Fungal and bacterial growth in soil with plant materials of different C/N ratios

Fungal (acetate-in-ergosterol incorporation) and bacterial (leucine/thymidine incorporation) growth resulting from alfalfa (C/N=15) and barley straw (C/N=75) addition was studied in soil microcosms for 64 days. Nitrogen amendments were used to compensate for the C/N difference between the substrates. Fungal growth increased to a maximum after 3–7 days, at five to eight times the controls, following the addition of straw, and three to four times the controls following the addition of alfalfa. After 20–30 days, the fungal growth rate converged with the controls, resulting in a cumulative fungal growth two to three times the controls following straw addition and about 20% higher than the controls following alfalfa addition. The bacterial growth rate reached rates five times the controls following alfalfa addition and twice that of the controls following straw addition after 3–7 days. It remained elevated after 64 days. The cumulative bacterial growth was two and four times the controls following straw and alfalfa addition, respectively. A negative correlation was found between N addition and bacterial growth, while N stimulated fungal growth. Thus, the C/N ratio of the additions (substrate and extra N) could not entirely explain the different results regarding fungal and bacterial growths. Respiration was not always related to the combined growth of the microorganisms, emphasizing the requirement for a better understanding of growth efficiencies of fungi and bacteria.     

高寒草甸根际土壤化学计量特征对草地退化的响应

为深入理解高寒草甸退化过程中根际和非根际土壤中碳(C)、氮(N)和磷(P)的化学计量特征和土壤养分的变化规律,并获得退化草地土壤养分和微生物养分限制的信息,本研究以祁连山东缘4个不同退化程度高寒草甸为对象,通过采集优势植物根际土(0~2 mm)和非根际土(0~10 cm)的土壤样品,分析了土壤C、N、P浓度和比例,土壤中可提取的C、N、P(Ext-C、Ext-N、Ext-P)的浓度和比例,参与C、N、P循环的胞外酶(β-1,4-葡萄糖苷酶、N-乙酰-β-D-葡萄糖苷酶、亮氨酸基肽酶、酸性磷酸酶)的活性和比例,以及土壤微生物生物量碳、氮、磷(MBC、MBN、MBP)的含量及比例.结果表明: 高寒草甸退化过程中优势植物根际养分含量高于非根际养分.随着高寒草甸退化程度的加剧,其土壤的C∶N∶P发生重大改变,表现出C∶N的严重失调,表明草地退化程度越高受到N的限制越严重.不同退化程度的高寒草甸中,经过对数转化的根际C-、N-和P-胞外酶的比例均偏离了在全球生态系统分析中获得的1∶1∶1比例,表明高寒草甸退化主要受到强烈的N限制,P次之.高寒草甸地区土壤全量养分含量较高,土壤中的速效养分较低,成为阻碍牧草生长的限制因子.     

Plant nitrogen and phosphorus limitation in 98 North American grassland soils

The availability of nutrients is a critical determinant of ecological dynamics in grasslands, but the relationships between soil resource availability and nutrient limitation across ecosystems are not clear. To better understand how soil nutrient availability determines nutrient limitation in vegetation, we grew the same species of grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) in 98 North American grassland soils and fertilized them factorially with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). On average adding N, P, and the two nutrients together increased biomass relative to unfertilized plants by 81%, 22%, and 131%, respectively. Plants grown on low-P soils were not primarily limited by P. Instead, these plants were colimited by N and P, while plants grown on high-P soils were primarily limited by N and only secondarily limited by P. Limitation was not predicted by total soil N. The preponderance of colimitation between N and P on low-P soils suggests that low P availability alters the N cycle to constrain supplies to plants such that N and P are made available in proportion to their demand by plants.     

Adaptation of soil bacterial communities to prevailing pH in different soils

Abstract: The bacterial community response to pH was studied for 16 soils with pH(H₂O) ranging between 4 and 8 by measuring thymidine incorporation into bacteria extracted from the soil into a solution using homogenization-centrifugation. The pH of the bacterial solution was altered to six different values with dilute sulfuric acid or different buffers before measuring incorporation. The resulting pH response curve for thymidine incorporation was used to compare bacterial communities from the different soils. There was a correlation between optimum pH for thymidine incorporation and the soil pH(H₂O). Even bacterial communities from acid soils had optima corresponding to the soil pH, indicating that they were adapted to these conditions. Thymidine incorporation was also compared with leucine incorporation for some soils. The leucine to thymidine incorporation ratio was constant over the tested pH interval when incorporation values were adjusted for isotope dilution. A good correlation was found between the scores along the first component (explaining 80% of the variation) and soil pH ( r ² = 0.85), if principal component analysis of the pH response curves for thymidine incorporation was used. The pH response curves differed most for the extreme pH values used, and a linear relationship was found between the logarithm of the ratio of thymidine incorporation at pH 4.3 to incorporation at pH 8.2 and the soil pH ( r ² = 0.86). Thus, a simplified technique using only two pH values, when measuring the thymidine incorporation, could be used to compare the response to pH of bacterial communities.     

不同施肥条件下秸秆碳在表层和深层土壤团聚体中的分配与固存

长期施肥引起表层和深层土壤水、热、养分和微生物活性的分异,进而影响秸秆碳在土壤中的分解和周转过程。本研究基于沈阳农业大学长期定位实验站,分别将不同施肥处理表层(0～20 cm)和深层(40～60 cm)土壤与¹³C标记秸秆混合进行田间试验,通过分析团聚体中有机碳含量和δ¹³C值,对比秸秆碳在表层和深层土壤团聚体中分配的差异,探讨施肥对秸秆碳在土壤团聚体中固定的影响。结果表明: 与施肥(包括单施氮肥和有机肥配施氮肥)处理相比,不施肥处理分别使表层土壤<0.053 mm和深层土壤>0.25 mm团聚体中秸秆碳含量增加了106.7%和34.2%;秸秆碳对深层土壤>0.053 mm团聚体有机碳的贡献率约为表层土壤的2.0倍;秸秆碳分配到表层土壤>0.25 mm和<0.25 mm团聚体的比例平均分别为22.6%和11.4%,分配到深层土壤的相应比例分别为29.4%和8.8%。总之,秸秆添加促进了深层土壤大团聚体碳源的更新和固存,提高了深层土壤的固碳潜力。     

Effect of drying and rewetting on bacterial growth rates in soil

The effect of soil moisture on bacterial growth was investigated, and the effects of rewetting were compared with glucose addition because both treatments increase substrate availability. Bacterial growth was estimated as thymidine and leucine incorporation, and was compared with respiration. Low growth rates were found in air-dried soil, increasing rapidly to high stable values in moist soils. Respiration and bacterial growth at different soil moisture contents were correlated. Rewetting air-dried soil resulted in a linear increase in bacterial growth with time, reaching the levels in moist soil (10 times higher) after about 7 h. Respiration rates increased within 1 h to a level >10 times higher than that in moist soil. After the initial flush, there was a gradual decrease in respiration rate, while bacterial growth increased to levels twice that of moist soil 24 h after rewetting, and decreased to levels similar to those in moist soil after 2 days. Adding glucose resulted in no positive effect on bacterial growth during the first 9 h, despite resulting in more than five times higher respiration. This indicated that the initial increase in bacterial growth after rewetting was not due to increased substrate availability.     

Are patterns in nutrient limitation belowground consistent with those aboveground: results from a 4 million year chronosequence

Accurately predicting the effects of global change on net carbon (C) exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere requires a more complete understanding of how nutrient availability regulates both plant growth and heterotrophic soil respiration. Models of soil development suggest that the nature of nutrient limitation changes over the course of ecosystem development, transitioning from nitrogen (N) limitation in ‘young’ sites to phosphorus (P) limitation in ‘old’ sites. However, previous research has focused primarily on plant responses to added nutrients, and the applicability of nutrient limitation-soil development models to belowground processes has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we assessed the effects of nutrients on soil C cycling in three different forests that occupy a 4 million year substrate age chronosequence where tree growth is N limited at the youngest site, co-limited by N and P at the intermediate-aged site, and P limited at the oldest site. Our goal was to use short-term laboratory soil C manipulations (using ¹⁴C-labeled substrates) and longer-term intact soil core incubations to compare belowground responses to fertilization with aboveground patterns. When nutrients were applied with labile C (sucrose), patterns of microbial nutrient limitation were similar to plant patterns: microbial activity was limited more by N than by P in the young site, and P was more limiting than N in the old site. However, in the absence of C additions, increased respiration of native soil organic matter only occurred with simultaneous additions of N and P. Taken together, these data suggest that altered nutrient inputs into ecosystems could have dissimilar effects on C cycling above- and belowground, that nutrients may differentially affect of the fate of different soil C pools, and that future changes to the net C balance of terrestrial ecosystems will be partially regulated by soil nutrient status.     

麦田土壤真菌多样性对麦玉轮作长期秸秆还田和配施有机肥的响应

【背景】土壤真菌主导田间秸秆腐解的过程,秸秆还田配施有机肥可为真菌提供良好的营养物质。【目的】研究麦玉轮作模式下长期秸秆还田配施有机肥对麦田土壤真菌多样性的影响。【方法】依托山西南部麦玉轮作区长达14年的秸秆还田和施有机肥长期定位试验,采用高通量测序开展土壤真菌群落结构和多样性对不施肥+秸秆清茬(CK)、氮磷化肥+秸秆清茬(NP)、氮磷化肥+秸秆还田(SNP)、氮磷化肥+有机肥+秸秆清茬(NPM)及氮磷化肥+秸秆还田+有机肥(SNPM)的响应差异研究。【结果】秸秆还田和施有机肥处理组的物种丰富度指数、Chao1指数和ACE指数均高于CK。5个处理共产生953个分类操作单元(operational taxonomic units, OTU),CK、NP、NPM、SNP和SNPM分别具有398、451、472、462和440个OTU。在门水平上共检测出9个菌门,其中子囊菌门(Ascomycota)、毛霉门(Mucoromycota)和担子菌门(Basidiomycota)为3个主要菌门,各处理中所占丰度差异显著;在属水平上共检测出262个真菌属,其中CK丰度较高的3个属为柄孢壳菌属(Podospora) 18.85%、被孢霉属(Mortierella) 16.67%和镰刀菌属(Fusarium) 7.77%;NP、NPM、SNP和SNPM丰度较高的前3个相同属均为Dendrostilbella、毛葡孢属(Botryotrichum)和被孢霉属(Mortierella),但相对丰度值存在差异。由聚类分析可知,NPM和SNPM群落组成相似度高,归为一类,而CK、NP、SNP各独立为一类。与环境因子间冗余分析发现,TN含量是影响土壤真菌群落结构的关键因子,也受速效磷、pH、速效钾、碱解氮和全磷等环境指标影响。【结论】长期秸秆还田和施有机肥改变了小麦土壤真菌种群结构和多样性。     

Effects of labile soil carbon on nutrient partitioning between an arctic graminoid and microbes

We measured partitioning of N and P uptake between soil microorganisms and potted Festuca vivipara in soil from a subarctic heath in response to factorial addition of three levels of labile carbon (glucose) combined with two levels of inorganic N and P. The glucose was added to either non-sterilized or sterilized (autoclaved) soils in quantities which were within the range of reported, naturally occurring amounts of C released periodically from the plant canopy. The aims were, firstly, to examine whether the glucose stimulated microbial nutrient uptake to the extent of reducing plant nutrient uptake. This is expected in nutrient-deficient soils if microbes and plants compete for the same nutrients. Secondly, we wanted to test our earlier␣interpretation that growth reduction observed in graminoids after addition of leaf extracts could be caused directly by labile carbon addition, rather than by phytotoxins in the extracts. Addition of high amounts of N did not affect the microbial N pool, whereas high amounts of added P significantly increased the microbial P pool, indicating a luxury P uptake in the microbes. Both plant N and in particular P uptake increased strongly in response to soil sterilization and to addition of extra N or P. The increased␣uptake led to enhanced plant growth when both elements were applied in high amounts, but only led to increased tissue concentrations without growth responses when the nutrients were added separately. Glucose had strong and contrasting effects on plant and microbial N and P uptake. Microbial N and P uptake increased, soil inorganic N and P concentrations were reduced and plant N and P uptake declined when glucose was added. The responses were dose-dependent within the range of 0–450 μg C g⁻¹ soil added to the non-sterilized soil. The opposite responses of plants and microbes showed that plant acquisition of limiting nutrients is dependent on release of nutrients from the soil microbes, which is under strong regulation by the availability and microbial uptake of labile C. Hence, we conclude, firstly, that the microbial populations can compete efficiently with plants for nutrients to an extent of affecting plant growth when the microbial access to labile carbon is high in nutrient deficient soils. We also conclude that reduced growth of plants after addition of leaf extracts to soil can be caused by carbon-induced shifts in nutrient partitioning between plants and microbes, and not necessarily by phytotoxins added with the extracts as suggested by some experiments. Received: 15 February 1997 / Accepted: 12 July 1997     

Signatures of nutrient limitation and co‐limitation: responses of autotroph internal nutrient concentrations to nitrogen and phosphorus additions

Humans are modifying the availability of nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and it is therefore important to understand how these nutrients, independently or in combination, influence the growth and nutrient content of primary producers. Using meta‐analysis of 118 field and laboratory experiments in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, we tested hypotheses about co‐limitation of N and P by comparing the effects of adding N alone, P alone, and both N and P together on internal N (e.g. %N, C:N) and P (e.g. %P, C:P) concentrations in autotroph communities. In particular, we tested the following predictions. First, if only one nutrient was limiting, addition of that nutrient should decrease the concentration of the other nutrient, but addition of the non‐limiting nutrient would have no effect on the internal concentration of the limiting nutrient. If community co‐limitation was occurring then addition of either nutrient should result in a decrease in the internal concentration of the other nutrient. Community co‐limitation could also result in no change – or even an increase – in N concentrations in response to P addition if P stimulated growth of N fixers. Finally, if biochemically dependent co‐limitation was occurring, addition of a limiting nutrient would not decrease, and could even increase, the concentration of the other, co‐limited nutrient. We found no general evidence for the decrease in the internal concentration of one nutrient due to addition of another nutrient. The one exception to this overall pattern was marine systems, where N addition decreased internal P concentrations. In contrast, P addition increased internal N concentrations across all experiments, consistent with co‐limitation. These results have important implications for understanding the roles that N and P play in controlling producer growth and internal nutrient accumulation as well as for managing the effects of nutrient enrichment in ecosystems. Synthesis On a global scale, humans have doubled nitrogen (N) inputs and quadrupled phosphorus (P) inputs relative to pre‐industrial levels. N and P fertilization influences autotroph internal nutrient concentrations and ratios and thereby affects a variety of community and ecosystem processes, including decomposition and consumer population dynamics. It is therefore critical to understand the effects of nutrient additions on the growth and nutrient concentrations of primary producers. We used meta‐analysis to evaluate the responses of autotroph internal N and P concentrations to additions of N, P, and N+P and make inferences about limitation and co‐limitation of N and P across marine, terrestrial, and freshwater ecosystems. We found little evidence for single‐nutrient limitation, highlighting the fact that multiple nutrients generally limit primary production.     

Examining the fungal and bacterial niche overlap using selective inhibitors in soil

It is important to know the contributions of bacteria and fungi to decomposition in connection with both the structure of the food web and the functioning of the ecosystem. However, the extent of the competition between these groups of organisms is largely unknown. The bacterial influence on fungal growth in a soil system was studied by applying three different bacterial inhibitors – bronopol, tylosin and oxytetracycline – in a series of increasing concentrations, and comparing the resulting bacterial and fungal growth rates measured using leucine and acetate-in-ergosterol incorporation, respectively. Direct measurements of growth showed that fungi increased after adding inhibitors; the level of increase in fungal growth corresponded to that of the decrease in bacterial growth, irrespective of the bacterial inhibitor used. Similar antagonistic effects of the bacteria on fungal growth were also found after adding the bacterial inhibitors together with additional substrate (alfalfa or straw plant material). The resulting responses in bacterial and fungal growth indirectly indicated that the negative interaction between fungi and bacteria was mostly attributable to exploitation competition. The results of this study also emphasize the increased sensitivity of using growth-related, instead of biomass-based, measurements when studying bacterial and fungal interactions in soil.     

Phosphorus conservation during post‐fire regeneration in a Chilean temperate rainforest

Nitrogen and phosphorus are the main elements limiting net primary production in terrestrial ecosystems. When growing in nutrient‐poor soils, plants develop physiological mechanisms to conserve nutrients, such as reabsorbing elements from senescing foliage (i.e. nutrient retranslocation). We investigated the changes in soil N and P in post‐fire succession in temperate rainforests of southern Chile. In this area, forest recovery often leads to spatially scattered, discrete regeneration with patches varying in age, area, species richness and tree cover, representing different degrees of recovery from disturbance. We hypothesized that soil nutrient concentrations should differ among tree regenerating patches depending on the progress of forest regeneration and that nutrient resorption should increase over time as colonizing trees respond to limited soil nutrients. To evaluate these hypotheses, we sampled 40 regeneration patches in an area of 5 ha, spanning a broad range of vegetation complexity, and collected soil, tree foliage and litter samples to determine N and P concentrations. Nutrient concentrations in leaf litter were interpreted as nutrient resorption proficiency. We found that soil P was negatively correlated with all the indicators of successional progress, whereas total soil N was independent of the successional progress. Foliar N and P were unrelated to soil nutrient concentrations; however, litter N was negatively related to soil N, and litter P was positively related with soil P. Finally, foliar N:P ratios ranged from 16 to 25, which suggests that P limitation can hamper post‐fire regeneration. We provide evidence that after human‐induced fires, succession in temperate forests of Chile can become nutrient limited and that high nutrient retranslocation is a key nutrient conservation strategy for regenerating tree communities.     

Soil parent material—A major driver of plant nutrient limitations in terrestrial ecosystems

Because the capability of terrestrial ecosystems to fix carbon is constrained by nutrient availability, understanding how nutrients limit plant growth is a key contemporary question. However, what drives nutrient limitations at global scale remains to be clarified. Using global data on plant growth, plant nutritive status, and soil fertility, we investigated to which extent soil parent materials explain nutrient limitations. We found that N limitation was not linked to soil parent materials, but was best explained by climate: ecosystems under harsh (i.e., cold and or dry) climates were more N‐limited than ecosystems under more favourable climates. Contrary to N limitation, P limitation was not driven by climate, but by soil parent materials. The influence of soil parent materials was the result of the tight link between actual P pools of soils and physical–chemical properties (acidity, P richness) of soil parent materials. Some other ground‐related factors (i.e., soil weathering stage, landform) had a noticeable influence on P limitation, but their role appeared to be relatively smaller than that of geology. The relative importance of N limitation versus P limitation was explained by a combination of climate and soil parent material: at global scale, N limitation became prominent with increasing climatic constraints, but this global trend was modulated at lower scales by the effect of parent materials on P limitation, particularly under climates favourable to biological activity. As compared with soil parent materials, atmospheric deposition had only a weak influence on the global distribution of actual nutrient limitation. Our work advances our understanding of the distribution of nutrient limitation at global scale. In particular, it stresses the need to take soil parent materials into account when investigating plant growth response to environment changes.     

Long-term nitrogen deposition inhibits soil priming effects by enhancing phosphorus limitation in a subtropical forest

It is widely accepted that phosphorus (P) limits microbial metabolic processes and thus soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition in tropical forests. Global change factors like elevated atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition can enhance P limitation, raising concerns about the fate of SOC. However, how elevated N deposition affects the soil priming effect (PE) (i.e., fresh C inputs induced changes in SOC decomposition) in tropical forests remains unclear. We incubated soils exposed to 9 years of experimental N deposition in a subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest with two types of ¹³C-labeled substrates of contrasting bioavailability (glucose and cellulose) with and without P amendments. We found that N deposition decreased soil total P and microbial biomass P, suggesting enhanced P limitation. In P unamended soils, N deposition significantly inhibited the PE. In contrast, adding P significantly increased the PE under N deposition and by a larger extent for the PE of cellulose (PE_cellu) than the PE of glucose (PE_glu). Relative to adding glucose or cellulose solely, adding P with glucose alleviated the suppression of soil microbial biomass and C-acquiring enzymes induced by N deposition, whereas adding P with cellulose attenuated the stimulation of acid phosphatase (AP) induced by N deposition. Across treatments, the PE_glu increased as C-acquiring enzyme activity increased, whereas the PE_cellu increased as AP activity decreased. This suggests that P limitation, enhanced by N deposition, inhibits the soil PE through varying mechanisms depending on substrate bioavailability; that is, P limitation regulates the PE_glu by affecting soil microbial growth and investment in C acquisition, whereas regulates the PE_cellu by affecting microbial investment in P acquisition. These findings provide new insights for tropical forests impacted by N loading, suggesting that expected changes in C quality and P limitation can affect the long-term regulation of the soil PE.     

Experimental evaluation of conversion factors for the [h]thymidine incorporation assay of bacterial secondary productivity

The relationship between bacterial growth and incorporation of [methyl-H]thymidine in oligotrophic lake water cultures was investigated. Prescreening, dilution, and addition of organic and inorganic nutrients were treatments used to prevent bacterivory and stimulate bacterial growth. Growth in unmanipulated samples was estimated through separate measurements of grazing losses. Both bacterial number and biovolume growth responses were measured, and incorporation of [H]thymidine in both total macromolecules and nucleic acids was assayed. The treatments had significant effects on conversion factors used to relate thymidine incorporation to bacterial growth. Cell number-based factors ranged from 1.1 x 10 to 38 x 10 cells mol of total thymidine incorporation and varied with treatment up to 10-fold for the same initial bacterial assemblage. In contrast, cell biovolume-based conversion factors were similar for two treatment groups across a 16-fold range of [H]thymidine incorporation rates: 5.54 x 10 mum mol of total thymidine incorporation and 15.2 x 10 mum mol of nucleic acid incorporation. Much of the variation in cell number-based conversion factors was related to changes in apparent mean cell volume of produced bacteria. Phosphorus addition stimulated [H]thymidine incorporation more than it increased bacterial growth, which resulted in low conversion factors.     

桓台县冬小麦和夏玉米秸秆长期还田的生态效益分析

山东省桓台县作为江北第一个"吨粮县",1980年以来农业集约化得到了快速发展。随着燃料需求的减少以及畜牧养殖与作物生产的分离,作物秸秆处理已日益成为当地农民和技术人员面临的巨大挑战。该地区冬小麦和夏玉米秸秆从1980年开始,还田比例逐步增加,到2010年两季秸秆接近全部还田。我们查阅年鉴数据,结合长期定位试验,收集相关数据计算和分析桓台地区1980—2014年期间的作物和秸秆产量、秸秆养分含量、土壤养分及有机碳状况、温室气体排放和氮淋溶等,并对秸秆还田的农田生态效应进行系统评估。研究发现,到2014年,两季秸秆还田对N、P、K养分的贡献率(即还田秸秆养分量与还田秸秆和肥料养分总量的比值)分别为19.3%、15.8%和59.8%。随着秸秆还田量的增加,土壤有机碳(SOC,0—20 cm)含量从(7.8±1.6)g/kg(1980年)增加到(11.0±2.3)g/kg(2014年),土壤碱解氮、速效磷和速效钾分别提高了134.0%、138.5%和62.2%。秸秆还田可以降低农田氮素损失,2010年代全县县域内减少温室气体排放量为24528 Mg CO_2-eq a~(-1),氨挥发和氮淋溶分别减少156.4 Mg N hm~(-2)和287.4 Mg N hm~(-2)。综上,秸秆还田能显著改善农学和环境效益,提高土壤固碳减排潜力,降低氮素投入量并减少氮素损失。今后农业生产中,在直接还田基础上,秸秆综合利用可以进一步优化(如进行堆肥或替代畜牧饲料等),从而增加秸秆还田的经济和环境效应。     

The effects of flooding for rice culture on soil chemical properties and subsequent maize growth

Summary The effects of flooding and lowland rice culture on soil chemical properties and subsequent maize growth were investigated in two contrasting rice soils of S.E. Australia. The effects of incorporating rice straw, either during or after flooding were also studied. The experiment was conducted in a glasshouse with the use of large intact soil cores.Previous flooding markedly reduced maize growth, leaf P concentration and P uptake, despite the application of a large quantity of P fertilizer after drainage. Soil analyses showed that previous flooding increased the Langmuir sorption terms for maximum P sorption and bonding energy. The availability of P was more closely related to the bonding energy between soil and P than to the capacity of the soils to sorb P. The increases, in the P sorption parameters, were associated with decreases in the crystallinity of the free iron oxides as determined by their oxalate solubility. It was concluded that depressed P supply to maize sown in previously flooded soils was due to stronger P sorption by the drained soils, rather than to P immobilization during flooding.Rice plants grown during flooding reduced the amount of N available to the subsequent maize crop, but did not significantly affect P availability. Rice straw added during flooding did not affect subsequent maize growth, but when added after flooding caused microbial immobilization of N.Salts, Fe or Mn from previous flooding did not affect maize growth.     

Does long-term soil warming affect microbial element limitation? A test by short-term assays of microbial growth responses to labile C,N and P additions

Increasing global temperatures have been reported to accelerate soil carbon (C) cycling, but also to promote nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. However, warming can differentially affect ecosystem C, N and P dynamics, potentially intensifying elemental imbalances between soil resources, plants and soil microorganisms. Here, we investigated the effect of long-term soil warming on microbial resource limitation, based on measurements of microbial growth (¹⁸O incorporation into DNA) and respiration after C, N and P amendments. Soil samples were taken from two soil depths (0–10, 10–20 cm) in control and warmed (>14 years warming, +4°C) plots in the Achenkirch soil warming experiment. Soils were amended with combinations of glucose-C, inorganic/organic N and inorganic/organic P in a full factorial design, followed by incubation at their respective mean field temperatures for 24 h. Soil microbes were generally C-limited, exhibiting 1.8-fold to 8.8-fold increases in microbial growth upon C addition. Warming consistently caused soil microorganisms to shift from being predominately C limited to become C-P co-limited. This P limitation possibly was due to increased abiotic P immobilization in warmed soils. Microbes further showed stronger growth stimulation under combined glucose and inorganic nutrient amendments compared to organic nutrient additions. This may be related to a prolonged lag phase in organic N (glucosamine) mineralization and utilization compared to glucose. Soil respiration strongly positively responded to all kinds of glucose-C amendments, while responses of microbial growth were less pronounced in many of these treatments. This highlights that respiration–though easy and cheap to measure—is not a good substitute of growth when assessing microbial element limitation. Overall, we demonstrate a significant shift in microbial element limitation in warmed soils, from C to C-P co-limitation, with strong repercussions on the linkage between soil C, N and P cycles under long-term warming.     

Coupled soil-availability and tree-limitation nutritional shifts induced by N deposition: insights from N to P relationships in Abies pinsapo forests

Background and aims

Interacting effects of atmospheric N deposition on the degree to which tree demand for other nutrients is met by soil supply has seldom been explored in Mediterranean-type ecosystems. We hypothesized that patterns for the relative availability of N and P in soils will be matched by variations in process rates related to soil organic P cycling and by shifts from N to P limitation of tree growth.

Methods

We examined N/P relationships in Mediterranean-fir (Abies pinsapo) forests from two nearby regions differing in N deposition levels.

Results

N pools and transformation rates and the contribution of organic fractions to the labile P pool in soils showed increasing trends toward the pollution source. Phosphomonoesterase activity (PME) in bulk soils, root PME per unit biomass (but not per unit soil volume) and biomass accumulation in P-fertilized root-in-growth cores incubated in situ were also the highest at the sites receiving elevated N deposition, indicating P limitation. In contrast, forest stands in the region farther from the pollutant source were N-limited (preferential root growth in N-rich soil microsites) and showed lower PME activities and higher total fine root biomass.

Conclusions

In the forests under elevated N deposition, higher values for an overall indicator of soil N status matched with indications of an accelerated soil organic P subcycle and P-limitation of tree growth.     

Amelioration of growth reduction of lowland rice caused by a temporary loss of soil-water saturation

Decreases in nutrient availability after loss of soil-water saturation are significant constraints to productivity in lowland rainfed rice soils. The effectiveness of soil amendments like lime and straw in ameliorating these constraints are poorly understood. This pot experiment was conducted in Cambodia to investigate changes in soil chemical properties and nutrient uptake by rice after applying lime or straw to continuously flooded or intermittently flooded soil. In continuously flooded soils, exchangeable Al decreased to below 0.2 cmolc/kg. Liming (pH 6.5–6.8) the continuously flooded soil decreased the levels of acetate extractable Fe and P, plant P uptake and shoot dry matter, but had no effect on either Bray-1 or Olsen extractable P values. By contrast, the addition of straw (3.5 g dry straw/kg soil) increased Bray-1, Olsen, and acetate extractable P, plant P uptake, shoot P, and shoot dry matter. The non-amended soils became strongly acidic after loss of soil water saturation: extractable Al increased to 1.0 cmol_c/kg, a potentially harmful level for rice. By contrast, extractable P decreased markedly under loss of soil water saturation as did plant P uptake, shoot P, and shoot dry matter. With loss of soil water saturation, liming substantially depressed the levels of Al but it did not increase plant P uptake, shoot P, and shoot dry matter. Straw addition not only decreased extractable Al levels to well below 0.6 cmol_c/kg under loss of soil water saturation, but it also increased extractability of soil P, plant P uptake, shoot P, and shoot dry matter. Thus, in rainfed environments, the incorporation of straw may be more effective than liming to pH 6.8 for minimising the negative effects of temporary loss of soil-water saturation on P availability, P uptake, and growth of rice.