荒漠草原3种典型群落类型的土壤微生物量碳氮研究

采用氯仿熏蒸-浸提法,以宁夏盐池荒漠草原3种典型群落(柠条、沙蒿、短花针茅)类型为研究对象,分析了不同生境(冠下、丛间)和不同土层间(0~5、5~10、10~15cm)土壤理化性质及微生物量——微生物量碳(MBC)和微生物量氮(MBN)的变化特征。结果表明:(1)3种群落土壤微生物量变化差异较大,柠条、沙蒿和短花针茅群落土壤MBC含量分别为77.00~393.18、17.27~221.71和81.05~173.37mg/kg,MBN含量分别为7.59~64.81、1.43~13.95和4.25~22.13mg/kg,MBC和MBN含量均表现为:冠下丛间,且随土层深度的增加而降低,有明显的"沃岛效应"。(2)群落类型对土壤微生物量碳氮含量的变化有显著影响,3种典型群落类型下土壤微生物量熵(qMB)、碳氮比(C/N)、微生物量碳氮比(MBC/MBN)分别在0.76~4.10、15.02~52.50、5.34~23.07范围内变化,其比值在不同生境和不同土层深度的分布特征有明显差异。(3)3种典型群落类型的土壤MBC与SOC、MBN、qMB具有显著相关关系,土壤C/N与MBC/MBN呈显著正相关关系,表明土壤MBC、MBN具有一定的生物学指示特性,可以作为评价土壤质量的生物学指标。     

Ants as Indicators of Restoration Success: Relationship with Soil Microbial Biomass in the Australian Seasonal Tropics

Ants are widely used as bioindicators in Australian land assessment and monitoring programs, particularly in relation to ecosystem restoration following mining. Little is known, however, about the relationship between ant community development and key ecological processes such as nutrient cycling. We have examined the relationship between ant species richness and soil microbial biomass at 17 sites subject to disturbance by mining in the Kakadu region of Australia's Northern Territory. The number of ant species recorded ranged from 7 at an unvegetated site undergoing restoration to 43 at a site that was undisturbed except for edge effects. Soil microbial biomass ranged from 19.3 to 134.3 μgC/g. Ant species richness was positively correlated with soil microbial biomass (r= 0.638), more so than was plant species richness (r= 0.342 for total plant species, r= 0.499 for woody species only). Our findings demonstrate a correlation between aboveground ant activity and belowground decomposition processes at disturbed sites, thereby providing support for the use of ants as indicators of restoration success following disturbance. Interestingly, when a range of undisturbed sites in the region was considered, a negative rather than positive relationship between ant richness and soil microbial biomass was found. This illustrates the importance of distinguishing between variation within a habitat due to disturbance and variation across different habitats when searching for indicators of ecological change.     

Exotic Earthworm Invasion and Microbial Biomass in Temperate Forest Soils

Invasion of north temperate forest soils by exotic earthworms has the potential to alter microbial biomass and activity over large areas of North America. We measured the distribution and activity of microbial biomass in forest stands invaded by earthworms and in adjacent stands lacking earthworms in sugar maple-dominated forests in two locations in New York State, USA: one with a history of cultivation and thin organic surface soil horizons (forest floors) and the other with no history of cultivation and a thick (3–5 cm) forest floor. Earthworm invasion greatly reduced pools of microbial biomass in the forest floor and increased pools in the mineral soil. Enrichment of the mineral soil was much more marked at the site with thick forest floors. The increase in microbial biomass carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in the mineral soil at this site was larger than the decrease in the forest floor, resulting in a net increase in total soil profile microbial biomass in the invaded plots. There was an increase in respiration in the mineral soil at both sites, which is consistent with a movement of organic matter and microbial biomass into the mineral soil. However, N-cycle processes (mineralization and nitrification) did not increase along with respiration. It is likely that the earthworm-induced input of C into the mineral soil created a microbial sink for N, preventing an increase in net mineralization and nitrification and conserving N in the soil profile.     

Soil Microbial Community Response to Land Use Change in an Agricultural Landscape of Western Kenya

Tropical agroecosystems are subject to degradation processes such as losses in soil carbon, nutrient depletion, and reduced water holding capacity that occur rapidly resulting in a reduction in soil fertility that can be difficult to reverse. In this research, a polyphasic methodology has been used to investigate changes in microbial community structure and function in a series of tropical soils in western Kenya. These soils have different land usage with both wooded and agricultural soils at Kakamega and Ochinga, whereas at Ochinga, Leuro, Teso, and Ugunja a replicated field experiment compared traditional continuous maize cropping against an improved N-fixing fallow system. For all sites, principal component analysis of 16S rRNA gene denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles revealed that soil type was the key determinant of total bacterial community structure, with secondary variation found between wooded and agricultural soils. Similarly, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis also separated wooded from agricultural soils, primarily on the basis of higher abundance of monounsaturated fatty acids, anteiso- and iso-branched fatty acids, and methyl-branched fatty acids in the wooded soils. At Kakamega and Ochinga wooded soils had between five 5 and 10-fold higher levels of soil carbon and microbial biomass carbon than agricultural soils from the same location, whereas total enzyme activities were also lower in the agricultural sites. Soils with woody vegetation had a lower percentage of phosphatase activity and higher cellulase and chitinase activities than the agricultural soils. BIOLOG analysis showed woodland soils to have the greatest substrate diversity. Throughout the study the two functional indicators (enzyme activity and BIOLOG), however, showed lower specificity with respect to soil type and land usage than did the compositional indicators (DGGE and PLFA). In the field experiment comparing two types of maize cropping, both the maize yields and total microbial biomass were found to increase with the fallow system. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene and PLFA analyses revealed shifts in the total microbial community in response to the different management regimes, indicating that deliberate management of soils can have considerable impact on microbial community structure and function in tropical soils.     

Microbial Communities of the Central Asian Lakes as Indicators of Climatic and Ecological Changes in the Region

Central Asia is one of the world largest regions, which has been relatively poorly studied from the microbiological point of view. The lakes of this region have a broad range of ecological conditions, from lowmineral to hypersaline ones. Long-term observations revealed that microbial communities of these lakes reflect the climatic and ecological changes in this region. Genomic research showed that some microbial species were found only in Central Asian lakes, but not in other regions of the world. The combination of these factors makes Central Asian lakes a promising subject for microbiological investigation.     

Extensive Management Promotes Plant and Microbial Nitrogen Retention in Temperate Grassland

Leaching losses of nitrogen (N) from soil and atmospheric N deposition have led to widespread changes in plant community and microbial community composition, but our knowledge of the factors that determine ecosystem N retention is limited. A common feature of extensively managed, species-rich grasslands is that they have fungal-dominated microbial communities, which might reduce soil N losses and increase ecosystem N retention, which is pivotal for pollution mitigation and sustainable food production. However, the mechanisms that underpin improved N retention in extensively managed, species-rich grasslands are unclear. We combined a landscape-scale field study and glasshouse experiment to test how grassland management affects plant and soil N retention. Specifically, we hypothesised that extensively managed, species-rich grasslands of high conservation value would have lower N loss and greater N retention than intensively managed, species-poor grasslands, and that this would be due to a greater immobilisation of N by a more fungal-dominated microbial community. In the field study, we found that extensively managed, species-rich grasslands had lower N leaching losses. Soil inorganic N availability decreased with increasing abundance of fungi relative to bacteria, although the best predictor of soil N leaching was the C/N ratio of aboveground plant biomass. In the associated glasshouse experiment we found that retention of added ¹⁵N was greater in extensively than in intensively managed grasslands, which was attributed to a combination of greater root uptake and microbial immobilisation of ¹⁵N in the former, and that microbial immobilisation increased with increasing biomass and abundance of fungi. These findings show that grassland management affects mechanisms of N retention in soil through changes in root and microbial uptake of N. Moreover, they support the notion that microbial communities might be the key to improved N retention through tightening linkages between plants and microbes and reducing N availability.     

Land Use History Mediates Soil Biogeochemical Responses to Drought in Temperate Forest Ecosystems

Ecosystems - Terrestrial ecosystems are experiencing increasing frequency and intensity of droughts as a result of climate change. Despite a wealth of previous studies investigating soil responses...     

Microbial Biomass and Activity in Lead-Contaminated Soil

Microbial community diversity, potential microbial activity, and metal resistance were determined in three soils whose lead contents ranged from 0.00039 to 48 mmol of Pb kg of soil⁻¹. Biomass levels were directly related to lead content. A molecular analysis of 16S rRNAs suggested that each soil contained a complex, diverse microbial community. A statistical analysis of the phospholipid fatty acids indicated that the community in the soil having the highest lead content was not related to the communities in the other soils. All of the soils contained active microbial populations that mineralized [¹⁴C]glucose. In all samples, 10 to 15% of the total culturable bacteria were Pb resistant and had MIC of Pb for growth of 100 to 150 μM.     

Role of Nematodes in Soil Health and Their Use as Indicators

The composition of nematode communities (plant-parasitic and free-living) may be used as bioindicators of soil health or condition because composition correlates well with nitrogen cycling and decomposition, two critical ecological processes in soil. Maturity and trophic diversity indices withstand statistical rigor better than do abundances, proportions, or ratios of trophic groups. Maturity indices respond to a variety of land-management practices, based largely on inferred life history characteristics of families. Similarity indices may be more useful than diversity indices because they reflect taxon composition. Improving existing indices or developing alternative indices refined by a greater understanding of the biology of key taxa may enhance the utility of nematodes as bioindicators.     

Microbial Consumption of Atmospheric Isoprene in a Temperate Forest Soil

Isoprene (2-methyl-1,3 butadiene) is a low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon emitted in large quantities to the atmosphere by vegetation and plays a large role in regulating atmospheric chemistry. Until now, the atmosphere has been considered the only significant sink for isoprene. However, in this study we performed both in situ and in vitro experiments with soil from a temperate forest near Ithaca, N.Y., that indicate that the soil provides a sink for atmospheric isoprene and that the consumption of isoprene is carried out by microorganisms. Consumption occurred rapidly in field chambers (672.60 ± 30.12 to 2,718.36 ± 86.40 pmol gdw⁻¹ day⁻¹) (gdw is grams [dry weight] of soil; values are means ± standard deviations). Subsequent laboratory experiments confirmed that isoprene loss was due to biological processes: consumption was stopped by autoclaving the soil; consumption rates increased with repeated exposure to isoprene; and consumption showed a temperature response consistent with biological activity (with an optimum temperature of 30°C). Isoprene consumption was diminished under low oxygen conditions (120 ± 7.44 versus 528.36 ± 7.68 pmol gdw⁻¹ day⁻¹ under ambient O₂ concentrations) and showed a strong relationship with soil moisture. Isoprene-degrading microorganisms were isolated from the site, and abundance was calculated as 5.8 × 10⁵ ± 3.2 × 10⁵ cells gdw⁻¹. Our results indicate that soil may provide a significant biological sink for atmospheric isoprene.     

荒漠草原3种典型群落类型下土壤粒径分布与微生物量碳氮的关系

为了探讨不同群落类型的土壤粒径分布（PSD）与土壤微生物生物量（MB）的关系,以宁夏盐池荒漠草原3种典型群落类型（冰草、沙蒿、短花针茅）为研究对象,测定了不同群落2种生境（冠下、丛间）0~5、5~10和10~15 cm表土层土壤PSD和微生物量碳（MBC）、微生物量氮（MBN）含量变化,并分析了土壤颗粒组成中砂粒、粉粒和黏粒体积分数变化与土壤有机碳（SOC）、全氮（TN）和MBC、MBN间的关系。结果表明：（1）不同群落类型土壤粒径都呈“倒V”型分布趋势,但土壤退化最严重的沙蒿群落中100~500 μm粒径颗粒含量相对较多,与其他两种群落形成显著差异。（2）不同群落类型SOC、MBC、MBN含量均随土层深度的增加而降低,同土层SOC、MBN含量均表现为冠下明显大于丛间,表现出“肥岛效应”,且0~5 cm土层差异显著（P＜0.05）。（3）对土壤粒径组成与土壤SOC、MBC、MBN间相关性研究表明,在土壤SOC、MBC和MBN含量较高的冰草、短花针茅群落类型中,0.01~2、2~50和50~100 μm土壤粒径的颗粒含量也高,SOC、MBC和MBN含量与＜100 μm的粉粒含量呈正相关关系;在沙蒿群落类型中粒径为100~250和250~500 μm的土粒含量增高,导致其SOC、MBC和MBN含量较低,表明不同群落类型对土壤理化结构产生影响的同时,对微生物生物量也有显著的影响。     

Microbial Biomass and Community Structure in a Sequence of Soils with Increasing Fertility and Changing Land Use

Abstract The microbial biomass and community structure of eight Chinese red soils with different fertility and land use history was investigated. Two community based microbiological measurements, namely, community level physiological profiling (CLPP) using Biolog sole C source utilization tests and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles, were used to investigate the microbial ecology of these soils and to determine how land use alters microbial community structure. Microbial biomass-C and total PLFAs were closely correlated to organic carbon and total nitrogen, indicating that these soil microbial measures are potentially good indices of soil fertility in these highly weathered soils. Metabolic quotients and C source utilization were not correlated with organic carbon or microbial biomass. Multivariate analysis of sole carbon source utilization patterns and PLFAs demonstrated that land use history and plant cover type had a significant impact on microbial community structure. PLFAs showed these differences more than CLPP methods. Consequently, PLFA analysis was a better method for assessing broad-spectrum community differences and at the same time attempting to correlate changes with soil fertility. Soils from tea orchards were particularly distinctive in their CLPP. A modified CLPP method, using absorbance readings at 405 nm and different culture media at pH values of 4.7 and 7.0, showed that the discrimination obtained can be influenced by the culture conditions. This method was used to show that the distinctive microbial community structure in tea orchard soils was not, however, due to differences in pH alone. Received: 1 December 1999; Accepted: 6 June 2000; Online Publication: 28 August 2000     

Changes of Soil Bacterial Diversity as a Consequence of Agricultural Land Use in a Semi-Arid Ecosystem

Natural scrublands in semi-arid deserts are increasingly being converted into fields. This results in losses of characteristic flora and fauna, and may also affect microbial diversity. In the present study, the long-term effect (50 years) of such a transition on soil bacterial communities was explored at two sites typical of semi-arid deserts. Comparisons were made between soil samples from alfalfa fields and the adjacent scrublands by two complementary methods based on 16S rRNA gene fragments amplified from total community DNA. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses revealed significant effects of the transition on community composition of Bacteria, Actinobacteria, Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria at both sites. PhyloChip hybridization analysis uncovered that the transition negatively affected taxa such as Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidimicrobiales, Rubrobacterales, Deltaproteobacteria and Clostridia, while Alpha-, Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria increased in abundance. Redundancy analysis suggested that the community composition of phyla responding to agricultural use (except for Spirochaetes) correlated with soil parameters that were significantly different between the agricultural and scrubland soil. The arable soils were lower in organic matter and phosphate concentration, and higher in salinity. The variation in the bacterial community composition was higher in soils from scrubland than from agriculture, as revealed by DGGE and PhyloChip analyses, suggesting reduced beta diversity due to agricultural practices. The long-term use for agriculture resulted in profound changes in the bacterial community and physicochemical characteristics of former scrublands, which may irreversibly affect the natural soil ecosystem.     

Soil Respiration and Organic Carbon Dynamics with Grassland Conversions to Woodlands in Temperate China

Soils are the largest terrestrial carbon store and soil respiration is the second-largest flux in ecosystem carbon cycling. Across China''s temperate region, climatic changes and human activities have frequently caused the transformation of grasslands to woodlands. However, the effect of this transition on soil respiration and soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics remains uncertain in this area. In this study, we measured in situ soil respiration and SOC storage over a two-year period (Jan. 2007–Dec. 2008) from five characteristic vegetation types in a forest-steppe ecotone of temperate China, including grassland (GR), shrubland (SH), as well as in evergreen coniferous (EC), deciduous coniferous (DC) and deciduous broadleaved forest (DB), to evaluate the changes of soil respiration and SOC storage with grassland conversions to diverse types of woodlands. Annual soil respiration increased by 3%, 6%, 14%, and 22% after the conversion from GR to EC, SH, DC, and DB, respectively. The variation in soil respiration among different vegetation types could be well explained by SOC and soil total nitrogen content. Despite higher soil respiration in woodlands, SOC storage and residence time increased in the upper 20 cm of soil. Our results suggest that the differences in soil environmental conditions, especially soil substrate availability, influenced the level of annual soil respiration produced by different vegetation types. Moreover, shifts from grassland to woody plant dominance resulted in increased SOC storage. Given the widespread increase in woody plant abundance caused by climate change and large-scale afforestation programs, the soils are expected to accumulate and store increased amounts of organic carbon in temperate areas of China.     

Mosquito-borne Diseases as a Consequence of Land Use Change

Human modification of the natural environment continues to create habitats in which mosquitoes, vectors of a wide variety of human and animal pathogens, thrive if unabated with an enormous potential to negatively affect public health. Historic examples of these modifications include of impoundments, dams, and irrigation systems that create havens for the mosquitoes that transmit malaria, dengue, and filariasis. Additionally, contemporary deforestation appears to be associated with the expansion of mosquito distributions and the increase in mosquito-borne disease transmission. These observations are not unique to the developing world, as urban sprawl also contributes significantly to mosquito habitats and offers a sanctuary to some vector populations. With foresight and planning, most of these systems can be appropriately managed to control vector populations and pathogen transmission. The key to disease control is developing an understanding of the contribution of human landscape modification to vector-borne pathogen transmission and how a balance may be achieved between human development, public health, and responsible land use.     

Effects of Climate Change Drivers on Nitrous Oxide Fluxes in an Upland Temperate Grassland

Despite increasing interest in the patterns of trace gas emissions in terrestrial ecosystems, little is known about the impacts of climate change on nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of the three main drivers of climate change (warming, summer drought, and elevated CO₂ concentrations) on N₂O fluxes from an extensively managed, upland grassland. Over a 2-year period, we monitored N₂O fluxes in an in situ ecosystem manipulation experiment simulating the climate predicted for the study area in 2080 (3.5°C temperature increase, 20% reduction in summer rainfall and atmospheric CO₂ levels of 600 ppm). N₂O fluxes showed significant seasonal and interannual variation irrespective of climate treatment, and were higher in summer and autumn compared with winter and spring. Overall, N₂O emissions showed a positive correlation with soil temperature and rainfall. Elevated temperature had a positive impact on mean annual N₂O fluxes but effects were only significant in 2007. Contrary to expectations, neither combined summer drought and warming nor the simultaneous application of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, summer drought and warming had any significant effect on annual N₂O fluxes. However, the maximum N₂O flux rates observed during the study occurred when elevated CO₂ was combined with warming and drought, suggesting the potential for important, short-term N₂O–N losses in enriched CO₂ environments. Taken together, our results suggest that the N₂O responses of temperate, extensively managed grasslands to future climate change scenarios may be primarily driven by temperature effects.     

Decomposition of Microbial Cell Components in a Semi-Arid Grassland Soil

Cell component fractions (¹⁴C-labeled) were prepared from bacterial and fungal cultures isolated from the Pawnee National Grassland in northeastern Colorado and tested for seasonal changes in degradability. The decomposition of cell component fractions was monitored from May to December of 1977 and during March of 1978, using soil samples taken at 2- to 3-week intervals. The release of ¹⁴CO₂ from bacterial and fungal cell walls was inversely related (P < 0.01) to the soil moisture content. Except for cytoplasm isolated from an Aspergillus sp., all other cytoplasmic and polysaccharide fractions did not demonstrate a significant relationship between soil moisture and decomposability. In general, bacterial cell walls and polysaccharides were more susceptible to decomposition than fungal cell walls, although the seasonal changes in decomposability for both fractions were similar. These patterns of cell component utilization indicate that the decomposition of cell wall material may be more closely linked, on an inverse basis, to the availability of soil moisture and release of soluble, low-molecular-weight organics resulting from primary production events.     

Soil Stoichiometry Mediates Links Between Tree Functional Diversity and Soil Microbial Diversity in a Temperate Forest

Ecosystems - Interactions between plants and soil microbial communities underpin soil processes and forest ecosystem function, but the links between tree diversity and soil microbial diversity are...