氟磺胺草醚对大豆根际土壤微生物和酶活性的影响及其在根际的降解

【目的】 本研究旨在探讨不同浓度氟磺胺草醚在大豆根际土壤中的微生态效应,及其在根际土壤中的降解动态,为进一步研究除草剂的残留污染提供科学依据。 【方法】 以中黄13号大豆为材料,采用根箱进行了模拟栽培试验。设施用氟磺胺草醚3.75 mg/kg (低)、7.5 mg/kg (中)、18.75 mg/kg (高) 3个水平,以不添加氟磺胺草醚处理为对照,调查了大豆根际土壤细菌、真菌、放线菌数量,分析了根际土壤中过氧化氢酶、磷酸酶、脲酶、蔗糖酶4种酶活性,以及氟磺胺草醚在大豆根际土壤中的降解规律。 【结果】 低浓度氟磺胺草醚处理的大豆根际土壤细菌数量显著低于对照根际土壤 (P < 0.05),高浓度氟磺胺草醚处理在28 d时显著高于对照 ( P < 0.05);中浓度氟磺胺草醚处理与对照没有显著性差异。不同浓度氟磺胺草醚处理的大豆根际土壤真菌和放线菌数量与对照差异不显著。氟磺胺草醚处理的大豆根际土壤过氧化氢酶活性与对照没有显著差异;磷酸酶活性在取样初期略有降低;低浓度氟磺胺草醚处理的土壤脲酶活性显著降低,中浓度和高浓度处理对脲酶活性表现为先刺激后抑制;高浓度氟磺胺草醚处理的蔗糖酶活性在42 d和56 d时显著低于对照。高浓度氟磺胺草醚降解速率明显高于低浓度和中浓度,并且在试验初期降解迅速;3种浓度氟磺胺草醚在大豆根际土壤中的降解均符合一级动力学方程,降解半衰期由低浓度到高浓度逐渐变短。 【结论】 3种浓度氟磺胺草醚总体上降低大豆根际土壤中细菌的数量,而对大豆根际土壤真菌和放线菌的数量均没有显著影响。氟磺胺草醚对大豆根际土壤过氧化氢酶活性没有显著影响,在短期内对磷酸酶活性有一定程度的抑制作用,低浓度氟磺胺草醚可以显著降低大豆根际土壤脲酶活性,而高浓度氟磺胺草醚在试验后期可以显著抑制大豆根际土壤蔗糖酶活性。大豆根际土壤中氟磺胺草醚初始浓度越高,降解速率越快,半衰期越短。      

Glyphosate degradation as a soil health indicator for heavy metal polluted soils

Glyphosate is a commonly used herbicide in grassland soils and microorganisms control its degradation. We introduce the concept of using the degradation rate as an indicator for ecosystem health. Testing this concept, we used soils with a long history of heavy metal pollution (Cu, Pb, and Zn). We hypothesized lower degradation rates in metal-polluted compared to less polluted soils. The degradation rates were measured by repeated measurements of the parent compound in spiked soil-water slurries incubated at 20 °C over 21 days. Average rates showed no differences comparing among soils. We observed a positive correlation between glyphosate degradation rates and soil metal pollution. Therefore, we concluded that the expected impact of the metals on the bacteria responsible for the herbicide degradation was not established. We discuss the potential influence on biological degradation rates of soil pH and adsorption and implications using the concept of the soil health indicator.     

阿特拉津降解菌FM326（Arthrobacter sp.）的分离筛选、鉴定和生物学特性

采集除草剂阿特拉津污染的土壤,通过直接涂布法和富集驯化培养分离法,分别获得6株和5株能够降解阿特拉津的细菌。通过降解效率和降解动态试验,筛选到1株高效降解阿特拉津的菌株FM326,该菌株能以阿特拉津为唯一的碳源和氮源生长,培养96h后对1000mg·L-1阿特拉津降解效率达到97%。通过生理生化鉴定和16SrDNA序列分析,菌株FM326鉴定为节杆菌属（Arthrobacter sp.）细菌。该菌株表现出最适生长温度30～35℃,最适生长pH值5～9,好氧生长的生长特性。     

Tillage and cover effects on soil microbial properties and fluometuron degradation

This research concerns the influence of no tillage (NT) or conventional tillage (CT) and a ryegrass (Lolium multiforum Lam.) cover crop in a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production system on soil and ryegrass microbial counts, enzyme activities, and fluometuron degradation. Fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, aryl acylamidase, and colony-forming units (CFUs) of total bacteria and fungi, gram-negative bacteria, and fluorescent pseudomonads were determined in soil and ryegrass samples used in the degradation study. Fluometuron (14C-labelled herbicide) degradation was evaluated in the laboratory using soil and ryegrass. The CT and NT plots with a ryegrass cover crop maintained greater microbial populations in the upper 2 cm compared to their respective no-cover soils, and CT soils with ryegrass maintained greater bacterial and fungal CFUs in the 2–10 cm depth compared to the other soils The highest enzymatic activity was found in the 0–2 cm depth of soils with ryegrass compared to their respective soils without ryegrass. Ryegrass residues under NT maintained several hundred-fold greater CFUs than the respective underlying surface soils. Fluometuron degradation in soil and ryegrass residues proceeded through sequential demethylation and incorporation of residues into nonextractable components. The most rapid degradation was observed in surface (0 to 2 cm) soil from CT and NT–ryegrass plots. However, degradation occurred more rapidly in CT compared to NT soils in the 2 to 10 cm depth. Ryegrass cover crop systems, under NT or incorporated under CT, stimulated microbiological soil properties and promoted herbicide degradation in surface soils.     

Degradation of diphenyl ether herbicides in soils

The gas chromatographic determination of CNP (2,4,6-trichlorophenyl 4-nitrophenyl ether), nitrofen (2,4-dichlorophenyl 4′-nitrophenyI ether), chlomethoxynil (2,4-dieblorophenyl 3′-methoxy-4′-nitrophenyl ether), CFNP (2,4-dichloro-6-fluorophenyl 4-nitrophenyl ether) and their amino derivatives in soils were carried out. Good recoveries from soils were obtained for the diphenyl ethers. On the other hand, satisfactory recoveries from soils were also obtained for the amino derivatives at high concentrations, but the recoveries at lower concentrations averaged about 66% for the least recovered compound.

The degradation of several diphenyl ether herbicides in two paddy soils were compared under flooded and upland conditions. The degradation was much slower under upland than under flooded conditions. Considerable amounts of their amino derivatives were produced in soils under flooded conditions, but not under upland conditions. It was suggested that the diphenyl ethers to the amino derivatives involved both chemical and microbial processes. CNP and chlomethoxynil degraded faster at lower concentrations than at higher ones.     

Degradation and transformation of a potential natural herbicide in three soils.

The methyl ester of fusaric acid (ME) is one of four toxins produced by the fungus Fusarium nygamai, which could be used as a natural herbicide against Striga hermonthica, a parasitic weed of sorghum and corn in a vast zone of West and Central Africa. A laboratory study was performed to measure the degradation of ME in three soil types and under different temperature and soil moisture conditions, so as to ascertain whether a single ME treatment would protect the crops against this weed during the critical phases of growth. The results show that the persistence in all soils and under all incubation conditions is long enough to protect the crops for the first week of growth, excluding the trial at 30 degrees C in the humic soil, where the half-life of 6 days would require more than one treatment. A degradation product of ME (butylpyridine, BP) was identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and its degradation measured. The sum of ME and BP residues for the first 7 days was almost 100% of the applied compound in all soils and incubation conditions, thus indicating that BP may be the only transformation product of ME at this stage.     

Biodegradation of buprofezin by Rhodococcus sp. strain YL-1 isolated from rice field soil

A buprofezin-degrading bacterium, YL-1, was isolated from rice field soil. YL-1 was identified as Rhodococcus sp. on the basis of the comparative analysis of 16S rDNA sequences. The strain could use buprofezin as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen for growth and was able to degrade 92.4% of 50 mg L(-1) buprofezin within 48 h in liquid culture. During the degradation of buprofezin, four possible metabolites, 2-tert-butylimino-3-isopropyl-1,3,5-thiadiazinan-4-one, N-tert-butyl-thioformimidic acid formylaminomethyl ester, 2-isothiocyanato-2-methyl-propane, and 2-isothiocyanato-propane, were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activity was strongly induced during the degradation of buprofezin. A novel microbial biodegradation pathway for buprofezin was proposed on the basis of these metabolites. The inoculation of soils treated with buprofezin with strain YL-1 resulted in a higher degradation rate than that observed in noninoculated soils, indicating that strain YL-1 has the potential to be used in the bioremediation of buprofezin-contaminated environments.     

Influence of incubation temperature on the behavior of triethylamine-extractable glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) in four soils

The behavior of glyphosate, extracted from four soils using aqueous triethylamine, was investigated at two temperatures. For each soil, and at both temperatures, there was a marked loss in the amount of extractable glyphosate immediately after addition of the herbicide to soil. This rapid loss of glyphosate was ascribed to adsorption of the herbicide into a nonextractable form. For three of the four soils used when incubated at 25 degrees C, the rates of loss of extractable glyphosate were similar to previously measured rates of degradation of this herbicide in these soils. However, loss of extractable glyphosate from the Culgoa clay loam was due not only to substrate degradation but also to slow sorption of glyphosate into the nonextractable form in this soil over the experimental period. For the Rutherglen and Walpeup soils, when incubated at 10 degrees C, the rates of loss of extractable glyphosate were half of the previously measured rate of degradation of this herbicide in these soils. However, there was no measured loss of extractable glyphosate from the Wimmera clay. As previous work has shown glyphosate to decompose readily in these soils at this temperature, these findings suggest that desorption of glyphosate may occur at a rate greater than degradation at this temperature and, hence, that temperature may play a pivotal role in sorption processes. Investigations with these soils when sterilized by gamma-irradiation showed that for the Walpeup, Wimmera, and Rutherglen soils, sorption was complete soon after the addition of the herbicide; however, for the Culgoa soil, further adsorption occurred over the entire experimental period.     

Tillage, cover-crop residue management, and irrigation incorporation impact on fomesafen runoff

Intensive glyphosate use has contributed to the evolution and occurrence of glyphosate-resistant weeds that threaten production of many crops. Sustained use of this highly valued herbicide requires rotation and/or substitution of herbicides with different modes of action. Cotton growers have shown considerable interest in the protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor, fomesafen. Following registration for cotton in 2008, use has increased rapidly. Environmental fate data in major use areas are needed to appropriately evaluate risks. Field-based rainfall simulation was used to evaluate fomesafen runoff potential with and without irrigation incorporation in a conventional tillage system (CT) and when conservation tillage (CsT) was practiced with and without cover crop residue rolling. Without irrigation incorporation, relatively high runoff, about 5% of applied, was measured from the CT system, indicating that this compound may present a runoff risk. Runoff was reduced by >50% when the herbicide was irrigation incorporated after application or when used with a CsT system. Data indicate that these practices should be implemented whenever possible to reduce fomesafen runoff risk. Results also raised concerns about leaching and potential groundwater contamination and crop injury due to rapid washoff from cover crop residues in CsT systems. Further work is needed to address these concerns.     

Adsorption,Desorption And Mobility of Fomesafen in Chinese Soils

Fomesafen, 5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-N-(methylsulfonyl)-2-nitrobenzamide, is used widely for weed control in soybeans since its introduction to China. Little information is available on its adsorption, desorption and movement in Chinese soils. The adsorption, desorption and mobility of fomesafen in six Chinese soils was studied. Adsorption isotherms agreed with the Freundlich equation very well. The results of regressionanalysis indicated that soil pH was more important than organic matter for fomesafen adsorption. Fomesafen was more readily desorbed from soils with 0.01 M CaSO₄ solution. Soil TLC and column leaching studies showed that fomesafen and its metabolites was less mobile in Chinese soils. About 89.82% of applied fomesafen and its metabolites still remained in upper 5 cm layer 60 days after treatment under field conditions.     

Different enantioselective degradation of pyraclofos in soils

This study investigated the enantioselective degradation behavior of pyraclofos in three soils (NC, HZ, and ZZ) under native and sterilized conditions. The absolute configuration of pyraclofos enantiomers has been determined by the combination of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. S-(+)- and R-(-)-Pyraclofos were separated and determined on a cellulose tri-(4-chloro-3-methylphenylcarbamate) (Lux Cellulose-4) chiral column by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Pyraclofos enantiomers were configurationally stable in three soils and no interconversion was observed during the incubation of enantiopure S-(+)- or R-(-)-pyraclofos under native conditions. The enantioselective degradation behavior of chiral pyraclofos was dramatically different in three soils under native conditions, with half-lives (t(1/2)) of pyraclofos in NC, HZ, and ZZ soils of 2.6, 13.4, and 7.8 days for S-(+)-pyraclofos and 9.2, 9.3, and 8.2 days for R-(-)-pyraclofos. Compared to the half-lives (t(1/2)) of rac-pyraclofos of 21.5, 55.9, and 14.4 days in sterilized NC, HZ and ZZ soils, the degradation velocity was greatly improved in native soils, indicating that degradation was greatly attributed to microbially mediated processes in agricultural cultivating soils.     

采用Biolog, DGGE 和PLFA三种方法研究利用方式对土壤微生物群落结构的影响

Biolog, 16S rRNA gene denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE）, and phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） analyses were used to assess soil microbial community characteristics in a chronosequence of tea garden systems （8-, 50-, and 90- year-old tea gardens）, an adjacent wasteland, and a 90-year-old forest. Biolog analysis showed that the average well color development （AWCD） of all carbon sources and the functional diversity based on the Shannon index decreased （P 〈 0.05） in the following order： wasteland 〉 forest 〉 tea garden. For the DCCE analysis, the genetic diversity based on the Shannon index was significantly lower in the tea garden soils than in the wasteland. However, compared to the 90-year-old forest, the tea garden soils showed significantly higher genetic diversity. PLFA analysis showed that the ratio of Gram positive bacteria to Cram negative bacteria was significantly higher in the tea garden soils than in the wasteland, and the highest value was found in the 90-year-old forest. Both the fungal PLFA and the ratio of fungi to bacteria were significantly higher in the three tea garden soils than in the wasteland and forest, indicating that fungal PLFA was significantly affected by land-use change. Based on cluster analysis of the soil microbial community structure, all three analytical methods showed that land-use change had a greater effect on soil microbial community structure than tea garden age.     

Stress response of Burkholderia cepacia WZ1 exposed to quinclorac and the biodegradation of quinclorac

Quinclorac is an effective herbicide, but its residue is known to be a major environmental pollutant. Therefore, isolating quinclorac-degrading bacteria, exploring the mechanisms of degradation and analyzing the proteins introduced by the pollutant, would have scientific value and practical importance. We used quinclorac-degrading bacteria WZ1 (an opportunistic pathogen with broad substrate characteristic) as the test strain, and used several techniques such as two-dimensional electrophoresis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Northern Blotting to study the stress response of the strain upon environmental stress and the biodegradation of quinclorac. The results showed that strain WZ1 secreted some protective proteins such as Mn-SOD, Heat-shock protein and Taurine dioxygenase to deal with the stress of quinclorac; while the expression of proteins DsbA and Gmet_1484 related to bacterial pathogenesis decreased significantly when exposed to quinclorac (which could be used to indicate that bacterial pathogenicity was attenuated). At the same time, quinclorac also induced the expression of phthalate dioxygenase reductase and chlorocatechol 1, 2-dioxygenase. They are the key proteins participating in the degradation of quinclorac, which was proved by the Northern Blotting. With the information gathered, we attempted to define the degradation pathway of quinclorac.     

Rapid development of enhanced atrazine degradation in a Dundee silt loam soil under continuous corn and in rotation with cotton

Mississippi Delta cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production in rotation with corn (Zea mays L.) was evaluated in field experiments from 2000 to 2005 at Stoneville, Mississippi. Plots maintained under minimum tillage were established in 2000 on a Dundee silt loam with treatments including continuous cotton or corn and alternate cotton-corn rotations. Mineralization and dissipation of 14C [ring]-labeled atrazine were evaluated in the laboratory on soils collected prior to herbicide application in the first, second, third, and sixth years of the study. In soils collected in 2000, a maximum of 10% of the atrazine was mineralized after 30 days. After 1 year of herbicide application, atrazine-treated soils mineralized 52-57% of the radiolabeled atrazine in 30 days. By the sixth year of the study, greater than 59% of the atrazine was mineralized after 7 days in soils treated with atrazine, while soils from plots with no atrazine treatment mineralized less than 36%. The data also indicated rapid development of enhanced atrazine degradation in soils following 1 year of corn production with atrazine use. Atrazine mineralization was as rapid in soils under a rotation receiving biannual atrazine applications as in soils under continuous corn receiving annual applications of atrazine. Cumulative mineralization kinetics parameters derived from the Gompertz model (k and ti) were highly correlated with a history of atrazine application and total soil carbon content. Changes in the soil microbial community assessed by total fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis indicated significant interactions of cropping system and sampling date, with FAME indicators for soil bacteria responsible for differences in community structure. Autoclaved soil lost all ability to mineralize atrazine, and atrazine-mineralizing bacteria were isolated from these plots, confirming the biological basis for atrazine mineralization. These results indicate that changes in degradative potential of a soil can occur rapidly and some changes in soil properties may be associated with cropping systems, which can contribute to enhanced atrazine degradation potential.     

Availability of triazine herbicides in aged soils amended with olive oil mill waste

Amendments are frequently added to agricultural soils to increase organic matter content. In this study, we examined the influence of alperujo, an olive oil mill waste, on the availability of two triazine herbicides, terbuthylazine and atrazine, in two different sandy soils, one from Sevilla, Spain, and the other from Minnesota. The effect of aging on herbicide sorption and bioavailability was also studied. Soils were amended with alperujo at a rate of 3-5% (w:w) in laboratory studies. Apparent sorption coefficients for the triazine herbicides were calculated as the ratio of the concentrations of each herbicide sequentially extracted with water, followed by aqueous methanol, at each sampling time. These data showed greater sorption of terbuthylazine and atrazine in amended soils as compared to nonamended soils, and an increase in the amount of herbicide sorbed with increasing aging time in nonamended soils. The triazine-mineralizing bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP was used to characterize triazine bioavailability. Less mineralization of the herbicides by Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP was observed in soils amended with alperujo, as compared to the unamended soils, and, despite the increase in sorption with aging in unamended soils, herbicide mineralization also increased in this case. This has been attributed to Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP first using alperujo as a more readily available source of N as compared to the parent triazines. In summary, addition of alperujo to the soils studied was shown to increase triazine herbicides sorption and hence to reduce its availability and potential to leach.     

二苯醚类除草剂降解菌Bacillus sp. Za微生物制剂的研发与初步应用

以二苯醚类除草剂高效降解菌株Bacillus sp. Za为材料制备微生物制剂，优化液体制剂保护剂的物质配比，筛选固体制剂的最适材料，对固体制剂进行初步应用并评价其降解效果。研究结果表明：（1）液体制剂保护剂（0.20%柠檬酸钠、0.20%羧甲基纤维素、0.30% KCl）可使活菌数提高35.71%，保存30 d的液体制剂对50 mg/L乳氟禾草灵的降解率为83.50%。（2）筛选得到猪粪有机肥作为固体制剂的最适材料，保存60 d时固体制剂活菌数为8.26×108 cfu/g，对土壤中10 mg/kg乳氟禾草灵的降解率为85.52%。（3）添加固体制剂可有效缓解乳氟禾草灵残留对玉米所产生的药害。     

Soil moisture and the rates of biodegradation of diallate and triallate

Degradation experiments were combined with biomass measurements and adsorption tests to determine how soil moisture content influences the rates of degradation of ⁴¹C-labelled diallate and triallate. In soils treated with 1 μg^?1 herbicide and incubated at constant temperature and moisture, degradation rates were regulated by two variables: the quantity of microbial biomass in the soil; and the quantity of herbicide dissolved in the soil solution. The quantity of biomass was influenced by soil water content and the duration of incubation. The amounts of herbicide in solution were determined by the amount of water present and the total quantity of herbicide in the soil. In all soil samples, the rates of degradation increased with increasing water content but decreased with prolonged incubation. The factors responsible for decrease with time were the loss of biomass during incubation and the decline in herbicide concentration in the soils as degradation proceeded.     

Soil extracts and co-culture assist biodegradation of 2,4,6-tribromophenol in culture and soil by an auxotrophic Achromobacter piechaudii strain TBPZ

Achromobacter piechaudii strain TBPZ is a 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP) degrader that was isolated from contaminated desert soil. In the current study we have found that yeast extract has a substantial impact on the debromination activity of non-dividing cells of TBPZ harvested during the stationary phase. The results suggest that yeast extract provides a factor that is necessary for activity and that is missing in stationary cells. Nevertheless, strain TBPZ from the stationary phase did survive and degrade TBP in soils with different degrees of contamination without yeast extract supplements. Experiments with soil extracts showed that a soluble factors is responsible for this phenomenon in a similar way to yeast extract. To test whether other soil bacteria provide these factors, co-culture experiments with strain TBPZ and a bisphenol A (BPA) degrader, Sphingomonas strain WH1, that was isolated from the same contaminated desert soil, were carried out. These experiments clearly demonstrated that growth of strain WH1 on BPA enables strain TBPZ to degrade TBP rapidly, suggesting that a metabolic product from WH1 is involved. In experiments with mixed amino acid blend (casamino acid), slower growth was observed when compared to growth with yeast extract. Providing vitamins and a defined mixture of two amino acids, tryptophan and phenylalanie, caused rapid degradation of TBP without the rapid growth seen in yeast extract treatment, indicating that the amino acids are needed to sustain biodegradation activity. The results of this study highlight that degradation of TBP by strain TBPZ is possibly controlled by micronutrients. In addition, the results suggest that an auxotrophic bacterium able to degrade halo-organic pollutants can survive in a natural environment due to its interaction with natural organic matter or other microorganisms.     

Biodegradation and mineralization of metolachlor and alachlor by Candida xestobii

Metolachlor (2-chloro-6'-ethyl-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)aceto-o-toluidide) is a pre-emergent chloroacetanilide herbicide used to control broadleaf and annual grassy weeds in a variety of crops. The S enantiomer, S-metolachlor, is the most effective form for weed control. Although the degradation of metolachlor in soils is thought to occur primarily by microbial activity, little is known about the microorganisms that carry out this process and the mechanisms by which this occurs. This study examined a silty-clay soil (a Luvisol) from Spain, with 10 and 2 year histories of metolachlor and S-metolachlor applications, respectively, for microorganisms that had the ability to degrade this herbicide. Tis paper reports the isolation and characterization of pure cultures of Candida xestobii and Bacillus simplex that have the ability to use metolachlor as a sole source of carbon for growth. Species assignment was confirmed by morphological and biochemical criteria and by sequence analysis of 18S and 16S rRNA, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses indicated that C. xestobii degraded 60% of the added metolachlor after 4 days of growth and converted up to 25% of the compound into CO(2) after 10 days. In contrast, B. simplex biodegraded 30% of metolachlor following 5 days of growth in minimal medium. In contrast, moreover, the yeast degraded other acetanilide compounds and 80% of acetochlor (2-chloro-N-ethoxymethyl-6'-ethylaceto-o-toluidide) and alachlor (2-chloro-2',6'-diethyl-N-methoxymethylacetanilide) were degraded after 15 and 41 h of growth, respectively. The results of these studies indicate that microorganisms comprising two main branches of the tree of life have acquired the ability to degrade the same novel chlorinated herbicide that has been recently added to the biosphere.     

Regulation of bacterial and fungal MCPA degradation at the soil-litter interface

Much is known about mechanisms and regulation of phenoxy acid herbicide degradation at the organism level, whereas the effects of environmental factors on the performance of the phenoxy acid degrading communities in soils are much less clear. In a microcosm experiment we investigated the small-scale effect of litter addition on the functioning of the MCPA degrading communities. ¹⁴C labelled MCPA was applied and the functional genes tfdA and tfdAα were quantified to characterise bacterial MCPA degradation. We identify the transport of litter compounds as an important process that probably regulates the activity of the MCPA degrading community at the soil-litter interface. Two possible mechanisms can explain the increased tfdA abundance and MCPA degradation below the litter layer: 1) transport of α-ketoglutarate or its metabolic precursors reduces the costs for regenerating this co-substrate and thereby improves growth conditions for the MCPA degrading community; 2) external supply of energy and nutrients changes the internal resource allocation towards enzyme production and/or improves the activity of bacterial consortia involved in MCPA degradation. In addition, the presence of litter compounds might have induced fungal production of litter-decaying enzymes that are able to degrade MCPA as well.