Microbial residues as indicators of soil restoration in South African secondary pastures

Prolonged intensive arable cropping of semiarid grassland soils in the South African Highveld resulted in a significant loss of C, N and associated living and dead microbial biomass. To regenerate their soils, farmers converted degraded arable sites back into secondary pastures. The objective of this study was to clarify the contribution of microorganisms to the sequestration of C and N in soil during this regeneration phase. Composite samples were taken from the topsoils of former arable land, namely Plinthustalfs, which had been converted to pastures 1-31 years ago. Amino sugars were determined as markers for microbial residues in the bulk soil and in selected particle-size fractions. The results showed that when C and N contents increased during the secondary pasture usage, the amino sugar concentration in the bulk soil (0-5 cm) recovered at similar magnitude and reached a new steady-state level after approximately 90 years, which corresponded only to 90% of the amino sugar level in the primary grassland. The amino sugar concentration in the clay-sized fraction recovered to a higher end level than in the bulk soil, and also at a faster annual rate. This confirms that especially the finer particles contained a high amount of amino sugars and were responsible, thus, for the restoration of microbially derived C and N. The incomplete recovery of amino sugars in bulk soil can only in parts be attributed to a slightly coarser texture of secondary grassland that had lost silt through wind erosion. The soils particularly had also lost the ability to restore microbial residues below 5 cm soil depth. Overall, the ratios of glucosamine to muramic acid also increased with increasing duration of pasture usage, suggesting that fungi dominated the microbial sequestration of C and N whereas the re-accumulation of bacterial cell wall residues was less pronounced. However, the glucosamine-to-muramic acid ratios finally even exceeded those of the primary grassland, indicating that there remained some irreversible changes of the soil microbial community by former intensive crop management.     

Long-term impacts of manure, straw, and fertilizer on amino sugars in a silty clay loam soil under temperate conditions

There is increasing evidence that microorganisms participate in soil C sequestration and stabilization in the form of resistant microbial residues. The type of fertilizers influences microbial activity and community composition; however, little is known about its effect on the microbial residues and their relative contribution to soil C storage. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term impact (21 years) of different fertilizer treatments (chemical fertilizer, crop straw, and organic manure) on microbial residues in a silty clay loam soil (Udolls, USDA Soil Taxonomy). Amino sugars were used to indicate the presence and origin of microbial residues. The five treatments were: CK, unfertilized control; NPK, chemical fertilizer NPK; NPKS₁, NPK plus crop straw; NPKS₂, NPK plus double amounts of straw; and NPKM, NPK plus pig manure. Long-term application of inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments increased the total amino sugar concentrations (4.4–8.4 %) as compared with the control; and this effect was more evident in the plots that continuously received pig manure (P?<?0.05). The increase in total amino sugar stock was less pronounced in the straw-treated plots than the NPKM. These results indicate that the accumulation of soil amino sugars is largely influenced by the type of organic fertilizers entering the soil. Individual amino sugar enrichment in soil organic carbon was differentially influenced by the various fertilizer treatments, with a preferential accumulation of bacterial-derived amino sugars compared with fungal-derived glucosamine in manured soil.     

Organic matter dynamics in a temperate forest soil following enhanced drying

Climate models predict an increase in global surface temperature and a change in precipitation intensity during this century. For Europe, extended drought periods followed by heavy rainfall are expected. The consequences for soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of changing soil moisture regime on SOM quality under field conditions. For this purpose, a throughfall exclusion (TE) experiment was conducted in the summers 2006 and 2007 on a Haplic Podzol under a 140 years old Norway spruce stand using a roof installation followed by re-wetting compared to non-manipulated control plots. Total organic carbon, lignin (stable carbon pool), plant and microbial sugars (labile carbon pool) and microbial biomass (phospholipid fatty acids) were determined before, during and after the experiment in the L, O, A and B horizons. No significant treatment effects could be observed for SOM quantity. Amounts of lignin and soil microbial biomass were also not affected by the moisture regime but structure of soil microbial community. In the L and organic layers, gram + bacteria and actinomycetes were reduced during water stress, while gram- bacteria, fungi and protozoa increased during drought. Warmer and drier weather led to a dominance of fungi while a cooler and moister regime favoured bacteria, at least in the L horizon. An increasing PLFA (cy17:0 + cy19:0)/(16:1ω7c + 18:1ω7c) ratio in the O layer and A horizon suggests that the microbes suffered from water stress in these horizons. This agrees with a decreasing contribution of microbial sugars to SOM with decreasing water content in the O and A horizons. Although the original plant material exhibited increasing plant sugar content with increasing dryness, the contribution of the plant sugars to total soil organic carbon (SOC) generally decreased with decreasing water content. Physical-chemical changes of soil structure can theoretically change the sugar extractability from soils and/or chemical changes of sugars structure can probably affect the analysis. Therefore, chemical alteration and stabilization could be responsible for sugar decrease in soil with increasing dryness explaining the contrast compared to the original plant material.     

外源氮添加对土壤微生物残体积累动态的影响－基于Meta分析

微生物残体是土壤有机碳库的重要贡献者。为明确外源氮添加对土壤微生物残体积累动态的影响,本文收集整理了1980—2020年已发表的文献,共选取122组试验观测数据,利用整合分析方法（Meta-analysis）,以微生物残体标识物－氨基糖为目标组分,定量分析了不同种类和数量的外源氮添加对土壤中微生物来源细胞残体积累数量和组成比例的影响,并系统解析其主要影响因素。结果表明:外源氮添加（0 ~ 6000 kg hm?1）对微生物细胞残体的积累有显著的促进作用,并能引起土壤中真菌和细菌来源细胞残体相对比例发生明显变化。与不加氮对照相比,氮添加使土壤氨基糖总量增加27%,其中氨基葡萄糖、氨基半乳糖和胞壁酸含量分别增加22.5%、29.8%和19.0%。同时,不同种类外源氮素添加对氨基糖积累特征的影响也有所不同,表现为有机氮（如动物厩肥）比无机氮添加对氨基糖积累的促进作用更大。此外,氮添加对氨基糖的影响程度还与土壤自身的碳氮比、土地利用类型和自然降雨量等环境因子密切相关。其中是否添加碳源对微生物残体的响应有较大影响,表现为:无碳源添加会降低土壤氨基糖葡萄糖和胞壁酸对氮添加的响应,削弱了微生物残体对土壤有机质的贡献比例;而氮源同时配合碳源添加条件下,土壤氨基糖积累量显著高于单一氮源添加的处理,说明氮添加对微生物残体积累的影响存在着碳氮耦合效应。     

微生物残体在土壤中的积累转化过程与稳定机理研究进展

近年来,关于微生物残体在土壤有机质积累和转化过程中的作用越来越受到研究者的关注。土壤有机质中微生物残体的数量和组成比例变化与土壤有机质的形成、容量大小及周转特征密切相关。对目前土壤微生物残体研究方面的相关进展进行了梳理和总结,在明确土壤微生物残体的来源及其重要性的基础上,介绍了土壤微生物残体定量和转化的表征方法,阐述了微生物残体在土壤有机质积累转化过程中的作用及其主要影响因素,探讨了微生物残体在土壤中的稳定机制,提出了微生物通过同化代谢作用驱动细胞残体积累进而促进土壤有机质积累和稳定过程中亟待探讨的科学问题。期望为进一步探究陆地生态系统土壤有机质周转与微生物过程的相互作用机理提供一定的思考。     

秸秆和菌渣改良剂对高寒沙地土壤有机碳库的影响

采用田间定位试验研究了秸秆颗粒(JG)和菌渣颗粒(JZ)改良剂(施用量分别为6,12,18,24 t/hm~2)对川西北高寒沙地土壤碳库的影响。结果表明:施用JG和JZ改良剂可显著提高沙化土壤有机碳含量、有机碳储量、活性碳、土壤微生物量碳、微生物熵和碳库管理指数,其中对土壤微生物量碳和微生物熵的提升效果最为显著。与CK相比,施用第2年JG处理土壤有机碳含量、有机碳储量、活性有机碳、碳库管理指数平均增加96.2%,100.0%,157.1%,169.4%,JZ处理平均增加69.2%,66.3%,85.7%,81.7%;而JG处理土壤微生物量碳、微生物熵分别较CK平均增加934.0%,433.0%,JZ处理平均增加956.2%,546.4%。JG改良剂对土壤有机碳库组分和碳库管理指数的提升效果优于JZ,而JZ改良剂更有利于提升土壤微生物量碳含量和土壤有机碳的周转速率。秸秆和菌渣改良剂均可增加沙化土壤有机碳库各组分含量,提高土壤有机碳周转速率和碳库管理指数,具有快速培肥沙化土壤的效果。     

Soil carbon sequestration and changes in fungal and bacterial biomass following incorporation of forest residues

Sequestering carbon (C) in forest soils can benefit site fertility and help offset greenhouse gas emissions. However, identifying soil conditions and forest management practices which best promote C accumulation remains a challenging task. We tested whether soil incorporation of masticated woody residues alters short-term C storage at forested sites in western and southeastern USA. Our hypothesis was that woody residues would preferentially stimulate soil fungal biomass, resulting in improved C use efficiency and greater soil C storage. Harvest slash at loblolly pine sites in South Carolina was masticated (chipped) and either (1) retained on the soil surface, (2) tilled to a soil depth of 40 cm, or (3) tilled using at least twice the mass of organics. At comparative sites in California, live woody fuels in ponderosa pine stands were (1) masticated and surface applied, (2) masticated and tilled, or (3) left untreated. Sites with clayey and sandy soils were compared in each region, with residue additions ranging from 20 to 207 Mg ha⁻¹. Total and active fungal biomass were not strongly affected by residue incorporation despite the high input of organics. Limited response was also found for total and active bacterial biomass. As a consequence, fungal:bacterial (F:B) biomass ratios were similar among treatments at each site. Total soil C was elevated at one California site following residue incorporation, yet was significantly lower compared to surface-applied residues at both loblolly pine sites, presumably due to the oxidative effects of tilling on soil organic matter. The findings demonstrated an inconsequential effect of residue incorporation on fungal and bacterial biomass and suggest a limited potential of such practices to enhance long-term soil C storage in these forests.     

Fate of fatty acids derived from biogas residues in arable soil

Biogas residues are rich in microbial biomass and contribute to organic matter formation when applied to soils. Here we present a detailed analysis of the fatty acids derived from ¹³C-labelled biogas residues applied to arable soil and incubated for 378 days. We applied a differential approach using phospholipid fatty acids and total fatty acids to evaluate the carbon dynamics in living biomass and non-living soil organic matter. Biogas residue addition increased the microbial biomass in soil. The sum of ¹³C-labelled phospholipid fatty acids decreased to ∼60% during incubation whereas the decrease of t-FA was higher (to 33%). Compound-specific fatty acid analysis showed fatty acid specific incorporation or loss of ¹³C, indicating hints for the carbon flow within the microbial food web. Overall, microbial biomass in biogas residues may be a significant contributor to soil organic matter formation.     

The contribution of biogas residues to soil organic matter formation and CO2 emissions in an arable soil

The biogas production process generates as side-products biogas residues containing microbial biomass which could contribute to soil organic matter formation or induce CO₂ emissions when applied to arable soil as fertilizer. Using an isotope labelling approach, we labelled the microbial biomass in biogas residues, mainly G⁺ bacteria and methanogenic archaea via KH¹³CO₃, and traced the fate of microbial biomass carbon in soil with an incubation experiment lasting 378 days. Within the first seven days, 40% of the carbon was rapidly mineralized and after that point mineralization continued, reaching 65% by the end of the experiment. Carbon mineralization data with 93% recovery could be fitted to a two-pool degradation model which estimated proportions and degradation rate constants of readily and slowly degrading pools. About 49% of the carbon was in the slowly degrading pool with a half-life of 1.9 years, suggesting mid-term contribution to living and non-living soil organic matter formation. Biogas residues caused a priming effect at the beginning, thus their intensive application should be avoided.     

Microbial processes controlling P availability in forest spodosols as affected by soil depth and soil properties

Because carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration is rising, increases in plant biomass and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems are expected. However, phosphorus (P) unavailability may disable any potential enhanced growth of plants in forest ecosystems. In response to P scarcity under elevated CO₂, trees may mine deeper the soil to take up more nutrients. In this scope, the ability of deep horizons of forest soils to supply available P to the trees has to be evaluated. The main objective of the present study was to quantify the relative contribution of topsoil horizons and deep horizons to P availability through processes governed by the activity of soil micro-organisms. Since soil properties vary with soil depth, one can therefore assume that the role of microbial processes governing P availability differs between soil layers. More specifically, our initial hypothesis was that deeper soil horizons could substantially contribute to total plant available P in forested ecosystems and that such contribution of deep horizons differs among sites (due to contrasting soil properties). To test this hypothesis, we quantified microbial P and mineralization of P in ‘dead’ soil organic matter to a depth of 120 cm in forest soils contrasting in soil organic matter, soil moisture and aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) oxides. We also quantified microbiological activity and acid phosphomonoesterase activity. Results showed that the role of microbial processes generally decreases with increasing soil depth. However, the relative contribution of surface (litter and 0–30 cm) and deep (30–120 cm) soil layers to the stocks of available P through microbial processes (51–62 kg P ha^?1) are affected by several soil properties, and the contribution of deep soil layers to these stocks vary between sites (from 29 to 59%). This shows that subsoils should be taken into account when studying the microbial processes governing P availability in forest ecosystems. For the studied soils, microbial P and mineralization of P in ‘dead’ soil organic matter particularly depended on soil organic matter content, soil moisture and, to a minor extent, Al oxides. High Al oxide contents in some sites or in deep soil layers probably result in the stabilization of soil organic compounds thus reducing microbiological activity and mineralization rates. The mineralization process in the litter also appeared to be P-limited and depended on the C:P ratio of soil organic matter. Thus, this study highlighted the effects of soil depth and soil properties on the microbial processes governing P availability in the forest spodosols.