Vertical Distribution of a Soil Microbial Community as Affected by Plant Ecophysiological Adaptation in a Desert System

The spatial and temporal patterns of resource distribution in a desert system have been shown to influence a number of soil biota components and processes. The pattern of possible different resources supplied by two typical halophyte shrubs with different ecophysiological adaptations, Atriplex halimus and Hammada scoparia, was found to be the trigger in the present study on the microbial community temporal and spatial (vertical) scale. The uniqueness of A. halimus, a saltbush plant, is in the creation of ‘islands of salinity’ in its rhizosphere system and the relatively high percentage of organic matter beneath its canopy, whereas the H. scoparia shrub has a leafless stem with a relatively lower amount of organic matter accumulation beneath its canopy. Soil samples from 0 to 50 cm depths were collected at 10-cm intervals during each of the four seasons. The vertical distribution of the microbial community was measured in the vicinity of the above plant shrubs and in the open spaces between them. The results obtained from the field study demonstrated that plant ecophysiological adaptation played an important role in the temporal and spatial distribution of abiotic conditions and microbial community levels such as microbial biomass, CO₂ evolution, and colony-forming units (CFUs) of both bacteria and fungi. However, we did not find consistency in the positive effect of plant cover on the microbial community. The shrub effect was observed to have a major outcome on microbial variables not only on a temporal but also on a spatial (vertical) basis. This contributed to the understanding of the controversy regarding the difference between the shrubs.     

Positive effects of plant diversity on soil microbial biomass and activity are associated with more root biomass production

This study aims to explore relationships between plant diversity and soil microbial function and the factors that mediate the relationships. Artificial plant communities (1, 2, 4 and 8 species) were established filled with natural and mine tailing soils, respectively. After 12 months, the plant species richness positively affected the soil microbial functional diversity in both soil environments but negatively affected microbial biomass and soil basal respiration in the natural soil. The root biomass positively correlated with the microbial biomass, cultural bacterial activity and soil basal respiration in both soil environments. Moreover, the D_i (deviations between observed performances and expected performances from the monoculture performance of each species of mixture) of microbial biomass, cultural bacterial activity and soil basal respiration positively correlated with the D_i of root biomass in both soil environments. Consistent with stress-gradient hypothesis, the D_mix (over-function index) of aboveground biomass positively correlated plant species richness in the mine tailing soil. Results suggest that the root biomass production is an important mechanism that affects the effects of plant diversity on soil microbial functions. Different responses of soil microbial function to increasing plant diversity may be due to root biomass production mediated by other factors.     

Soil CO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Bold">2</Emphasis></Subscript> efflux and fungal and bacterial biomass in a plantation and a secondary forest in wet tropics in Puerto Rico

We examined the effects of root and litter exclusion on the rate of soil CO₂ efflux and microbial biomass using trenching and tent separation techniques in a secondary forest (SF) and a pine (Pinus caribaea Morelet) plantation in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. Soil surface CO₂ efflux was measured using the alkali trap method at 12 randomly-distributed locations in each treatment (control, root exclusion, litter exclusion, and both root and litter exclusion) in the plantation and the SF, respectively. We measured soil CO₂ efflux every two months and collected soil samples at each sampling location in different seasons to determine microbial biomass from August 1996 to July 1997. We found that soil CO₂ efflux was significantly reduced in the litter and root exclusion plots (7-year litter and/or root exclusion) in both the secondary forest and the pine plantation compared with the control. The reduction of soil CO₂ efflux was 35.6% greater in the root exclusion plots than in the litter exclusion plots in the plantation, whereas a reversed pattern was found in the secondary forest. Microbial biomass was also reduced during the litter and root exclusion period. In the root exclusion plots, total fungal biomass averaged 31.4% and 65.2% lower than the control plots in the plantation and the secondary forest, respectively, while the total bacterial biomass was 24% and 8.3% lower than the control plots in the plantation and the secondary forest, respectively. In the litter exclusion treatment, total fungal biomass averaged 69.2% and 69.7% lower than the control plots in the plantation and the secondary forest, respectively, while the total bacterial biomass was 48% and 50.1% lower than the control plots in the plantation and the secondary forest, respectively. Soil CO₂ efflux was positively correlated with both fungal and bacterial biomass in both the plantation the secondary forest. The correlation between soil CO₂ efflux and active fungal biomass was significantly higher in the plantation than in the secondary forest. However, the correlation between the soil CO₂ efflux and both the active and total bacterial biomass was significantly higher in the secondary forest than in the plantation in the day season. In addition, we found soil CO₂ efflux was highly related to the strong interactions among root, fungal and bacterial biomass by multiple regression analysis (R² > 0.61, P < 0.05). Our results suggest that carbon input from aboveground litterfall and roots (root litter and exudates) is critical to the soil microbial community and ecosystem carbon cycling in the wet tropical forests.     

杉木根系和凋落物对土壤微生物学性质的影响

通过模拟试验,研究了杉木根系和凋落物及其交互作用对土壤微生物学性质的影响.结果表明：杉木根系和凋落物在土壤生态过程中发挥的作用有所不同.与对照相比,杉木根系处理的土壤微生物生物量碳（MBC）、土壤基础呼吸、土壤有机碳（TOC）和微生物熵显著增加,土壤呼吸熵（qCO₂）显著降低（P<0.05）;凋落物处理中,仅土壤基础呼吸和qCO₂显著降低（P<0.05）,而MBC、TOC和微生物熵没有显著变化（P>0.05）.杉木根系和凋落物对土壤基础呼吸和qCO₂的影响具有显著的交互作用.qCO₂与土壤可溶性碳（R²=0.325）及TOC（R²=0.209）含量呈显著正相关,说明微生物对碳的利用效率随土壤有机碳数量的增加而降低.与凋落物相比,杉木根系在土壤生态过程中发挥着更重要的作用.     

The variation of soil microbial respiration with depth in relation to soil carbon composition

The vertical variation in soil microbial respiratory activity and its relationship to organic carbon pools is critical for modeling soil C stock and predicting impacts of climate change, but is not well understood. Mineral soil samples, taken from four Scottish soils at different depths (0–8, 8–16, 16–24, 24–32 cm), were analyzed and incubated in the laboratory under constant temperature and environmental conditions. The vegetation type/plant species showed significant effects on the absolute concentration of C components and microbial activity, but the relative distribution of C and respiration rate with soil depth are similar across sites. Soil C pools and microbial respiratory activity declined rapidly with soil depth, with about 30% of total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and about half microbial carbon (C_mic) and respired CO₂ observed in the top 8 cm. The ratio of CO₂:TOC generally decreased with soil depth, but CO₂:DOC was significantly higher in the top 8 cm of soil than in the subsoil (8–32 cm). No general pattern between qCO₂ (CO₂:C_mic) and soil depth was found. The vertical distributions of soil C pools and microbial respiratory activity were best fitted with a single exponential equation. Compared with TOC and DOC, C_mic appears to be an adequate predictor for the variation in microbial respiration rate with soil depth, with 95% of variation in normalized respiration rate accounted for by a linear relationship.     

Microbial Nonlinear Response to a Precipitation Gradient in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

The response of soil microbes to global warming, especially their response to precipitation, remains poorly known. The Tibetan Plateau is very sensitive to climate change. In particular, the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is an interesting area to test the response of soil microbial communities to precipitation, as there is a distinct gradient in annual precipitation from east to west. We collected soil samples along a precipitation gradient in arid and semi-arid areas of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) technology was used to analyze the microbial community structure and total microbial biomass. With declining precipitation, bacterial biomass decreased significantly, whereas fungal biomass did not show an obvious trend; this result indicates that bacteria are more sensitive to mean annual precipitation (MAP). Overall, the biomass of Gram-negative (G^?) bacteria represented up to 82% of the total bacterial biomass. In the high (260–394 mm yr^?1) MAP areas, bacterial biomass was mainly concentrated at the surface and decreased with increasing soil depth (0–40 cm). In contrast, in the low (36–260 mm yr^?1) MAP areas, bacterial biomass was mainly concentrated in the deep soils. The mean annual precipitation was strongly correlated with soil microbial community in space, with microbial communities in the 0–10-cm soil depth most affected by precipitation. Groundwater may impact microbial communities in the 20–40-cm soil depth of this arid and semiarid region. The clustering of the microbial communities was significantly grouped according to the MAP gradient, revealing that MAP is a major driving force of microbial communities in this arid and semi-arid area. The decline in MAP led to a shift in the structure of the microbial community and an overall reduction in microbial biomass.     

Relationships Between Microbial Community Structure and Soil Processes Under Elevated Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

There is little current understanding of the relationship between soil microbial community composition and soil processes rates, nor of the effect climate change and elevated CO₂ will have on microbial communities and their functioning. Using the eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) plantation at the Biosphere 2 Laboratory, we studied the relationships between microbial community structure and process rates, and the effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ on microbial biomass, activity, and community structure. Soils were sampled from three treatments (400, 800, and 1200 ppm CO₂), a variety of microbial biomass and activity parameters were measured, and the bacterial community was described by 16S rRNA libraries. Glucose substrate-induced respiration (SIR) was significantly higher in the 1200 ppm CO₂ treatment. There were also a variety of complex, nonlinear responses to elevated CO₂. There was no consistent effect of elevated CO₂ on bacterial diversity; however, there was extensive variation in microbial community structure within the plantation. The southern ends of the 800 and 1200 ppm CO₂ bays were dominated by β-Proteobacteria, and had higher fungal biomass, whereas the other areas contained more α-Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria. A number of soil process rates, including salicylate, glutamate, and glycine substrate-induced respiration and proteolysis, were significantly related to the relative abundance of the three most frequent bacterial taxa, and to fungal biomass. Overall, variation in microbial activity was better explained by microbial community composition than by CO₂ treatment. However, the altered diversity and activity in the southern bays of the two high CO₂ treatments could indicate an interaction between CO₂ and light.     

Organic Matter Stimulates Bacteria and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Bauhinia purpurea and Leucaena diversifolia Plantations on Eroded Slopes in Nepal

Erosion resulting from landslides is a serious problem in mountainous countries such as Nepal. To restore such sites it is essential to establish plant cover that protects the soil and reduces surface erosion. Mycorrhizal fungi growing in symbiosis with plants are essential in this respect because they improve both plant nutrient uptake and soil structure. We investigated the influence of organic matter and P amendment on recently produced biomass of bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in eroded slopes in Nepal. Eroded soil mixed with different types of organic matter or P was placed in mesh bags, which were buried around trees of Bauhinia purpurea and Leucaena diversifolia between June 2003 and December 2003 (the wet season) or between December 2003 and June 2004 (the dry season). Signature fatty acids were used to determine bacterial and AM fungal biomass after the 6‐month intervals. The amount and composition of AM fungal spores were analyzed in the mesh bags from the dry season. More microbial biomass was produced during the wet season than during the dry season. Furthermore, organic matter addition enhanced the production of AM fungal and bacterial biomass during both periods. The positive influence of organic matter addition on AM fungi could be an important contribution to plant survival in plantations on eroded slopes. Different AM spore communities and bacterial profiles were obtained with different organic amendments and this suggests a possible way of selecting for specific microbial communities in the management of eroded sites.     

Bacterial viability assessment by flow cytometry analysis in soil

Soil microhabitats and their heterogeneity are often considered to be among the most important factors affecting soil biotic communities. The microbial community has become one of the most important links in soil nutrient cycles and trophic components due to its role in biological processes, spatial and temporal dynamics, and physiological adaptation. Sandy-soil desert systems are characterized by fast water infiltration during the rainy season, high salinity, and low moisture availability in the upper soil layers. Plants have developed different ecophysiological adaptations in order to cope with this harsh environment. The Tamarix aphylla is known to be one of the most commonly adapted plants, exhibiting a mechanism for secretion of excess salts as aggregates through its leaves. These leaves aggregate beneath the plant, creating ‘islands of salinity’. Soil biotic components are, therefore, exposed to extreme abiotic stress conditions in this niche. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of T. aphylla on the live/dead bacterial population ratio on a spatial and temporal scale. The results emphasize the effect of abiotic factors, which changed on temporal as well as spatial scales, and also on the size of the active soil bacterial community, which fluctuated between 1.44% and 25.4% in summer and winter, respectively. The results of this study elucidate the importance of moisture availability and the ‘island-of-salinity’ effect on the active microbial community in a sandy desert system.     

南亚热带红椎和格木人工幼龄林土壤微生物群落结构特征

采用氯仿熏蒸浸提法和磷脂脂肪酸法(Phospholipids fatty acid,PLFA)研究了我国南亚热带地区非固氮树种红椎(Castanopsis hystrix)和固氮树种格木(Erythrophleum fordii)人工幼龄林土壤微生物生物量与微生物群落结构特征。结果表明,在旱季和雨季,红椎幼龄林土壤微生物总PLFAs量,细菌PLFAs量、放线菌PLFAs量及丛枝菌根真菌PLFAs量均大于格木幼龄林。红椎幼龄林土壤PLFA Shannon多样性指数(H_(PLFA))在旱季和雨季均大于格木幼龄林。主成分分析表明,土壤微生物群落结构组成受到林分类型和季节的双重影响。冗余分析表明,土壤硝态氮(NO_3~--N)含量、土壤含水量、p H及土壤微生物生物量氮(MBN)与特征磷脂脂肪酸之间呈显著相关关系。以上结果表明固氮树种格木与非固氮树种红椎人工幼龄林对土壤微生物生物量和群落结构的影响存在显著差异。     

Comparative assessment of soil microbial biomass determined by the methods of direct microscopy and substrate-induced respiration

The content of microbial biomass (MB) was determined in samples of gray forest, chestnut, and tundra soils with different physicochemical properties (0.4–22.7% C_org; 8.4–26.8% silt particles; pH 4.3–8.4) by the methods of substrate-induced respiration (MB_SIR) and direct microscopy (MB_M). The samples of two upper soil layers, 0–5 and 5–10 cm (without plant litter), from different ecosystems (forest, forest shelter belt, meadow, fallow, and arable) and elements of relief of interfluvial tundra (block/upper land plateau, depression between blocks) have been analyzed. The content of microbial biomass in the 0–5-cm soil layer was 216–8134 and 348–7513 μg C/g soil as measured by the methods of substrate-induced respiration and direct microscopy, respectively. The MB_SIR and MB_M values closely correlated with each other: r = 0.90 and 0.74 for 0–5 and 5–10 cm, respectively. The average MB_SIR/MB_M ratio was 90 and 60% for 0–5 and 5–10 cm, respectively. The portion of microbial carbon in total organic soil carbon was, on average, 4 and 3% (SIR) and 5 and 7% (direct microscopy) for 0–5 and 5–10 cm, respectively. Possible reasons for the differences between MB_SIR and MB_M values in the soils under study are discussed.     

Vertical Distribution of Microbial Community Functionality under the Canopies of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zygophyllum dumosum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hammada scoparia</Emphasis> in the Negev Desert,Israel

Patchy desert shrubs magnify the horizontal heterogeneities of carbon source and nutrient availability in an arid ecosystem, significantly affecting the abundance and activity of the soil microbial community. Since each shrub species develops special ecophysiological adaptations to the extreme harsh desert environments, previous studies elucidated that the effects of perennial shrubs on microbial diversity are unequal. The aim of the present study, conducted in the Negev Desert, Israel, was to illustrate the vertical changes of soil microbial community functionality in the root zone of perennial shrubs. Soil samples were collected from the 0–50 cm depth at 10-cm intervals under the canopy of Zygophyllum dumosum, Hammada scoparia, and from the open spaces between them, in the wet and dry seasons. Soil moisture and organic matter exhibited a significant (P < 0.001) plant and depth dependence. The mean basal respiration rates and microbial biomass in soils collected beneath perennial shrubs were relatively higher than the control during the wet season, however, a contrasting trend was observed at some soil depths during the dry season. Relatively high abundance and activity of aromatic and carboxylic acid utilizers were observed in the vicinity of perennial shrubs, and the values recorded during the dry season were generally higher than the corresponding values during the wet season. In addition, a “mirror effect” in vertical changes of the community-level physiological profile was observed between Z. dumosum and H. scoparia. This study demonstrated the stratification of the functional aspects in soils under the canopy of perennial shrubs, thus indicating that the scattered distribution of vegetation not only causes horizontal heterogeneities of the microbial community in an arid system, but also that the ecophysiological adaptations developed by xerophytes regulate the abundance and saprotrophic functionality of microorganisms in the root zone.     

Differential effects of warming and nitrogen fertilization on soil respiration and microbial dynamics in switchgrass croplands

The mechanistic understanding of warming and nitrogen (N) fertilization, alone or in combination, on microbially mediated decomposition is limited. In this study, soil samples were collected from previously harvested switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) plots that had been treated with high N fertilizer (HN: 67 kg N ha^?1) and those that had received no N fertilizer (NN) over a 3‐year period. The samples were incubated for 180 days at 15 °C and 20 °C, during which heterotrophic respiration, δ¹³C of CO₂, microbial biomass (MB), specific soil respiration rate (R_s: respiration per unit of microbial biomass), and exoenzyme activities were quantified at 10 different collections time. Employing switchgrass tissues (referred to as litter) with naturally abundant ¹³C allowed us to partition CO₂ respiration derived from soil and amended litter. Cumulative soil respiration increased significantly by 16.4% and 4.2% under warming and N fertilization, respectively. Respiration derived from soil was elevated significantly with warming, while oxidase, the agent for recalcitrant soil substrate decomposition, was not significantly affected by warming. Warming, however, significantly enhanced MB and R_s indicating a decrease in microbial growth efficiency (MGE). On the contrary, respiration derived from amended litter was elevated with N fertilization, which was consistent with the significantly elevated hydrolase. N fertilization, however, had little effect on MB and R_s, suggesting little change in microbial physiology. Temperature and N fertilization showed minimal interactive effects likely due to little differences in soil N availability between NN and HN samples, which is partly attributable to switchgrass biomass N accumulation (equivalent to ~53% of fertilizer N). Overall, the differential individual effects of warming and N fertilization may be driven by physiological adaptation and stimulated exoenzyme kinetics, respectively. The study shed insights on distinct microbial acquisition of different substrates under global temperature increase and N enrichment.     

Soil microbial biomass influence on strontium availability in mine soil

Abstract

The main aim of our work was to assess whether strontium (Sr) affects soil microbial biomass size and activity, and the involvement of said biomass in the availability process of the metal. In addition, information concerning the distribution and mobility of the stable element within ecosystems may allow the prediction of the behaviour of its radioisotope counterpart, ⁹⁰Sr. Samples were collected in the surroundings of a strontium mine and characterised for total and diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Sr, total organic C (TOC), microbial biomass C (MBC), MBC/TOC ratio and metabolic quotient (qCO₂). Moreover, MBC and DTPA-extractable Sr were measured during a 45-day incubation experiment of samples soils amended with maize. Overall, increased levels of total Sr had a negative effect on both TOC and MBC. DTPA-extractable Sr was significantly correlated to MBC/TOC suggesting a possible role of soil microbial biomass in the mobilisation of the element. The synthesis of new microbial biomass after soil amendment was negatively affected by the initial content of DTPA-extractable Sr. Conversely, there was a linear positive relationship between newly formed MBC and DTPA-extractable Sr during the incubation, indicating that soil microbial biomass may promote the mobilisation of Sr. These findings indicate that soil amendment with easily degradable organic substrate significantly increases Sr mobility and availability.     

不同树叶凋落物对人参土壤理化性质及微生物群落结构的影响

树种选择是林下山参护育成败的关键,研究树叶凋落物对人参土壤养分、微生物群落结构组成的影响,旨在为林下山参护育选择适宜林地及农田栽参土壤改良提供科学依据和理论指导。通过盆栽试验,研究添加5.0 g色木槭Acer mono.Maxim.var.mono(A)、赤松Pinus densiflora Sieb.et Zucc.(B)、胡桃楸Juglans mandshurica Maxim.(C)、紫椴Tilia amurensis Rupr.(D)、蒙古栎Quercus mongolica Fisch.ex Ledeb.(E)树叶凋落物到土壤中,种植人参(Panax ginseng C.A.meyer)后研究土壤理化性质以及微生物群落结构的变化。结果表明:添加不同树叶处理后人参土壤性质发生改变,土壤p H值显著高于对照土壤5.91(P0.05),土壤全氮、速效氮磷、微生物碳氮在所有树叶处理中显著增加(P0.05),而土壤容重、速效钾和C/N在添加树叶处理中降低。18个土壤样品基因组,经16S和ITS1测序分别得到6064和1900个OUTs。其中细菌涵盖了42门、117纲、170目、213科、225属,真菌涵盖了24门、98纲、196目、330科、435属。不同树叶处理人参土壤细菌和真菌地位发生改变,细菌Proteobacteria是树叶分解的关键微生物,添加树叶后其多样性显著高于对照(P0.05)。而细菌Bacteroidetes和真菌Basidiomycota可能是区别阔叶林和针叶林树种的关键微生物,针叶林中含量显著低于阔叶林(P0.05),而真菌Ascomycota是针叶林分解的关键微生物。进一步从不同分类水平上得到特定树叶凋落物的特异细菌和真菌。典型相关分析(CDA)表明细菌Bacteroidetes、Chloroflexi、Actinobacteria及真菌Basidiomycota、Zygomycota、Chytridiomycota及Ascomycota的位置及多样性的改变均与土壤因子SMBN、TN、AP、SOC、AK、C/N、p H有关。综上所述,添加不同树叶后不仅提高土壤微生物量碳氮、改善土壤理化性质,同时改变微生物群落结构组成,不同树叶处理土壤理化性质不同导致人参土壤微生物组成的差异,本结果对于林下参选地和农田栽参土壤微生物改良具有理论指导作用。     

Plant diversity effects on soil heterotrophic activity in experimental grassland ecosystems

The loss of plant species from terrestrial ecosystems may cause changes in soil decomposer communities and in decomposition of organic material with potential further consequences for other ecosystem processes. This was tested in experimental communities of 1, 2, 4, 8, 32 plant species and of 1, 2 or 3 functional groups (grasses, legumes and non-leguminous forbs). As plant species richness was reduced from the highest species richness to monocultures, mean aboveground plant biomass decreased by 150%, but microbial biomass (measured by substrate induced respiration) decreased by only 15% (P = 0.05). Irrespective of plant species richness, the absence of legumes (across diversity levels) caused microbial biomass to decrease by 15% (P = 0.02). No effect of plant species richness or composition was detected on the microbial metabolic quotient (qCO₂) and no plant species richness effect was found on feeding activity of the mesofauna (assessed with a bait-lamina-test). Decomposition of cellulose and birchwood sticks was also not affected by plant species richness, but when legumes were absent, cellulose samples were decomposed more slowly (16% in 1996, 27% in 1997, P = 0.006). A significant decrease in earthworm population density of 63% and in total earthworm biomass by 84% was the single most prominent response to the reduction of plant species richness, largely due to a 50% reduction in biomass of the dominant `anecic' earthworms. Voles (Arvicola terrestris L.) also had a clear preference for high-diversity plots. Soil moisture during the growing season was unaffected by plant species richness or the number of functional groups present. In contrast, soil temperature was 2 K higher in monocultures compared with the most diverse mixtures on a bright day at peak season. We conclude that the lower abundance and activity of decomposers with reduced plant species richness was related to altered substrate quantity, a signal which is not reflected in rates of decomposition of standard test material. The presence of nitrogen fixers seemed to be the most important component of the plant diversity manipulation for soil heterotrophs. The reduction in plant biomass due to the simulated loss of plant species had more pronounced effects on voles and earthworms than on microbes, suggesting that higher trophic levels are more strongly affected than lower trophic levels.     

氮肥添加对高寒藏嵩草(Kobresia tibetica)沼泽化草甸和土壤微生物群落的影响

以藏嵩草沼泽化草甸为研究对象,利用磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)技术,研究连续6年N素添加对地上植被群落数量特征、土壤微生物群落结构的影响。结果表明:①藏嵩草沼泽化草甸群落生物量、枯枝落叶对施肥处理无明显响应,且莎草科植物对土壤氮素的吸收和利用率较低。②施肥增加了0-10 cm土壤微生物类群PLFAs丰富度尤其细菌和革兰氏阳性菌PLFAs,降低了10-20 cm PLFAs丰富度;③磷脂脂肪酸饱和脂肪酸/单烯不饱和脂肪酸、细菌PLFAs/真菌PLFAs的比值随土壤层次增加而增加;④0-10 cm土层革兰氏阳性菌、真菌PLFAs含量与pH、土壤速效磷、速效氮、土壤有机质显著正相关(P0.05或P0.01);10-20 cm土层,细菌、革兰氏阳性菌、真菌和总PLFAs含量与土壤有机质含量显著正相关(P0.05或P0.01)。表明藏嵩草沼泽化草甸微生物PLFAs含量和丰富度对施肥的响应存在明显的土层梯度效应,土壤微生物PLFAs含量和丰富度主要受表层土壤初始养分含量的影响。     

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.     

Effects of Composts from Agroindustrial Wastes on Microbial Activity of a Typic Xerofluvent Soil Under Mediterranean Conditions,SE Turkey

Supplementing the nutrient requirement of crops through organic manures as compost derived from agroindustrial wastes plays a key role in sustaining soil fertility, and crop productivity and reducing use of chemical fertilizers. Therefore, this work was conducted for investigating the effects of addition of oily cumin compost (CC) and oily oregano compost (OC) (these composts were derived from oily cumin and oily oregano wastes of aromatic plant factory) at rates of 40 t ha^?1 to identify those potential organic amendments that might improve the quality of an Entisol. Additionally, those effects on the biochemical properties of a Typic xerofluvent soil were compared to chemical fertilization (CF) and also control (CT) during a cotton vegetation period under a Mediterranean climatic condition. Soil biological status was evaluated by measuring the soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), basal soil respiration (BSR), N-mineralization (N_min), soil metabolic quotient (qCO₂) and soil enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase-DHG, urease-UA, protease-PRO, and alkaline phosphate-ALKPA) in soil samples that were collected on the 19th, 78th and 190th days followed by compost application to the experimental soils. The MBC, BSR and qCO₂, as well as soil enzyme activities, increased significantly in the compost-treated soils compared with the CF-treated soil and nontreated soils (CT) with respect mean values. The level of microbial activity of soil applied chemical fertilizer was almost the same to those of control soil. As a result of cumin compost (CC) application 137-1810% increase of the level of microbial activity with respect to the CT and CF, followed by OC, 47-314% occurred at the end of the experiment. Because of this there were no toxic effects caused by composts observed. The application of these composts to the soil resulted in the most increase in DHG activity significantly. The application of CC with a C/N ratio of 23 resulted a more favorable soil biological properties than the application of OC (C/N ratio = 32) during cotton vegetation period (190 days). Results from this study suggest that composted aromatic plant wastes can be used to enhance the soil microbial activity, thereby promoting plant growth.     

Vertical distribution of the soil microbiota along a successional gradient in a glacier forefield

Spatial patterns of microbial communities have been extensively surveyed in well‐developed soils, but few studies investigated the vertical distribution of micro‐organisms in newly developed soils after glacier retreat. We used 454‐pyrosequencing to assess whether bacterial and fungal community structures differed between stages of soil development (SSD) characterized by an increasing vegetation cover from barren (vegetation cover: 0%/age: 10 years), sparsely vegetated (13%/60 years), transient (60%/80 years) to vegetated (95%/110 years) and depths (surface, 5 and 20 cm) along the Damma glacier forefield (Switzerland). The SSD significantly influenced the bacterial and fungal communities. Based on indicator species analyses, metabolically versatile bacteria (e.g. Geobacter) and psychrophilic yeasts (e.g. Mrakia) characterized the barren soils. Vegetated soils with higher C, N and root biomass consisted of bacteria able to degrade complex organic compounds (e.g. Candidatus Solibacter), lignocellulolytic Ascomycota (e.g. Geoglossum) and ectomycorrhizal Basidiomycota (e.g. Laccaria). Soil depth only influenced bacterial and fungal communities in barren and sparsely vegetated soils. These changes were partly due to more silt and higher soil moisture in the surface. In both soil ages, the surface was characterized by OTUs affiliated to Phormidium and Sphingobacteriales. In lower depths, however, bacterial and fungal communities differed between SSD. Lower depths of sparsely vegetated soils consisted of OTUs affiliated to Acidobacteria and Geoglossum, whereas depths of barren soils were characterized by OTUs related to Gemmatimonadetes. Overall, plant establishment drives the soil microbiota along the successional gradient but does not influence the vertical distribution of microbiota in recently deglaciated soils.