Effects of rhizosphere and long-term fertilisation practices on the activity and community structure of ammonia oxidisers under double-cropping rice field

The potential nitrification activity (PNA), population size and composition of AOB and AOA communities in both rhizosphere and bulk soil from a long-term (32 year) fertiliser field experiment conducted during early rice and late rice seasons were investigated by using the shaken slurry method and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The experiment begins in 1986, and including five treatments: without fertiliser input, chemical fertiliser alone, rice straw residue and chemical fertiliser, low organic manure rate and chemical fertiliser and high organic manure rate and chemical fertiliser. The results showed that the application of chemical fertiliser greatly enhanced PNA and AOB abundance, while application of rice straw residue and organic manure increased AOA abundance. Moreover, the results showed that the PNA and population sizes of AOB and AOA were higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil. Cluster and redundancy analyses further indicated that the rhizosphere effect play a more important role in shaping AOA community structure than long-term fertilization. In summary, the results indicated that AOB rather than AOA functionally dominate ammonia oxidation in the double-cropping rice paddy soils, and that rhizosphere effect and fertiliser regime play different roles in the activity and community structures of AOB and AOA.     

长期施肥对水稻土剖面氨氧化古菌和细菌丰度及组成的影响

长期施肥影响稻田土壤理化性质和硝化微生物群落,但长期施肥对稻田不同土层氨氧化古菌(AOA)和氨氧化细菌(AOB)群落结构的影响尚不明确.以湖南宁乡稻田不同施肥制度长期定位试验为平台,选取不施肥(CK)、施秸秆有机肥(ST)、有机-无机肥配施(OM)和施全量化肥(NPK)4个处理,采用实时荧光定量PCR和Illumina...     

长期施肥对酸性土壤氨氧化微生物群落的影响

【目的】 长期施肥显著影响着酸性土壤的pH,研究由此引起的土壤中氨氧化古菌 (ammonia-oxidizing archaea,AOA) 和氨氧化细菌 (ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,AOB) 的变化,为土壤培肥提供理论依据。 【方法】 供试土壤为27年长期定位施肥试验的红壤,供试作物为玉米。选择不施肥对照 (CK)、氮肥120 kg/(hm2·a)(N)、氮磷钾肥 (NPK) 和猪粪2000 kg/(hm2·a)(OM) 4个处理采集土壤样品,测定了土壤基本理化性状;利用qPCR、PCR-DGGE方法,分析土壤AOA和AOB群落丰度与组成。 【结果】 1) 长期定位施肥导致土壤pH值发生显著变化,N处理的土壤pH值最低,仅为4.03,其次是NPK和CK处理的土壤,OM处理土壤pH值最高,接近中性达6.40。2) 与CK相比,长期施肥提高了土壤有机质、全氮、铵态氮和硝态氮含量。3)OM处理显著提高了土壤NH₃浓度,而其它处理对NH₃浓度无显著影响。4) 施肥显著增加了土壤AOA的丰度,OM处理提升幅度最大;AOA丰度与土壤有机质碳、全氮呈极显著正相关 (P < 0.01),与铵态氮、土壤NH ₃浓度呈显著正相关 (P < 0.05),与土壤pH、硝态氮关系不显著 ( P > 0.05);施肥改变了AOA的群落结构,CK、N、NPK处理的群落结构差异不显著,OM处理与另外三个处理差别较大。主要AOA类群是Group 1.1b,少数属于Group 1.1a-associated。RDA分析表明,土壤pH值、有机质、总氮、铵态氮、土壤中NH ₃浓度是导致AOA群落变化的主要环境因子。5) 仅OM处理对AOB丰度和群落产生了显著影响,主要类群是Nitrosospira Cluster 3,少数属于Nitrosospira Cluster 9。AOB丰度与土壤NH₃浓度呈极显著正相关 (P < 0.01),与有机质碳、全氮呈显著正相关关系 ( P < 0.05),与土壤pH、铵态氮、硝态氮关系均不显著 ( P > 0.05)。 【结论】 长期施用不同肥料对酸性土壤的理化性质影响差异大,AOA和AOB的丰度和群落结构也发生了明显变化,尤其是施加有机肥之后。来自不同处理的大部分AOA属于Group 1.1b类群,少数属于Group 1.1a-associated类群。仅在OM处理中检测到AOB类群,大部分属于Nitrosospira Cluster 3,少数属于Nitrosospira Cluster 9。      

长期施肥对棕壤氨氧化细菌和古菌丰度的影响

【目的】氨氧化是氮转化过程的限速步骤,其由氨氧化微生物所驱动。本研究旨在探明 37 年玉米–大豆轮作施肥条件下影响棕壤氨氧化微生物丰度的主要影响因子及变化规律。【方法】以沈阳农业大学棕壤肥料长期定位试验耕层土壤 (0—20 cm) 为材料,选取其中 9 个施肥处理进行取样分析:不施肥 (CK)、低量氮肥 (N₁)、高量氮肥 (N₂)、氮磷肥 (N₁P)、氮磷钾肥 (N₁PK)、高量有机肥 (M₂)、高量有机肥 + 低量氮肥 (M₂N₁)、高量有机肥 + 氮磷肥 (M₂N₁P)、高量有机肥 + 氮磷钾肥 (M₂N₁PK)。采用实时荧光定量 PCR 技术测定其氨氧化微生物丰度,通过对土壤基本化学性质和氨氧化微生物丰度的冗余分析找出影响氨氧化微生物丰度的主要因素。【结果】施用有机肥处理的土壤 pH、有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效钾、速效磷、铵态氮、硝态氮含量明显高于不施肥和单施化肥处理。各施肥处理土壤有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效钾、速效磷的含量总体呈现有机肥处理 > 化肥处理 > CK;与不施肥处理 (CK) 相比,单施化肥处理显著降低了土壤 pH 值,施用有机肥处理显著提高了土壤 pH 值,其中 N₂ 处理的土壤 pH 最低,M₂ 处理的土壤 pH 最高。不同施肥处理氨氧化细菌 (AOB) 的丰度为 0.94 × 106～5.77 × 106 copies/g 干土,氨氧化古菌 (AOA) 的丰度为 3.56 × 106～1.22 × 107 copies/g 干土;施用有机肥处理 AOB 和 AOA 丰度显著高于不施肥和单施化肥处理,其中 M₂ 处理的 AOB 和 AOA 丰度最高,单施氮肥处理的 AOB 和 AOA 丰度最低。冗余分析 (RDA) 表明,影响棕壤 AOB 和 AOA 丰度的主要环境因子有土壤 pH、有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾,且与 AOB 和 AOA 丰度呈正相关关系。【结论】长期轮作施肥显著改变了棕壤的化学性质,从而对氨氧化微生物的丰度产生了显著影响。长期施用有机肥显著提高了土壤养分含量及 AOB 和 AOA 的丰度,对维持土壤氨氧化微生物的数量起到十分重要的作用;同时试验结果也为今后通过改变土壤 pH、有机质、全氮、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾等性质对 AOB 和 AOA 进行调节提供了依据。     

Responses of bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidisers of an acidic luvisols soil to different nitrogen fertilization rates after 9?years

It is still not clear which group of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms plays the most important roles in nitrification in soils. Change in abundances and community compositions of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) under long-term different nitrogen (N) fertilization rates were investigated in an acidic luvisols soil using real-time polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, respectively, based on the ammonia monooxygenase a-subunit gene. The experimental plan included the following treatments: control without N fertilization (N_CK), low N fertilization rate, middle N fertilization rate, and high N fertilization rate as 0, 100, 150, and 250?kg urea-N?ha^?1, respectively. Long-term different N fertilization rates did not significantly alter the total C and N contents of soil while it significantly decreased soil pH, which ranged from 5.60 to 5.20. The AOB abundance was more abundant in the N fertilization treatments than the N_CK treatment; the AOA abundance decreased by the increasing N fertilization rates, as did the ratios of AOA/AOB. The large differences in the potential nitrification rates among four treatments depended on the changes in AOA abundance but not to changes in AOB abundance. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the AOB communities were dominated by Nitrosospira clusters 1, 3, and 9 while all AOA sequences were grouped into soil/sediment cluster except for one sequence. Taken together, these results indicated that AOB and AOA preferred different soil N conditions and AOA were functionally more important in the nitrification than AOB in the acidic luvisols soil.     

长期定位施肥对中性紫色土硝化作用及氨氧化微生物的影响

为了研究长期不同施肥措施对中性紫色土氨氧化微生物及其硝化作用的影响,以国家紫色土肥力与肥料效益监测基地的中性紫色土为研究对象,进行土壤氨氧化细菌和氨氧化古菌amo A基因的Real-time PCR分析,比较长期不同定位施肥对土壤氨氧化潜势和硝化强度的影响,并分析不同施肥制度对功能微生物丰度与功能的作用。数据显示,土壤中氨氧化古菌amo A基因拷贝数(Log值6.21～7.14)远大于氨氧化细菌(Log值3.65～5.73),相对于对氨氧化细菌丰度的影响,施肥对土壤氨氧化古菌丰度影响较小。施用氮肥与磷肥都显著提高了土壤氨氧化细菌丰度,1.5NPK+M处理氨氧化细菌丰度最高(Log值5.73),有机无机肥配施可以显著提高土壤氨氧化微生物丰度;而含氯化肥的施用在一定程度上降低了土壤氨氧化细菌丰度与硝化细菌生长,与施用不含氯的肥料处理相比,含氯肥料处理的土壤氨氧化细菌丰度与硝化细菌数分别降低了3.74%和88.12%。研究表明,长期施肥能影响中性紫色土中氨氧化细菌的丰度,有机无机肥配施能够提高土壤的氨氧化潜力与土壤的硝化能力。     

Long-term fertilization effects on active ammonia oxidizers in an acidic upland soil in China

The effects of long-term fertilization of acidic soils on ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) communities and its ecological implications remain poorly understood. We chose an acidic upland soil site under long-term (27-year) fertilization to investigate ammonia oxidizer communities under four different regimes: mineral N fertilizer (N), mineral NPK fertilizer (NPK), organic manure (OM) and an unfertilized control (CK). Soil net nitrification rates were significantly higher in OM soils than in CK, N or NPK soils. Quantitative analysis of the distribution of amoA genes by DNA-based stable isotope probing revealed that AOA dominate in CK, N and NPK soils, while AOB dominate in OM soils. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and clone library analyses of amoA genes revealed that Group 1.1a-associated AOA (also referred to as Nitrosotalea) were the most dominant active AOA population (>92%), while Nitrosospira Cluster 3 and Cluster 9 were predominant among active AOB communities. The functional diversity of active ammonia oxidizers in acidic soils is affected by long-term fertilization practices, and the responses of active ammonia oxidizers to mineral fertilizer and organic manure are clearly different. Our results provide strong evidence that AOA are more highly adapted to growth at low pH and low substrate availability than AOB, and they suggest that the niche differentiation and metabolic diversity of ammonia oxidizers in acidic soils are more complex than previously thought.     

Responses of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea to nitrogen fertilization and precipitation increment in a typical temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia

As the first and rate-limiting step of nitrification, ammonia oxidation can be realized either by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) or archaea (AOA). However, the key factors driving the abundance, community structure and activity of ammonia oxidizers are still unclear, and the relative importance of AOA and AOB in ammonia oxidation is unresolved. In the present study, we examined the effects of long-term (6 years) nitrogen (N) addition and simulated precipitation increment on the abundance and community composition of AOA and AOB based on a field trial in a typical temperate steppe of northern China. We used combined approaches of quantitative PCR, terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and clone library analyses of amoA genes. The study objective was to determine (1) AOA and AOB diversity and activity in response to N addition and increased precipitation and (2) the relative contributions of AOA and AOB to soil ammonia oxidation in the typical temperate steppe. The results showed that the potential nitrification rate (PNR) increased with N addition, but decreased with increased precipitation. Both N addition and increased precipitation significantly increased AOB but not AOA abundance, and a significant correlation was only observed between PNR and AOB amoA gene copies. The T-RFLP analysis showed that both N and precipitation were key factors in shaping the composition of AOB, while AOA were only marginally influenced. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that all AOA clones fell within the soil and sediment lineage while all AOB clones fell within the Nitrosospira. The study suggested that AOA and AOB had distinct physiological characteristics and ecological niches. AOB were shown to be more sensitive to N and precipitation than AOA, and the ammonia oxidation process was therefore supposed to be mainly driven by AOB in this temperate steppe.     

Responses of bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers to soil organic and fertilizer amendments under long-term management

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) co-exist in soil, but their relative distribution may vary depending on the environmental conditions. Effects of changes in soil organic matter and nutrient content on the AOB and AOA are poorly understood. Our aim was to compare effects of long-term soil organic matter depletion and amendments with labile (straw) and more recalcitrant (peat) organic matter, with and without easily plant-available nitrogen, on the activities, abundances and community structures of AOB and AOA. Soil was sampled from a long-term field site in Sweden that was established in 1956. The potential ammonia oxidation rates, the AOB and AOA amoA gene abundances and the community structures of both groups based on T-RFLP of amoA genes were determined. Straw amendment during 50 years had not altered any of the measured soil parameters, while the addition of peat resulted in a significant increase of soil organic carbon as well as a decrease in pH. Nitrogen fertilization alone resulted in a small decrease in soil pH, organic carbon and total nitrogen, but an increase in primary production. Type and amount of organic matter had an impact on the AOB and AOA community structures and the AOA abundance. Our findings confirmed that AOA are abundant in soil, but showed that under certain conditions the AOB dominate, suggesting niche differentiation between the two groups at the field site. The large differences in potential rates between treatments correlated to the AOA community size, indicating that they were functionally more important in the nitrification process than the AOB. The AOA abundance was positively related to addition of labile organic carbon, which supports the idea that AOA could have alternative growth strategies using organic carbon. The AOB community size varied little in contrast to that of the AOA. This indicates that the bacterial ammonia oxidizers as a group have a greater ecophysiological diversity and potentially cover a broader range of habitats.     

Potato cultivar type affects the structure of ammonia oxidizer communities in field soil under potato beyond the rhizosphere

The effects of plants on the microbiota involved in the oxidation of ammonia in soils have been controversial. Here, we investigated the dynamics in the abundances and community structures of the bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers (AOB and AOA, respectively) in two fields that were cropped with potato. Six different potato cultivars were used, including a genetically-modified one, in a fourfold replicated experimental set-up. On the basis of bulk and rhizosphere soil extracted microbial community DNA, AOB and AOA quantitative PCR as well as PCR-DGGE were performed. In addition, samples were used for the production and analysis of amoA gene fragment based clone libraries. Regardless of sample type (bulk versus rhizosphere soil) and across soils, the population sizes of AOA (of the order 10⁴–10⁸ amoA gene copies g⁻¹ dry soil), were generally higher than those of AOB in the same samples (about 10⁴–10⁵ g⁻¹ dry soil), resulting in ratio's of log-transformed values > 1.0. Whereas the AOB numbers were generally raised in the rhizosphere versus bulk soils in both soils, the opposite was true for the AOA numbers. Moreover, significant effects of cultivar type on both the AOB and AOA community structures were found in both soils, and these extended to beyond the rhizospheres. The effects were found across the whole growth season. Soil type did not significantly affect the community structures of AOA, but had a small effect on the community structure of AOB. Analysis of the structures of the AOB communities revealed a prevalence of AOB subgroups 2, 3a, 3b and 4 in one field soil and of 2 and 4 in the other one. With respect to the AOA, soil/sediment clusters (SS) I, II, III and IV were found to prevail.     

Impacts of continuous excessive fertilization on soil potential nitrification activity and nitrifying microbial community dynamics in greenhouse system

Purpose

Sampling and analysis of greenhouse soils were conducted in Shouguang, China, to study continuous excessive fertilization effect on nitrifying microbial community dynamics in greenhouse environment.

Materials and methods

Potential nitrification activity (PNA), abundance, and structure of nitrifying microbial communities as well as the correlations with soil properties were investigated.

Results and discussion

Short-term excessive fertilization increased soil nutrient contents and the diversity of nitrifying microbial communities under greenhouse cultivation. However, the abundance and diversity of nitrifying communities decreased greatly due to the increase of soil acidity and salinity after 14 years of high fertilization in greenhouse. There was a significant positive correlation between soil PNA and the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) but not that of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in topsoil (0–20 cm) when pH ≥7. Soil PNA and AOB were strongly influenced by soil pH. The groups of Nitrososphaeraceae, Nitrosomonadaceae, and Nitrospiraceae were predominant in the AOA, AOB, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) communities, respectively. Nitrifying community structure was significantly correlated with soil electrical salinity (EC), organic carbon (OC), and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃ ^?–N) content by redundancy analysis (RDA).

Conclusions

Nitrification was predominated by AOB in greenhouse topsoil with high fertilizer loads. Soil salinity, OC, NO₃ ^?–N content, and pH affected by continuous excessive fertilization were the major edaphic factors in shaping nitrifying community structure in greenhouse soils.

     

稻虾共作模式下稻田土壤氨氧化微生物丰度和群落结构的特征

【目的】研究稻虾共作模式下土壤氨氧化微生物数量、群落多样性及群落结构,深入了解该模式下的土壤微生态环境的演变。【方法】试验点在湖北省荆州市长江大学农学院基地,设置稻虾共作模式 (CR) 与常规中稻种植模式 (MR),借助荧光定量PCR技术与Illumina Miseq高通量测序平台,分析了土壤氨氧化细菌 (AOB) 与古菌 (AOA) 丰度、多样性及群落结构。【结果】与MR模式相比,CR模式显著提高了土壤硝态氮、总碳及总氮含量,对土壤pH、碱解氮及土壤碳氮比无显著影响。CR模式土壤AOA与AOB amoA基因拷贝数为3.13 × 105和7.01 × 105 copies/g干土,MR模式土壤AOA、AOB amoA基因拷贝数为1.41 × 105和3.87 × 105 copies/g干土,两个模式土壤AOB的数量均显著高于AOA,CR模式土壤AOA、AOB的数量均显著高于MR模式 (P < 0.05)。α群落多样性指数表明,相比MR,CR模式显著降低了土壤AOA群落多样性,对AOB群落多样性无显著影响。Venn结果分析,CR模式增加了AOA amoA基因的物种,改变了AOB amoA基因的物种组成,且AOB amoA物种数量下降。在属水平上,norank_c_environmental_samples_p_Thaumarchaeota、unclassified_k_norank_d_Archaea、norank_c_environmental_samples_p_Crenarchaeota、norank_p_environmental_samples_k_norank为AOA的优势类群,相对丰度占AOA amoA基因总序列的99.25%～99.46%,CR模式显著提高了norank_c_environmental_samples_p_Crenarchaeota在AOA群落属水平的相对丰度;unclassified_k_norank_d_Bacteria、norank_f_environmental_samples、norank_o_environmental_samples_c_Betaproteobacteria、unclassified_o_Nitrosomonadales为AOB的优势类群,相对丰度共占97.78%～98.49%,且CR模式显著增加了norank_o_environmental_samples_c_Betaproteobacteria与unclassified_o_Nitrosomonadales在AOB群落属水平的相对丰度。冗余分析 (RDA) 结果显示,土壤基本理化性质对于土壤AOA、AOB群落结构影响有着相似的趋势,其中对AOA、AOB群落结构影响最大的因子是硝态氮,其次分别为总碳、铵态氮、碱解氮、pH。根据RDA投影距离分析,稻虾共作模式对土壤AOA群落结构的影响大于AOB,且MR与稻虾共作模式土壤AOB的群落结构具有一定的相似度。【结论】稻虾共作模式显著降低了AOA群落多样性,而对AOB群落无显著影响;稻虾共作模式显著增加了AOA与AOB的丰度并显著影响了群落结构组成。土壤硝态氮、总碳、铵态氮、碱解氮、pH含量是导致土壤微生物数量、多样性及群落结构变化的主要原因。     

Abundance and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in a temperate forest ecosystem under ten-years elevated CO2

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are considered as the key drivers of global nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycling. Responses of the associated microorganisms to global changes remain unclear. This study was to determine if there was a shift in soil AOB and AOA abundances and community structures under free-air carbon dioxide (CO₂) enrichment (FACE) and N fertilization in Duke Forest of North Carolina, by using DNA-based molecular techniques, i.e., quantitative PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and clone library. The N fertilization alone increased the abundance of bacterial amoA gene, but this effect was not observed under elevated CO₂ condition. There was no significant effect of the N fertilization on the thaumarchaeal amoA gene abundance in the ambient CO₂ treatments, while such effect increased significantly under elevated CO₂. A total of 690 positive clones for AOA and 607 for AOB were selected for RFLP analysis. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that effects of CO₂ enrichment and N fertilization on the community structure of AOA and AOB were not significant. Canonical correspondence analysis also showed that soil pH rather than elevated CO₂ or N fertilization shaped the distribution of AOB and AOA genotypes. A negative linear relationship between the δ¹³C and archaeal amoA gene abundance indicated a positive effect of elevated CO₂ on the growth ammonia oxidizing archaea. On the other hand, the community structures of AOB and AOA are determined by the soil niche properties rather than elevated CO₂ and N fertilization.     

长期施用含氯化肥对棕壤硝化作用及氨氧化微生物的影响

【目的】氨氧化微生物是氨氧化过程的主要驱动者,氨氧化过程作为硝化作用的限速步骤对氮循环具有重要作用。本研究以沈阳农业大学棕壤含氯化肥长期定位试验的土壤为研究对象,探讨了连续34年施用高氯和低氯化肥对棕壤硝化作用及氨氧化微生物的影响。【方法】该长期试验在等量氮、磷、钾条件下,设置高氯和低氯处理,共8个处理:T1(不施肥);T2(单施尿素);T3(尿素+氯化钾);T4(尿素+过磷酸钙);T5(尿素+过磷酸钙+氯化钾);T6(尿素+磷酸一铵+氯化钾);T7(尿素+氯磷铵+氯化钾);T8(硝酸磷肥+过磷酸钙+氯化钾),T7为高氯处理。采集0—20cm土壤样品,利用荧光定量PCR技术测定氨氧化细菌(AOB)和古菌(AOA)丰度,并结合土壤硝化潜势和基本化学性质,分析长期施用含氯化肥对棕壤硝化作用及氨氧化微生物丰度的影响及影响氨氧化微生物丰度的主要环境因素。【结果】长期施肥降低了土壤pH值,高氯处理降低得最多,显著低于其他处理;高氯处理的土壤硝化潜势也显著低于其他处理,且除高氯处理外,配施磷肥的处理土壤硝化潜势显著高于不施磷处理。各处理土壤中AOA丰度均显著高于AOB,高氯处理土壤中AOA、AOB丰度均显著低于其他处理,土壤硝化潜势与AOA和AOB均呈显著正相关关系。【结论】连续施用高氯化肥34年显著降低了棕壤AOA和AOB丰度,抑制了硝化潜势。该结果可为通过含氯化肥的合理施用来调节土壤AOA和AOB,进而调控土壤氮素循环提供参考。     

Direct and indirect influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea in soil microcosms

Both arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and ammonia oxidizers are important soil microbial groups in regulating soil N cycling. However, knowledge of their interactions, especially the direct influences of AM fungi on ammonia oxidizers is very limited to date. In the present study, a controlled microcosm experiment was established to examine the effects of AM fungi and N supply level on the abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in the rhizosphere of alfalfa plants (Medicago sativa L.) inoculated with AM fungus Glomus intraradices. Effects were studied using combined approaches of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). The results showed that inoculation with AM fungi significantly increased the plant dry weights, total N and P uptake. Concomitantly, AM fungi significantly decreased the amoA gene copy numbers of AOA and AOB in the root compartment (RC) but not in the hyphal compartment (HC). Moreover, AM fungi induced some changes in AOA community structure in HC and RC, while only marginal variations in AOA composition were observed to respond to N supply level in HC. Neither RC nor HC showed significant differences in AOB composition irrespective of experimental treatments. The experimental results suggested that AM fungi could directly shape AOA composition, but more likely exerted indirect influences on AOA and AOB abundance via the plant pathway. In general, AM fungi may play an important role in mediating ammonia oxidizers, but the AOA community appeared to be more sensitive than the AOB community to AM fungi.     

Abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea in a Sweden boreal forest soil under 19-year fertilization and 12-year warming

Purpose

Boreal forests are considered to be more sensitive to global climate change compared with other terrestrial ecosystems, but the long-term impact of climate change and forest management on soil microbial functional diversity is not well understood. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are the most important players in nitrogen (N) cycling-associated processes in terrestrial ecosystems. This study investigated the separate and combined impacts of long-term soil warming and fertilization on soil AOB and AOA community structures and abundances in a Norway spruce stand in northern Sweden.

Materials and methods

The soil-warming experiment was established in the buffer zones of two irrigated plots (I) and complete nutrient solution plots (IL) since 1995. The warming treatment started in April each year by maintaining soil temperature on warmed plots at 5°C above the temperature in unwarmed plots using heating cables. In August 2006, soil samples were collected from eight subplots for molecular analysis. The abundance of bacterial and archaeal amoA genes was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Similarly, total bacterial and archaeal population sizes have also been determined. The diversity of AOB and AOA was assessed by constructing amoA gene clone libraries, and different genotypes were screened with restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Results and discussion

Results showed that fertilization did not significantly affect the abundance of the bacterial amoA gene under either warming or non-warming conditions; however, warming decreased the abundance under fertilization treatments. No significant effects of fertilization and soil warming were observed on the number of thaumarchaeal amoA gene copies across all treatments. In this study, amoA gene abundance of AOB was significantly higher than that of AOA across all treatments. The community structure of both AOB and AOA was strongly influenced by fertilization. For bacterial amoA genes, Nitrosospira cluster 2 was present across all treatments, but the only genotype was observed in the fertilization treatments while, for thaumarchaeal amoA genes, the relative abundance of soil cluster 5 increased in fertilization treatments. By comparison, soil-warming effects on AOB and AOA community structure were not significant. Canonical correspondence analysis showed a positive correlation between fertilization and both dominant genotypes of AOB and AOA.

Conclusions

These results indicated that the abundance of AOA and AOB was not affected by fertilization or warming alone, but the interaction of fertilization and warming reduced the abundance of AOB. The community composition of ammonia-oxidizers was more affected by the nutrient-optimized fertilization than the soil warming.     

长期施肥对稻田土壤微生物群落结构及氮循环功能微生物数量的影响

  【目的】   稻田是陆生生态系统中重要的氮库之一，在氮素生物地球化学循环中具有重要地位。研究不同施肥处理对稻田土壤微生物群落结构及其功能的影响具有重要意义。   【方法】   田间试验位于江苏省金坛市，在取样时试验已进行了6年。施肥处理包括:不施肥对照 (CK)、施化肥 (CF)、化肥+猪粪混施 (CMF)、化肥+秸秆混施 (CSF)。采用高通量测序和定量PCR方法测定稻田土壤微生物群落结构及氮循环相关功能微生物数量。   【结果】   在施用肥料6年后，土壤全碳、可溶性有机碳、全氮、铵态氮和硝态氮含量均不同程度地提高。与CF相比，CSF和CMF处理土壤pH升高，全碳、可溶性有机碳与养分含量升高。CK与施肥处理的土壤细菌群落结构差异明显，不同施肥处理的细菌群落结构之间有明显差别。聚类结果显示，CK与CMF处理细菌群落聚类更接近，CF处理和CSF处理细菌群落结构更为接近；与CK相比，CF、CMF、CSF处理土壤中氨氧化细菌 (AOB) 和铁氨氧化微生物Feammox A6的丰度显著提高，其中Feammox A6分别增长87.6%、158%和157%。冗余分析结果表明，施肥过程及其对土壤化学性质的改变显著影响土壤细菌群落的组成和分布。   【结论】   施肥导致的反应底物 (NH₄+、NO₃–含量) 及土壤理化性质的差异，是土壤微生物群落结构和功能微生物数量响应的主要决定因素。不施肥与化肥配施猪粪的土壤细菌群落聚类更接近，施化肥与化肥配施秸秆的细菌群落结构更为接近。施肥对氨氧化细菌AOA数量影响不明显，但显著提高氨氧化古菌AOB和厌氧铁氨氧化功能微生物Feammox A6的数量，特别是有机肥 (猪粪、秸秆) 提高Feammox A6数量的效果大于化肥。长期单施化肥土壤中厌氧氨氧化细菌丰度显著降低，反硝化功能基因nirK、nosZ丰度显著增高；化肥配施猪粪土壤中的厌氧氨氧化细菌丰度变化不明显，反硝化功能基因narG、nirK、nosZ丰度显著增高；化肥配施秸秆处理厌氧氨氧化细菌丰度变化不明显，反硝化功能基因nirK、nosZ丰度显著增高。     

pH regulates key players of nitrification in paddy soils

Increasing lines of evidence have suggested the functional importance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) rather than bacteria (AOB) for nitrification in upland soils with low pH. However, it remains unclear whether niche specialization of AOA and AOB occurs in rice paddy wetlands constrained by oxygen availability. Using DNA-based stable isotope probing, we conclude that AOA dominated nitrification activity in acidic paddy soils (pH 5.6) while AOB dominated in alkaline soils (pH 8.2). Nitrification activity was stimulated by urea fertilization and accompanied by a significant increase of AOA in acid soils and AOB in alkaline soils. DNA-based stable isotope probing indicated significant assimilation of ¹³CO₂ for AOA only in acidic paddy soil, while AOB was the solely responsible for ammonia oxidation in the alkaline paddy soil. Phylogenetic analysis further indicated that AOA members within the soil group 1.1b lineage dominated nitrification in acid soils. Ammonia oxidation in the alkaline soil was catalyzed by Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB, suggesting that the physiological diversity of AOA is more complicated than previously thought, and soil pH plays important roles in shaping the community structures of ammonia oxidizers in paddy field.     

Abundance and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in an acid paddy soil

Nitrification is essential to the nitrogen cycle in paddy soils. However, it is still not clear which group of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms plays more important roles in nitrification in the paddy soils. The changes in the abundance and composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were investigated by real-time PCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, and clone library approaches in an acid red paddy soil subjected to long-term fertilization treatments, including treatment without fertilizers (CT); chemical fertilizer nitrogen (N); N and potassium (NK); N and phosphorus (NP); N, P, and K (NPK); and NPK plus recycled crop residues (NPK+C). The AOA population size in NPK+C was higher than those in CT, while minor changes in AOB population sizes were detected among the treatments. There were also some changes in AOA community composition responding to different fertilization treatments. Still few differences were detected in AOB community composition among the treatments. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the AOA sequences fell into two main clusters: cluster A and cluster soil/sediment. The AOB composition in this paddy soil was dominated by Nitrosospira cluster 12. These results suggested that the AOA were more sensitive than AOB to different fertilization treatments in the acid red paddy soil.     

Shift in abundance and structure of soil ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea communities associated with four typical forest vegetations in subtropical region

Purpose

Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important elements that can limit plant growth in forest ecosystems. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are considered as the key drivers of global N biogeochemical cycling. Soil ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities associated with subtropical vegetation remain poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to determine how AOA and AOB abundance and community structure shift in response to four typical forest vegetations in subtropical region.

Materials and methods

Broad-leaved forest (BF), Chinese fir forest (CF), Pinus massoniana forest (PF), and moso bamboo forest (MB) were widely distributed in the subtropical area of southern China and represented typical vegetation types. Four types of forest stands of more than 30 years grew adjacent to each other on the same soil type, slope, and elevation, were chosen for this experiment. The abundance and community structure of AOA and AOB were characterized by using real-time PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The impact of soil properties on communities of AOA and AOB was tested by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA).

Results and discussion

The results indicated that AOB dominated in numbers over AOA in both BF and MB soils, while the AOA/AOB ratio shifted with different forest stands. The highest archaeal and bacterial amoA gene copy numbers were detected in CF and BF soils, respectively. The AOA abundance showed a negative correlation with soil pH and organic C but a positive correlation with NO₃ ^??N concentration. The structures of AOA communities changed with vegetation types, but vegetation types alone would not suffice for shaping AOB community structure among four forest soils. CCA results revealed that NO₃ ^??N concentration and soil pH were the most important environmental gradients on the distribution of AOA community except vegetation type, while NO₃ ^??N concentration, soil pH, and organic C significantly affected the distribution of the AOB communities.

Conclusions

These results revealed the differences in the abundance and structure of AOA and AOB community associated with different tree species, and AOA was more sensitive to vegetation and soil chemical properties than AOB. N bioavailability could be directly linked to AOA and AOB community, and these results are useful for management activities, including forest tree species selection in areas managed to minimize N export to aquatic systems.