Impact of cattle grazing and inorganic fertiliser additions to managed grasslands on the microbial community composition of soils

A study was undertaken to determine if cattle grazing on managed grasslands had an impact on the microbial community composition of soils. Microbial community molecular profiles of bacteria, actinomycetes, pseudomonads and fungi were generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of rDNA sequences from community DNA isolated from soils. PCR products were profiled using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and analysed by principal co-ordinate analysis. PCR–DGGE profiles indicated that cattle grazing had an impact on the pseudomonad community structure only, and that the addition of inorganic nitrogen (N) fertiliser impacted on bacterial, actinomycete and pseudomonad community structure. There was no difference in the community profiles of fungi from grazed and N fertilised grassland plots. Analysis of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles revealed that both cattle grazing and N fertiliser impacted on microbial community structure. The abundance of individual PLFAs differed between treatments, with bacterial (15:0), actinomycete (10Me18:0) and fungal (18:2ω6) PLFAs not affected directly by grazing cattle and N fertiliser, however, there were significant grazing–fertiliser interactions. Bacterial plate counts were highest in the N fertilised plots and fungal plate counts were highest in the cattle grazed plots. Analysis of molecular microbial community profiles with PLFA and background soil data revealed several significant correlations. Notably, soil pH was positively correlated with PCO1 of the pseudomonad community profiles and negatively correlated with the fungal PLFA 18:2ω6. Fungal DGGE profiles were negatively correlated with the fungal PLFA 18:2ω6, and bacterial and fungal plate counts positively correlated with each other. Correlation analysis using PC1 from PLFA profile data showed no significant relationship with soil organic matter, pH, total C and total N. The results indicate that cattle grazing and N fertiliser addition to grasslands impact on the community composition of specific groups of micro-organisms. The consequences of such changes in population structure may have implications regarding the dynamics of nutrient turnover in soils.     

Responses of soil microbial biomass and community composition to biological soil crusts in the revegetated areas of the Tengger Desert

As a key component of desert ecosystems, biological soil crusts (BSCs) play an important role in dune fixation and maintaining soil biota. Soil microbial properties associated with the colonization and development of BSCs may indicate soil quality changes, particularly following dune stabilization. However, very little is known about the influence of BSCs on soil microbes in sand dunes. We examined the influence of BSCs on soil microbial biomass and community composition in revegetated areas of the Tengger Desert. BSCs increased soil microbial biomass (biomass C and N), microbial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations and the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs. The effects varied with crust type and crust age. Moss crusts had higher microbial biomass and microbial PLFA concentrations than cyanobacteria-lichen crusts. Crust age was positively correlated with microbial biomass C and N, microbial PLFA concentrations, bacterial PLFA concentrations, fungal PLFA concentrations and the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs. BSCs significantly affected microbial biomass C and N in the 0–20 cm soil layers, showing a significant negative correlation with soil depth. The study demonstrated that the colonization and development of BSCs was beneficial for soil microbial properties and soil quality in the revegetated areas. This can be attributed to BSCs increasing topsoil thickness after dunes have been stabilized, creating suitable habitats and providing an essential food source for soil microbes.     

Identification of Metabolically Active Rhizosphere Microorganisms by Stable Isotopic Probing of PLFA in Switchgrass

Root-derived rhizodeposits of recent photosynthetic carbon (C) are the foremost source of energy for microbial growth and development in rhizosphere soil. A substantial amount of photosynthesized C by the plants is translocated to belowground and is released as root exudates that influence the structure and function of soil microbial communities with potential inference in nutrient and C cycling in the ecosystem. We applied the ¹³C pulse chase labeling technique to evaluate the incorporation of rhizodeposit-C into the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) in the bulk and rhizosphere soils of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). Soil samples of bulk and rhizosphere were taken at 1, 5, 10 and 20 days after labeling and analyzed for ¹³C enrichment in the microbial PLFAs. Temporal differences of ¹³C enrichment in PLFAs were more prominent than spatial differences. Among the microbial PLFA biomarkers, fungi and Gram-negative (GM-ve) bacterial PLFAs showed rapid enrichment with ¹³C compared to Gram-positive (GM+ve) and actinomycetes in rhizosphere soil. The ¹³C enrichment of actinomycetes biomarker PLFA significantly increased along with sampling time in both soils. PLFAs indicative to fungi, GM-ve and GM+ve showed a significant decrease in ¹³C enrichment over sampling time in the rhizosphere, but a decrease was also observed in GM-ve (16:1ω5c) and fungal biomarker PLFAs in the bulk soil. The relative ¹³C concentration in fungal PLFA decreased on day 10, whereas those of GM-ve increased on day 5 and GM+ve remained constant in the rhizosphere soil. However, the relative ¹³C concentrations of GM-ve and GM+ve increased on days 5 and 10, respectively, and those of fungal remain constant in the bulk soil. The present study demonstrates the usefulness of ¹³C pulse chase labeling together with PLFA analysis to evaluate the active involvement of microbial community groups for utilizing rhizodeposit-C.     

Comparison of soil fungal/bacterial ratios in a pH gradient using physiological and PLFA-based techniques

We have compared the total microbial biomass and the fungal/bacterial ratio estimated using substrate-induced respiration (SIR) in combination with the selective inhibition technique and using the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) technique in a pH gradient (3.0-7.2) consisting of 53 mature broad-leaved forest soils. A fungal/bacterial biomass index using the PLFA technique was calculated using the PLFA 18:2ω6,9 as an indicator of fungal biomass and the sum of 13 bacterial specific PLFAs as indicator of the bacterial biomass. Good linear correlation (p<0.001) was found between the total microbial biomass estimated with SIR and total PLFAs (totPLFA), indicating that 1 mg biomass-C was equivalent to 130 nmol totPLFA. Both biomass estimates were positively correlated to soil pH. The fungal/bacterial ratio measured using the selective inhibition technique decreased significantly with increasing pH from about 9 at pH 3 to approximately 2 at pH 7, while the fungal/bacterial biomass index using PLFA measurements tended to increase slightly with increasing soil pH. Good correlation between the soil content of ergosterol and of the PLFA 18:2ω6,9 indicated that the lack of congruency between the two methods in estimating fungal/bacterial ratios was not due to PLFA 18:2ω6,9-related non-fungal structures to any significant degree. Several PLFAs were strongly correlated to soil pH (R² values >0.8); for example the PLFAs 16:1ω5 and 16:1ω7c increased with increasing soil pH, while i16:0 and cy19:0 decreased. A principal component analysis of the total PLFA pattern gave a first component that was strongly correlated to soil pH (R²=0.85, p<0.001) indicating that the microbial community composition in these beech/beech-oak forest soils was to a large extent determined by soil pH.     

丛枝菌根真菌菌丝对土壤微生物群落结构及 多氯联苯降解的影响

以摩西球囊霉(Glomus mosseae)为供试菌种,在光照培养箱内利用分室根箱研究丛枝菌根真菌菌丝对多氯联苯(polychlorinated biphenyls,PCBs)污染土壤的修复效应及其机理。试验设置接种丛枝菌根真菌的处理以及不接种的对照,选用美国南瓜(Cucurbita pepo L.)为供试植物,在南瓜生长40天后将接种菌根真菌处理的菌丝室土壤从尼龙网向外水平分为4层取样,测定PCBs及磷脂脂肪酸含量。结果表明:菌丝可以穿越尼龙网影响菌丝室土壤,且距离尼龙网越远菌丝量越低;菌丝显著促进了土壤微生物量(P0.05),并改变了不同土层土壤微生物群落结构;接种菌根真菌处理各土层PCBs降解率为35.67%~57.39%,均显著高于对照的17.31%,相关分析结果表明土壤三氯、四氯联苯以及PCBs总量与菌丝量呈极显著负相关(P0.01);菌丝际土壤微生物量,特别是细菌生物量与土壤三氯联苯含量呈显著负相关(P0.05)。可见,菌丝通过影响菌丝际土壤微生物群落结构及生物量,促进三氯及四氯联苯降解,从而提高土壤PCBs修复效率。     

Seasonal Patterns of Microbial Community Structure and Enzyme Activities in Coastal Saline Soils of Perennial Halophytes

Perennial halophytes are known to be one of the most influential parameters in coastal ecosystem affecting ecosystem processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in soil microbial community structure and enzyme activities in different halophyte‐covered soils (Arthrocnemum indicum , Aeluropus lagopoides , Heleochloa setulosa and Suaeda nudiflora ) with control soil (un‐vegetated) that were collected in three seasons (rainy, winter and summer) from intertidal coastal soils of Gujarat, India. Soil microbial community structure was assessed using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. Halophytes influenced significantly soil micro‐environment by exerting effects on the soil chemical characteristics, enzyme activities and microbial community structure. The activities of β‐glucosidase, urease and alkaline phosphatase were significantly higher in halophyte‐covered soils than in control soil. Among four halophyte‐covered soils, the highest amounts of total, bacterial, actinomycetes and fungal PLFAs were observed in Arthrocnemum soil. The concentrations of total, bacterial, actinomycetes and fungal PLFAs were also significantly higher in summer and winter seasons than in rainy season, whereas enzyme activities also vary with seasons. The non‐metric multidimensional scaling analysis PLFA profiling revealed that the structure of microbial community significantly differed in all seasons as well as between control and halophyte‐covered soils. These shifts in microbial community were due to the higher abundance of Gram‐positive, total bacterial and actinomycetes PLFAs in summer and winter seasons than in rainy season, whereas abundance of fungal biomarker was significantly higher in rainy season than in other seasons. Among halophytes, significantly higher abundance of Gram‐positive, Gram‐negative and total bacteria was observed in Arthrocnemum , Heleochloa and Suaeda whereas the lowest in control soil. Halophytes exhibited improved soil microbial activities, which is important for healthy ecosystem. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

土壤微生物群落结构与多样性对农田集约化管理程度降低的响应

Using a scheme of agricultural fields with progressively less intensive management （deintensification）, different management practices in six agroecosystems located near Goldsboro, NC, USA were tested in a large-scale experiment, including two cash-grain cropping systems employing either tillage （CT） or no-tillage （NT）, an organic farming system （OR）, an integrated cropping system with animals （IN）, a successional field （SU）, and a plantation woodlot （WO）. Microbial phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） profiles and substrate utilization patterns （BIOLOG ECO plates） were measured to examine the effects of deintensification on the structure and diversity of soil microbial communities. Principle component analyses of PLFA and BIOLOG data showed that the microbial community structure diverged among the soils of the six systems.Lower microbial diversity was found in lowly managed ecosystem than that in intensive and moderately managed agroecosystems, and both fungal contribution to the total identified PLFAs and the ratio of microbial biomass C/N increased along with agricultural deintensification. Significantly higher ratios of C/N （P 〈 0.05） were found in the WO and SU systems, and for fungal/bacterial PLFAs in the WO system （P 〈 0.05）. There were also significant decreases （P 〈 0.05） along with agricultural deintensification for contributions of total bacterial and gram positive （G＋） bacterial PLFAs.Agricultural deintensification could facilitate the development of microbial communities that favor soil fungi over bacteria.     

放牧与围栏内蒙古针茅草原土壤微生物生物量碳、氮变化及微生物群落结构PLFA分析

以内蒙古贝加尔针茅草原、大针茅草原和克氏针茅草原为研究对象,采用氯仿熏蒸法和磷脂脂肪酸（PLFA）分析方法研究了放牧与围栏条件下内蒙古针茅草原土壤微生物生物量和群落结构特征的变化情况。研究表明放牧与围栏草地土壤微生物生物量和群落结构差异显著。氯仿熏蒸法分析结果表明内蒙古针茅草原土壤微生物生物量碳的含量介于166.6-703.5mg·kg^-1之间,微生物生物量氮含量介于30.34-92.15mg·kg^-1之间,其中贝加尔针茅草原土壤微生物生物量碳、氮最高,大针茅草原次之,克氏针茅草原则最低。放牧条件下,贝加尔针茅草原、大针茅草原土壤微生物生物量碳、氮显著低于围栏草地,克氏针茅草原则无显著变化。PLFA分析结果显示,内蒙古针茅草原土壤微生物群落PLFAs种类、含量丰富,共检测出28种PLFA生物标记磷脂脂肪酸,并且以直链饱和脂肪酸和支链饱和脂肪酸为主,相对含量占总量的2/3左右,其中贝加尔针茅草原土壤微生物含量最丰富,其围栏样地土壤的PLFA含量达到27.3nmol·g-1,大针茅草原和克氏针茅草原依次降低。围栏条件下,各类型草原土壤细菌脂肪酸与总PLFA含量均显著高于放牧草地,真菌脂肪酸含量则因草原类型不同各有差异;放牧导致各类型草原革兰氏阳性细菌PLFAs/革兰氏阴性细菌PLFAs（GPPLFAs/GNPLFAs）比值显著降低,而除了克氏针茅草原,细菌PLFAs/真菌PLFAs比值则显著升高。PLFAs主成分分析表明,放牧和围栏处理对内蒙古针茅草原土壤微生物群落结构产生影响,且围栏处理的影响程度大于放牧处理。经相关分析表明,氯仿熏蒸法和PLFA分析方法之间有很好的一致性,且土壤微生物PLFAs与土壤有机质、全磷、硝态氮显著相关。     

Soil Microbial Community Composition and Diversity in the Rhizosphere of a Chinese Medicinal Plant

Rehmannia glutinosa is an important medicinal plant, but there is a serious problem of decreasing productivity with its continuous cropping on the same land. We hypothesize some relationships between this problem and the disturbed soil ecosystem. In this work, two community‐based microbiological measurements, community‐level physiological profiling (CLPP) using Biolog sole carbon (C) source utilization tests and phospholipid ester–linked fatty acid (PLFA) profiles, were used to evaluate soil microbial community function and composition of different R. glutinosa cropping soils. Field investigation showed that the problems with continuous cropping occurred not only in 2‐year continuous fields but also in 5‐year rotation fields. Soil basal respiration and metabolic quotient were significantly greater in R. glutinosa cropping soils than in the noncropping controls. In contrast, the Shannon index from the Biolog data set was lower in R. glutinosa cropping soils. Both CLPP‐ and PLFA‐based principal component analyses (PCA) showed distinct groupings of soil microbial communities in R. glutinosa rhizosphere, and 11 PLFAs representing different microbes were identified from the principal component scores of PLFAs. Among these, an abundance of PLFA 18:2ω6,9, which is a biomarker of soil fungi, was significantly higher in R. glutinosa cropping soils than control soils. These results suggest an alteration of soil microbial community following R. glutinosa cropping, and this might be an important reason for the constraints associated with continuous cropping.     

Fungal and bacterial recolonisation of acid and alkaline forest soils following artificial heat treatments

The direct response and the short-term recolonisation of soil by fungi and bacteria were studied after heat treatments of a humus soil with high carbon content and low pH, and a calcareous soil with lower carbon content and high pH. Heating was administered using a muffle furnace or an autoclave, with different temperatures and times of heat exposure, after which fresh soil (1%) was added as inoculum. Autoclaved soil showed more marked increases in bacterial growth during the recovery phase than oven-heated soil, and the bacterial growth response was more rapid in calcareous than in humus soil. Fungal growth recovered more rapid and reached values higher than the control in humus soil, while it remained low until the end of the study in calcareous soil. Respiration rate showed similar patterns in both soils. Fungal biomass (ergosterol and PLFA 18:2ω6,9) indicated that fungi benefited by autoclaving in humus soil, while they were disfavoured by this treatment in calcareous soil. The sum of bacterial PLFAs did not change due to heating, but some bacterial PLFAs (e.g. cy17:0) increased in both soils. We propose that the community assembly of the microbial communities after heating were mainly driven by pH, in that the high pH soil selected primarily for bacteria and the low pH soil for fungi.     

干旱热带地区土地利用变化对土壤微生物群落组成及有机碳含量的影响

Restoration of forests poses a major challenge globally,particularly in the tropics,as the forests in these regions are more vulnerable to land-use change.We studied land-use change from natural forest (NF) to degraded forest (DF),and subsequently to either Jatropha curcas plantation (JP) or agroecosystem (AG),in the dry tropics of Uttar Pradesh,India,with respect to its impacts on soil microbial community composition as indicated by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers and soil organic carbon (SOC) content.The trend of bacterial PLFAs across all land-use types was in the order:NF ＞ JP ＞ DF＞ AG.In NF,there was dominance of gram-negative bacterial (G-) PLFAs over the corresponding gram-positive bacterial (G+) PLFAs.The levels of G-PLFAs in AG and JP differed significantly from those in DF,whereas those of G+ PLFAs were relatively similar in these three land-use types.Fungal PLFAs,however,followed a different trend:NF ＞ JP ＞ DF =AG.Total PLFAs,fungal/bacterial (F/B) PLFA ratio,and SOC content followed trends similar to that of bacterial PLFAs.Across all land-use types,there were strong positive relationships between SOC content and G-,bacterial,fungal,and total microbial PLFAs and F/B PLFA ratio.Compared with bacterial PLFAs,fungal PLFAs appeared to be more responsive to land-use change.The F/B PLFA ratio,fungal PLFAs,and bacterial PLFAs explained 91％,94％,and 73％ of the variability in SOC content,respectively.The higher F/B PLFA ratio in JP favored more soil C storage,leading to faster ecosystem recovery compared to either AG or DF.The F/B PLFA ratio could be used as an early indicator of ecosystem recovery in response to disturbance,particularly in relation to land-use change.     

Dynamics of Microbial Community in Japanese Andisol of Apple Orchard Production Systems

Abstract

In this study, two fields of temperate Andisols from high‐input and low‐input (zero‐input) management practices of an apple orchard were selected to assess microbial community dynamics based on environmental variables. Soils from an Ap horizon were sampled in five consecutive months from May to September and assessed for phospholipid fatty acids as a biomarker of soil microbial community, soil hardness, bulk density, porosity, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (C), available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and exchangeable cations as soil environmental variables. For all sample dates, total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), total bacterial PLFAs, fungal PLFA, mycorrhizal PLFA, PLFA for actinomycetes, and earthworm were higher in low‐input management than high‐input management. Total PLFAs showed a high degree of seasonality, having August maxima and May minima. Significant effect on the relationships among soil environmental variables and microbiological attributes were observed. Soil management practices also showed a remarkable effect on the relationships among microbiological traits, indicating that some mechanism regulated soil microbial dynamics under two soil management practices. Comparatively higher correlations among the microbiological attributes were observed in low‐input management than high‐input management. Irrespective of soil management practices, bacterial and fungal lipid biomarkers were negatively correlated, suggesting that these subsets of fatty acids are contrasting components of the microbial biomass. Bulk density has negative influence on all soil microbial communities except fungi. On the other hand, linoleic acid and organic C were positively correlated, referring to the distribution of soil organic C implying an upper layer of soils. Microbial community composition and structure were greatly affected by sampling date and to a lesser extent by long‐term management practice. In this study, both ecosystems were characterized by a very diverse microbial community.     

绿肥与化肥配施对植烟土壤微生物群落的影响

土壤微生物群落被认为是土壤生态系统变化的预警及敏感指标,指示着土壤质量的变化。本研究利用 3 年定位试验,通过测定磷脂脂肪酸(PLFAs)的含量,分析了连年绿肥和化肥配施对植烟土壤微生物群落结构的影响。研究结果表明：施肥明显地提高了土壤中 PLFAs 的种类和总量;在绿肥和化肥配施处理中,当翻压 15 000 kg/hm2 绿肥的基础上施用大于 85% 常规化肥时,明显提高了土壤中细菌、AM 真菌及微生物总的 PLFAs 含量;而当化肥的施用量减至常规施肥 70% 时,对土壤细菌、真菌及微生物总 PLFAs 含量的积累产生不利影响。从不同处理的主成分分析和聚类分析的结果可知,不同绿肥和化肥配施比例对土壤微生物群落结构变化有明显影响。经相关性分析表明,PLFA 分析方法和氯仿熏蒸法之间具有很好的一致性,且土壤速效钾和速效磷含量与革兰氏阴性菌的 PLFAs 含量呈显著相关,而与土壤真菌PLFAs 含量则无明显的相关性。     

Temperature and substrate controls on microbial phospholipid fatty acid composition during incubation of grassland soils contrasting in organic matter quality

Soil incubations are often used to investigate soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition and its response to increased temperature, but changes in the activity and community composition of the decomposers have rarely been included. As part of an integrated investigation into the responses of SOM components in laboratory incubations at elevated temperatures, fungal and bacterial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were measured in two grassland soils contrasting in SOM quality (i.e. SOM composition), and changes in the microbial biomass and community composition were monitored. Whilst easily-degradable SOM and necromass released from soil preparation may have fuelled microbial activity at the start of the incubation, the overall activity and biomass of soil microorganisms were relatively constant during the subsequent one-year soil incubation, as indicated by the abundance of soil PLFAs, microbial respiration rate (r), and metabolic quotient (qCO₂). PLFAs relating to fungi and Gram-negative bacteria declined relative to Gram-positive bacteria in soils incubated at higher temperatures, presumably due to their vulnerability to disturbance and substrate constraints induced by faster exhaustion of available nutrient sources at higher temperatures. A linear correlation was found between incubation temperatures and the microbial stress ratios of cyclopropane PLFA-to-monoenoic precursor (cy17:0/16:1ω7c and cy19:0/18:1ω7c) and monoenoic-to-saturated PLFAs (mono/sat), as a combined effect of temperature and temperature-induced substrate constraints. The microbial PLFA decay patterns and ratios suggest that SOM quality intimately controls microbial responses to global warming.     

蘑菇生长过程中覆土内微生物群落结构的变化特征

The culturable bacterial population and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profile of casing soil were investigated at different mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) cropping stages. The change in soil bacterial PLFAs was always accompanied by a change in the soil culturable bacterial population in the first flush. Comparatively higher culturable bacterial population and bacterial PLFAs were found in the casing soil at the primordia formation stage of the first flush. There was a significant increase in the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs during mushroom growth. Multivariate analysis of PLFA data demonstrated that the mushroom cropping stage could considerably affect the microbial community structure of the casing soil. The bacterial population increased significantly from casing soil application to the primordia formation stage of the first flush. Casing soil application resulted in an increase in the ratio of gram-negative bacterial PLFAs to gram-positive bacterial PLFAs, suggesting that some gram-negative bacteria might play an important role in mushroom sporophore initiation.     

Effects of Irrigation Patterns and Nitrogen Fertilization on Rice Yield and Microbial Community Structure in Paddy Soil

Water and nitrogen (N) are considered the most important factors affecting rice production and play vital roles in regulating soil microbial biomass, activity, and community. The effects of irrigation patterns and N fertilizer levels on the soil microbial community structure and yield of paddy rice were investigated in a pot experiment. The experiment was designed with four N levels of 0 (N0), 126 (N1), 157.5 (N2), and 210 kg N ha-1 (N3) under two irrigation patterns of continuous water-logging irrigation (WLI) and water-controlled irrigation (WCI). Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was conducted to track the dynamics of soil microbial communities at tillering, grain-filling, and maturity stages. The results showed that the maximums of grain yield, above-ground biomass, and total N uptake were all obtained in the N2 treatment under WCI. Similar variations in total PLFAs, as well as bacterial and fungal PLFAs, were found, with an increase from the tillering to the grain-filling stage and a decrease at the maturity stage except for actinomycetic PLFAs, which decreased continuously from the tillering to the maturity stage. A shift in composition of the microbial community at different stages of the plant growth was indicated by principal component analysis (PCA), in which the samples at the vegetative stage (tillering stage) were separated from those at the reproductive stage (grain-filling and maturity stages). Soil microbial biomass, measured as total PLFAs, was significantly higher under WCI than that under WLI mainly at the grain-filling stage, whereas the fungal PLFAs detected under WCI were significantly higher than those under WLI at the tillering, grain-filling, and maturity stages. The application of N fertilizer also significantly increased soil microbial biomass and the main microbial groups both under WLI and WCI conditions. The proper combination of irrigation management and N fertilizer level in this study was the N2 (157.5 kg N ha-1) treatment under the water-controlled irrigation pattern.     

Effects of heavy metal contamination and remediation on soil microbial communities in the vicinity of a zinc smelter as indicated by analysis of microbial community phospholipid fatty acid profiles

Heavy metal contamination in an area immediately surrounding a zinc smelter has resulted in destruction of over 485 hectares of forest. The elevated levels of heavy metals in these soils have had significant impacts on the population size and overall activity of the soil microbial communities. Remediation of these soils has resulted in increases in indicators of biological activity and viable population size, which suggest recovery of the microbial populations. Questions remain as to how the metal contamination and subsequent remediation at this site have impacted the population structure of the soil microbial communities. In the current study, microbial communities from this site were analyzed by the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) procedure. Principal component analysis of the PLFA profiles indicated that there were differences in the profiles for soils with different levels of metal contamination, and that soils with higher levels of metal contamination showed decreases in indicator PLFAs for mycorrhizal fungi, Gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. PLFA profiles for remediated sites indicated that remediated soils showed increases in indicator PLFAs for fungi, actinomycetes, and Gram-positive bacteria, compared to unremediated metal contaminated soils. These data suggest a change in the population structure of the soil microbial communities resulting from metal contamination and a recovery of several microbial populations resulting from remediation.     

PLFA方法研究连作对加工番茄根际土壤微生物群落结构的影响

通过在石河子大学农学院试验站开展加工番茄连作定点微区试验,采用氯仿熏蒸和磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)法相结合,研究了不同连作处理(种植1 a、连作3 a、5 a和7 a)对新疆加工番茄花果期和成熟期根际土壤微生物群落结构及土壤微生物量的影响。结果表明,连作导致土壤微生物量碳(SMBC)、微生物量氮(SMBN)和微生物熵(q MB)下降,SMBC/SMBN升高,而微生物量磷(SMBP)随连作年限和生育期的变化而不同。连作显著增加了真菌PLFAs含量,降低了细菌PLFAs含量、土壤PLFAs总量及细菌/真菌PLFAs的比值,而放线菌PLFAs含量变化无规律。连作7 a时,成熟期的细菌PLFAs含量、土壤PLFAs总量较对照分别减少62.9%、50.3%(P0.05),而真菌PLFAs含量较对照升高60.2%(P0.05)。从多样性指数分析看,Shannon-Wiener指数、Simpson指数、Brillouin指数和Pielou指数均随连作年限的延长呈先升后降的变化,其中连作3 a时各项指数最大,连作7 a时最小,表明在本试验年限范围内,连作使得微生物群落多样性与均匀程度皆出现了一定程度的降低。相关性分析表明,土壤微生物各类群PLFAs量、微生物量及土壤肥力之间存在相关性,说明土壤微生物量与土壤肥沃程度相关,可作为评价土壤肥力的生物学指标。可见,加工番茄连作改变了土壤微生物群落结构,降低了土壤微生物量,最终在根际土壤微生态系统和环境因子等因素的综合作用下产生连作障碍。     

Linking microbial community structure and allocation of plant-derived carbon in an organic agricultural soil using 13CO2 pulse-chase labelling combined with 13C-PLFA profiling

We conducted a ¹³CO₂ pulse-chase labelling experiment in a drained boreal organic (peat) soil cultivated with perennial crop, reed canary grass (RCG; Phalaris arundinacea) to study the flow of carbon from plants to soil microbes. Both limed and unlimed soils were studied, since liming is a common agricultural practice for acidic organic soils. Soil samples taken within three months after the labelling and three times in the following year were used for the δ¹³C analysis of microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), root sugars and root lipids. We estimated the contribution of carbon from root exudates to microbial PLFA synthesis. The flow of carbon from plants to microbes was fast as the label allocation in PLFAs had a peak 1–3 days after labelling. The results showed that fungi were important in the incorporation of fresh, plant-derived carbon, including root sugars. None of the main microbial PLFA biomarker groups (fungi, Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) was completely lacking label over the measurement period. One year after the labelling, when the labelled carbon was widely distributed into plant biomass and soil, bacterial biomarkers increased their share of the label allocation. Liming had a minor effect on the label allocation rate into PLFAs. The mixing model approach used to calculate the root exudate contribution to microbial biomass resulted in a highly conservative estimate of utilization of this important C-source (0–6.5%, with highest incorporation into fungi). In summary, the results of this study provide new information about the role of various microbial groups in the turnover of plant-derived, fresh carbon in boreal organic soil.     

温度和秸秆质量调节与秸秆分解相关的微生物磷脂脂肪酸（PLFA）组成

Variations in temperature and moisture play an important role in soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. However, relationships between changes in microbial community composition induced by increasing temperature and SOM decomposition are still unclear. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of temperature and moisture levels on soil respiration and microbial communities involved in straw decomposition and elucidate the impact of microbial communities on straw mass loss. A 120-d litterbag experiment was conducted using wheat and maize straw at three levels of soil moisture (40%, 70%, and 90% of water-holding capacity) and temperature (15, 25, and 35°C). The microbial communities were then assessed by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. With the exception of fungal PLFAs in maize straw at day 120, the PLFAs indicative of Gram-negative bacteria and fungi decreased with increasing temperatures. Temperature and straw C/N ratio significantly affected the microbial PLFA composition at the early stage, while soil microbial biomass carbon (C) had a stronger effect than straw C/N ratio at the later stage. Soil moisture levels exhibited no significant effect on microbial PLFA composition. Total PLFAs significantly influenced straw mass loss at the early stage of decomposition, but not at the later stage. In addition, the ratio of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial PLFAs was negatively correlated with the straw mass loss. These results indicated that shifts in microbial PLFA composition induced by temperature, straw quality, and microbial C sources could lead to changes in straw decomposition.