter nitrogen dynamics in a tropical dry forest

N cycling in tropical dry forests is driven by rainfall seasonality but the mechanisms involved are not well understood. We studied the seasonal variation in N dynamics and microbial biomass in the surface litter of a tropical dry forest ecosystem in Mexico over a 2-year period. Litter was collected at 4 different times of the year to determine changes in total, soluble, and microbial C and N concentrations. Additionally, litter from each sampling date was incubated under laboratory conditions to determine potential C mineralization rate, net N mineralization, net C and N microbial immobilization, and net nitrification. Litter C concentrations were highest in the early-dry season and lowest in the rainy season, while the seasonal changes in N concentrations varied between years. Litter P was higher in the rainy than in the early-dry season. Water-soluble organic C (WSOC) and water-soluble N concentrations were highest during the early- and late-dry seasons and represented up to 4.1 and 5.9% of the total C and N, respectively. NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ showed different seasonal and annual variations. They represented an average 23% of soluble N. Microbial C was generally higher in the dry than in the wet seasons, while microbial N was lowest in the late-dry and highest in the early-rainy seasons. Incubations showed that lowest potential C mineralization rates and C and N microbial immobilization occurred in rainy season litter, and were positively correlated to WSOC. Net nitrification was highest in rainy season litter. Our results showed that the seasonal pattern in N dynamics was influenced by rainfall seasonality and labile C availability, and not by microbial biomass. We propose a conceptual model to hypothesize how N dynamics in the litter layer of the Chamela tropical dry forest respond to the seasonal variation in rainfall.     

Efficiency of biochar,nitrogen addition,and microbial agent amendments in remediation of soil properties and microbial community in Qilian Mountains mine soils

Lacking systematic evaluations in soil quality and microbial community recovery after different amendments addition limits optimization of amendments combination in coal mine soils. We performed a short‐term incubation experiment with a varying temperature over 12 weeks to assess the effects of three amendments (biochar: C; nitrogen fertilizer at three levels: N‐N1~N3; microbial agent at two levels: M‐M1~M2) based on C/N ratio (regulated by biochar and N level: 35:1, 25:1, 12.5:1) on mine soil properties and microbial community in the Qilian Mountains, China. Over the incubation period, soil pH and MBC/MBN were significantly lower than unamended treatment in N addition and C + M + N treatments, respectively. Soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and nitrogen (MBN) contents increased significantly in all amended treatments (p < .001). Higher AP, AK, MBC, MBN, and lower MBC/MBN were observed in N2‐treated soil (corresponding to C/N ratio of 25:1). Meanwhile, N2‐treated soil significantly increased species richness and diversity of soil bacterial community (p < .05). Principal coordinate analysis further showed that soil bacterial community compositions were significantly separated by N level. C‐M‐N treatments significantly increased the relative abundance (>1%) of the bacterial phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, and decreased the relative abundance of fungal phyla Chytridiomycota (p < .05). Redundancy analysis illustrated the importance of soil nutrients in explaining variability in bacterial community composition (74.73%) than fungal composition (35.0%). Our results indicated that N addition based on biochar and M can improve soil quality by neutralizing soil pH and increasing soil nutrient contents in short‐term, and the appropriate C/N ratio (25:1) can better promote microbial mass, richness, and diversity of soil bacterial community. Our study provided a new insight for achieving restoration of damaged habitats by changing microbial structure, diversity, and mass by regulating C/N ratio of amendments.     

贺兰山不同海拔土壤团聚体碳氮磷含量及其化学计量特征变化

探究干旱半干旱区山地森林生态系统不同海拔土壤养分在团聚体中的分布规律,可为理解脆弱山地生态系统养分循环提供理论依据.本研究以贺兰山不同海拔(1380 ～2438 m)土壤为对象,分析0～20 cm土层团聚体分布及其稳定性、不同粒级团聚体有机碳、全氮、全磷储量及其化学计量特征.结果 表明:随海拔升高贺兰山主要土壤团聚体由...     

Carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in aggregates of organic waste-amended soils

This study was undertaken to evaluate the long-term effects of organic wastes on dry aggregate size distribution and on the C, N and available-P concentrations within the different aggregate fractions of some agricultural soils in North-Central Italy. Topsoils (0–20 cm) which had been amended for several years with either pig slurry (PS), cattle slurry (CS) or sewage sludge (SS) were separated into four macro-aggregate classes (4-2, 2-1, 1-0·5, 0·5-0·25 mm) and three micro-aggregate classes (0·25-0·125, 0·125-0·05 and < 0·05 mm) by dry sieving. Compared with the unamended soils, there was generally a slight increase in the proportion of the 4-2 mm macro-aggregate class following waste application. Irrespective of treatment, macro-aggregates (>0·25 mm) constituted > 70% of the total aggregate fractions.Average increases of 17, 13 and 67% (organic C), 18, 13 and 57% (total N) and 430, 372 and 642% (available P) were obtained from additions of PS, CS and SS, respectively, and increases were found in all aggregate fractions following waste application. There was a close positive correlation between the concentrations of C, N and to a lesser extent P, in the aggregates and their silt-plus-clay contents. In terms of total contents, these elements were preferentially concentrated in the macro-aggregates. Only slight differences in the C/N ratios of the aggregates were observed but their C/P and N/P ratios decreased significantly (P ≤ 0·05) following waste application.     

Elevated temperature increases the accumulation of microbial necromass nitrogen in soil via increasing microbial turnover

Microbial‐derived nitrogen (N) is now recognized as an important source of soil organic N. However, the mechanisms that govern the production of microbial necromass N, its turnover, and stabilization in soil remain poorly understood. To assess the effects of elevated temperature on bacterial and fungal necromass N production, turnover, and stabilization, we incubated ¹⁵N‐labeled bacterial and fungal necromass under optimum moisture conditions at 10°C, 15°C, and 25°C. We developed a new ¹⁵N tracing model to calculate the production and mineralization rates of necromass N. Our results showed that bacterial and fungal necromass N had similar mineralization rates, despite their contrasting chemistry. Most bacterial and fungal necromass ¹⁵N was recovered in the mineral‐associated organic matter fraction through microbial anabolism, suggesting that mineral association plays an important role in stabilizing necromass N in soil, independently of necromass chemistry. Elevated temperature significantly increased the accumulation of necromass N in soil, due to the relatively higher microbial turnover and production of necromass N with increasing temperature than the increases in microbial necromass N mineralization. In conclusion, we found elevated temperature may increase the contribution of microbial necromass N to mineral‐stabilized soil organic N.     

Microbial consumption and production of volatile organic compounds at the soil-litter interface

Substantial amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be released during decomposition and these compounds can affect atmospheric chemistry, belowground processes, and the structure of microbial communities in litter and soil. However, we have a limited understanding of the types, quantities and ecological impacts of VOCs emitted from litter. Here we used a closed flow-through system and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) to characterize VOC emissions from soil and two litter types (Pinus taeda and Acer rubrum) over a 72-day incubation period. Microbial respiration rates were measured throughout the incubation, and the soils were harvested at the end of the incubation to determine how litter VOCs influenced soil C dynamics, N mineralization rates, and bacterial communities. Using the PTR-MS we identified over 100 VOCs, with 10 VOCs making up the majority of emissions. VOCs accounted for up to 2.5% of the C flux from litter. Soil was a net sink of litter VOCs, absorbing up to 80% of VOCs released by litter, and exposure of soil to litter VOCs increased microbial respiration rates in soil by up to 15%. However, we observed negligible impacts of litter VOCs on soil nutrient levels and bacterial community structure, suggesting that soils must be exposed to higher concentrations of VOCs than observed in our study, to cause effects on these soil characteristics. Overall, VOCs appear to have an important influence on C dynamics at the soil-litter interface and VOC emissions from decomposing litter may represent an understudied component of biosphere–atmosphere interactions.     

地膜覆盖对北方旱地土壤水稳性团聚体及有机碳分布的影响

研究不同地膜覆盖时间对北方旱作农田土壤团聚体粒级稳定性和有机碳的影响,可为提升旱作农田生产力和保护农田环境选择合适的管理方式提供科学依据。以辽宁阜新5年秋覆膜(AP)、春覆膜(SP)和不覆膜(CK)的定位试验为研究对象,分析不同覆膜时间对0—10 cm和10—20 cm土层中2 mm、0.25—2 mm、0.053—0.25 mm和0.053 mm粒级的土壤水稳性团聚体的稳定性及有机碳的影响。结果表明,在北方旱作农田,连续5年的地膜覆盖可显著改变0—10 cm土层的土壤各级团聚体的分布、团聚体中有机碳的含量及其对土壤有机碳含量的贡献率,进而增加土壤水稳性团聚体的稳定性,而对10—20 cm土层影响不显著。与不覆膜相比,秋覆膜和春覆膜可显著提高0—10 cm土层2 mm的水稳性团聚体的含量,分别提高了36.3%、47.9%(P0.05),而对微团聚体无显著影响,说明地膜覆盖有利于提高大团聚体数量及稳定性。在0—10 cm土层,粒径2 mm团聚体有机碳含量及储量表现为秋覆膜最高,显著高于春覆膜和不覆膜处理(P0.05)。与裸地不覆膜相比,秋覆膜和春覆膜显著提高2 mm团聚体中有机碳含量对土壤有机碳的贡献率,分别提高了37%和26.1%(P0.05)。而在0—10 cm和10—20cm土层中,微团聚体中有机碳含量对土壤有机碳贡献率没有影响。在辽宁阜新土壤及种植条件下,秋覆膜处理不仅显著提高0—10 cm土壤水稳性大团聚体的含量和稳定性,还可以显著增加水稳性大团聚体有机碳含量及储量,促进有机碳的固存。     

Plant carbon substrate supply regulated soil nitrogen dynamics in a tallgrass prairie in the Great Plains,USA: results of a clipping and shading experiment

Aims Land use management affects plant carbon (C) supply and soil environments and hence alters soil nitrogen (N) dynamics, with consequent feedbacks to terrestrial ecosystem productivity. The objective of this study was to better identify mechanisms by which land-use management (clipping and shading) regulates soil N in a tallgrass prairie, OK, USA.Methods We conducted 1-year clipping and shading experiment to investigate the effects of changes in land-use management (soil microclimates, plant C substrate supply and microbial activity) on soil inorganic N (NH 4 + ? N and NO 3 ? ? N), net N mineralization and nitrification in a tallgrass prairie.Important findings Land-use management through clipping and/or shading significantly increased annual mean inorganic N, possibly due to lowered plant N uptake and decreased microbial N immobilization into biomass growth. Shading significantly increased annual mean mineralization rates (P < 0.05). Clipping slightly decreased annual mean N nitrification rates whereas shading significantly increased annual mean N nitrification rates. Soil microclimate significantly explained 36% of the variation in NO 3 ? ? N concentrations (P = 0.004). However, soil respiration, a predictor of plant C substrate supply and microbial activity, was negatively correlated with NH 4 + ? N concentrations (P = 0.0009), net N mineralization (P = 0.0037) and nitrification rates (P = 0.0028) across treatments. Our results suggest that change in C substrate supply and microbial activity under clipping and/or shading is a critical control on NH 4 + ? N, net N mineralization and nitrification rates, whereas clipping and shading-induced soil microclimate change can be important for NO 3 ? ? N variation in the tallgrass prairie.     

草甸草原土壤碳/氮矿化潜力及土壤微生物水分敏感性对极端干旱的响应

土壤碳、氮矿化是生态系统养分循环的关键过程,受到水分供给的强烈影响。本研究对极端干旱处理(连续3年生长季减少66%降水)的内蒙古草甸草原野外取土,采用超低温冻干后再调节土壤水分至3%、8%、13%、18%、25%和35% 6个水平进行室内培养,研究极端干旱处理后土壤碳/氮矿化潜力以及土壤微生物对水分变化的敏感性。结果表明: 与对照(自然降雨)相比,极端干旱处理后,6个培养水平的平均土壤氮矿化潜力显著提高14.2%,但未显著影响土壤碳矿化潜力。极端干旱显著提高土壤微生物生物量氮和土壤可溶性有机碳26.8%和26.9%。无论是对照还是极端干旱处理,土壤氮矿化潜力、碳矿化潜力和微生物生物量碳和氮均随着土壤含水量增加而增加,而可溶性有机碳从较低水分的培养水平(3%和8%)到较高水分的培养水平(>13%)显著降低,表明底物的扩散起到重要作用。极端干旱处理显著提高了碳矿化初始脉冲强度,表明极端干旱提高了土壤微生物对水分的敏感性。极端干旱显著降低了土壤碳矿化潜力/氮矿化潜力的比值,表明长期干旱可能会降低土壤碳、氮循环过程的耦合作用。极端干旱对土壤碳矿化和氮矿化过程的影响存在差异,激发了土壤微生物对水分的敏感性,弱化了碳、氮循环过程的耦合关系,并进一步影响中国北方草甸草原生态系统的生物地球化学循环过程及草地生产力。     

A Mechanistic Study of Plant and Microbial Controls over R* for Nitrogen in an Annual Grassland

Differences in species'' abilities to capture resources can drive competitive hierarchies, successional dynamics, community diversity, and invasions. To investigate mechanisms of resource competition within a nitrogen (N) limited California grassland community, we established a manipulative experiment using an R* framework. R* theory holds that better competitors within a N limited community should better depress available N in monoculture plots and obtain higher abundance in mixture plots. We asked whether (1) plant uptake or (2) plant species influences on microbial dynamics were the primary drivers of available soil N levels in this system where N structures plant communities. To disentangle the relative roles of plant uptake and microbially-mediated processes in resource competition, we quantified soil N dynamics as well as N pools in plant and microbial biomass in monoculture plots of 11 native or exotic annual grassland plants over one growing season. We found a negative correlation between plant N content and soil dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN, our measure of R*), suggesting that plant uptake drives R*. In contrast, we found no relationship between microbial biomass N or potential net N mineralization and DIN. We conclude that while plant-microbial interactions may have altered the overall quantity of N that plants take up, the relationship between species'' abundance and available N in monoculture was largely driven by plant N uptake in this first year of growth.     

马尾松人工林土壤和团聚体有机碳矿化对穿透雨减少的响应

为研究气候变化背景下降水格局对森林土壤碳排放机制的影响,在南亚热带马尾松人工林中模拟穿透雨减少50%,采用室内恒温培养法研究减水处理对土壤和不同粒级团聚体有机碳矿化的影响.结果表明: 1～2 mm团聚体有机碳累积矿化量高于其他粒级团聚体.干湿季减雨样地表层土壤含水量分别是对照样地的82.1%和82.7%,而其0.106～0.25 mm土壤团聚体质量分数分别比对照增加1.8%和4.2%.与对照相比,穿透雨减少显著降低了干季土壤和微团聚体易矿化碳库的矿化速率(k₁),增加了土壤和<1 mm团聚体难分解碳库的分解速率(k₂),但对土壤有机碳累积矿化量无显著影响.相关分析表明,土壤和微团聚体k₁呈显著正相关,土壤和0.25～1 mm团聚体k₂呈显著正相关.受团聚体结构、水分条件和土壤有机碳含量的影响,穿透雨减少对干季土壤易矿化和难分解有机碳的矿化分别起抑制和促进作用.     

易分解有机碳输入量对武夷山常绿阔叶林不同土层深度土壤激发效应的影响

土壤有机碳(SOC)的矿化在碳、氮循环过程中起着极为重要的作用。易分解有机碳的输入可以通过正(负)激发效应加快(减缓)原有SOC的矿化。然而,先前的研究更多关注易分解有机碳输入量对表层(0~20 cm)土壤激发效应的影响,而较少关注其对深层(>20 cm)土壤激发效应的影响。本研究利用¹³C标记葡萄糖(99 atom%)添加试验,研究葡萄糖添加量对武夷山常绿阔叶林表层(0~20 cm)和深层(30~40 cm)土壤激发效应的影响,并通过分析微生物群落组成的变化以及土壤可利用氮含量的变化探讨土壤激发效应产生的机理。结果表明:葡萄糖的添加抑制了表层和深层SOC的矿化(P<0.05),使SOC的矿化量分别减少了26%~61%与62%~68%,呈现负的激发效应,但激发强度因葡萄糖添加量和土层深度而异。对于表层土壤,激发强度随着葡萄糖添加量的增加而增加;而对于深层土壤,激发强度对葡萄糖添加量的响应并不敏感。而且,葡萄糖的添加并未显著影响表层和深层土壤的微生物量碳氮含量和微生物群落组成(总磷脂脂肪酸含量;细菌、真菌、放线菌磷脂脂肪酸含量以及细菌真菌比)(P>0.05)。土壤激发强度并非取决于土壤微生物群落组成,而是取决于土壤中可利用氮的含量,其可以分别解释表层和深层土壤激发效应变化的90.8%与63.4%。虽然葡萄糖的添加降低了土壤可利用氮的含量,但并未造成土壤氮的固持,这表明土壤现有可利用氮仍能够满足微生物对氮的需求。因此,在土壤矿质养分充足的情况下,微生物对外源易分解有机物的优先利用可能是负激发效应产生的主要原因。     

Agricultural Management and Labile Carbon Additions Affect Soil Microbial Community Structure and Interact with Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling

We investigated how conversion from conventional agriculture to organic management affected the structure and biogeochemical function of soil microbial communities. We hypothesized the following. (1) Changing agricultural management practices will alter soil microbial community structure driven by increasing microbial diversity in organic management. (2) Organically managed soil microbial communities will mineralize more N and will also mineralize more N in response to substrate addition than conventionally managed soil communities. (3) Microbial communities under organic management will be more efficient and respire less added C. Soils from organically and conventionally managed agroecosystems were incubated with and without glucose (¹³C) additions at constant soil moisture. We extracted soil genomic DNA before and after incubation for TRFLP community fingerprinting of soil bacteria and fungi. We measured soil C and N pools before and after incubation, and we tracked total C respired and N mineralized at several points during the incubation. Twenty years of organic management altered soil bacterial and fungal community structure compared to continuous conventional management with the bacterial differences caused primarily by a large increase in diversity. Organically managed soils mineralized twice as much NO₃ ^? as conventionally managed ones (44 vs. 23 μg N/g soil, respectively) and increased mineralization when labile C was added. There was no difference in respiration, but organically managed soils had larger pools of C suggesting greater efficiency in terms of respiration per unit soil C. These results indicate that the organic management induced a change in community composition resulting in a more diverse community with enhanced activity towards labile substrates and greater capacity to mineralize N.     

The effects of biomass removal and N additions on microbial N transformations and biomass at different vegetation types in an old-field ecosystem in northern China

There is an increasing demand for the sustainable management of old-field communities in northern China, which have developed on abandoned cropland on formerly converted natural steppe sites, to regain forage yield, biodiversity, and soil fertility. In thus study we examined how two management options—clipping and nitrogen (N) addition—may affect net >microbial N mineralization (ammonification?+?nitrification), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and microbial respirations (MR) in grass dominated, herb dominated, and grass-herb mixed patches in an old-field community in northern China.Topsoil (0–10 cm) net N mineralization rate was 177% and 69% higher in mixed grass and herb patches (patch B) as compared to unmixed grass (patch A) or herb (patch C) patches, respectively. Topsoil MBN was significantly different among the three patches with the highest value for soils taken from umixed grass patches. However, patches with mixed grass and herb or herb dominated patches had 12% higher microbial respiration (MR) than unmixed grass patch. Clipping and N addition had no effects on net N mineralization or MBC, but both treatments decreased MBN and MR and increased the ratio between microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N (MBC/MBN) in the growing season. Incubation of soil cores under optimal water and temperature conditions in the laboratory showed that the response of microbial N transformations in soils under different vegetation patches to experimental N addition and clipping was limited by soil water availability. Our results strongly highlight the need to further study the importance of belowground C supply as a control of microbial N cycling processes. It also suggests that during the restoration process of degenerated croplands N cycling rates are stimulated, but that the magnitude of this stimulation is modulated by plant community composition of the old-fields.     

Variations in bacterial and fungal communities through soil depth profiles in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Betula albosinensis</Emphasis> forest

Microbial communities in subsurface soil are specialized for their environment, which is distinct from that of the surface communities. However, little is known about the microbial communities (bacteria and fungi) that exist in the deeper soil horizons. Vertical changes in microbial alpha-diversity (Chao1 and Shannon indices) and community composition were investigated at four soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm) in a natural secondary forest of Betula albosinensis by high-throughput sequencing of the 16S and internal transcribed spacer rDNA regions. The numbers of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and the Chao1 and Shannon indices decreased in the deeper soil layers. Each soil layer contained both mutual and specific OTUs. In the 40–60 cm soil layer, 175 and 235 specific bacterial and fungal OTUs were identified, respectively. Acidobacteria was the most dominant bacterial group in all four soil layers, but reached its maximum at 40–60 cm (62.88%). In particular, the 40–60 cm soil layer typically showed the highest abundance of the fungal genus Inocybe (47.46%). The Chao1 and Shannon indices were significantly correlated with the soil organic carbon content. Redundancy analysis indicated that the bacterial communities were closely correlated with soil organic carbon content (P = 0.001). Collectively, these results indicate that soil nutrients alter the microbial diversity and relative abundance and affect the microbial composition.     

Soil microbial responses to elevated phosphorus and pH in acidic temperate deciduous forests

Although northern temperate forests are generally not considered phosphorus (P) limited, ecosystem P limitation may occur on highly weathered or strongly acidic soils where bioavailable inorganic P is low. In such environments, soil organisms may compensate by increasing the utilization of organic P via the production of extracellular enzymes to prevent limitation. In this study, we experimentally increased available P and/or pH in several acidic eastern deciduous forests underlain by glaciated and unglaciated soils in eastern Ohio, USA. We hypothesized that where inorganic P is low; soil microbes are able to access organic P by increasing production of phosphatase enzymes, thereby overcoming biogeochemical P limitations. We measured surface soil for: available P pools, N mineralization and nitrification rates, total C and N, enzymes responsible for C, N, and P hydrolysis, and microbial community composition (PLFA). Increasing surface soil pH a whole unit had little effect on microbial community composition, but increased N cycling rates in unglaciated soils. Phosphorus additions suppressed phosphatase activities over 60% in the unglaciated soils but were unchanged in the glaciated soils. All treatments had minimal influence on microbial biomass, but available pools of P strongly correlated with microbial composition. Microbes may be dependent on sources of organic P in some forest ecosystems and from a microbial perspective soil pH might be less important overall than P availability. Although our sampling was conducted less than 1 year after treatment initiation, microbial community composition was strongly influenced by available P pools and these effects may be greater than short-term increases in soil pH.     

Spatial Heterogeneity and Soil Nitrogen Dynamics in a Burned Black Spruce Forest Stand: Distinct Controls at Different Scales

We evaluated spatial patterns of soil N and C mineralization, microbial community composition (phospholipid fatty acids), and local site characteristics (plant/forest floor cover, soil pH, soil %C and %N) in a 0.25-ha burned black spruce forest stand in interior Alaska. Results indicated that factors governing soil N and C mineralization varied at two different scales. In situ net N mineralization was autocorrelated with microbial community composition at relatively broad scales (∼ ∼8 m) and with local site characteristics (`site' axis 1 of non-metric scaling ordination) at relatively fine scales (2–4 m). At the scale of the individual core, soil moisture was the best predictor of in situ net N mineralization and laboratory C mineralization, explaining between 47 and 67% of the variation (p < 0.001). Ordination of microbial lipid data showed that bacteria were more common in severely burned microsites, whereas fungi were more common in low fire severity microsites. We conclude that C and N mineralization rates in this burned black spruce stand were related to different variables depending on the scale of analysis, suggesting the importance of considering multiple scales of variability among key drivers of C and N transformations.     

Nitrogen limitation and microbial diversity at the treeline

Tree growth limitation at treeline has mainly been studied in terms of carbon limitation while effects and mechanisms of potential nitrogen (N) limitation are barely known, especially in the southern hemisphere. We investigated how soil abiotic properties and microbial community structure and composition change from lower to upper sites within three vegetation belts (Nothofagus betuloides and N. pumilio forests, and alpine vegetation) across an elevation gradient (from 0 to 650 m a.s.l.) in Cordillera Darwin, southern Patagonia. Increasing elevation was associated with a decrease in soil N‐NH₄⁺ availability within the N. pumilio and the alpine vegetation belt. Within the alpine vegetation belt, a concurrent increase in the soil C:N ratio was associated with a shift from bacterial‐dominated in lower alpine sites to fungal‐dominated microbial communities in upper alpine sites. Lower forested belts (N. betuloides, N. pumilio) exhibited more complex patterns both in terms of soil properties and microbial communities. Overall, our results concur with recent findings from high‐latitude and altitude ecosystems showing decreased nutrient availability with elevation, leading to fungal‐dominated microbial communities. We suggest that growth limitation at treeline may result, in addition to proximal climatic parameters, from a competition between trees and soil microbial communities for limited soil inorganic N. At higher elevation, soil microbial communities could have comparably greater capacities to uptake soil N than trees, and the shift towards a fungal‐dominated community would favour N immobilization over N mineralization. Though evidences of altered nutrient dynamics in tree and alpine plant tissue with increasing altitude remain needed, we contend that the measured residual low amount of inorganic N available for trees in the soil could participate to the establishment limitation. Finally, our results suggest that responses of soil microbial communities to elevation could be influenced by functional properties of forest communities for instance through variations in litter quality.