黄河三角洲土壤土著菌的石油烃降解潜力

The bioremediation potential of bacteria indigenous to soils of the Yellow River Delta in China was evaluated as a treatment option for soil remediation. Petroleum hydrocarbon degraders were isolated from contaminated soil samples from the Yellow River Delta. Four microbial communities and eight isolates were obtained. The optimal temperature, salinity, pH, and the ratios of C, N, and P （C：N：P） for the maximum biodegradation of diesel oil, crude oil, n-alkanes, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons by indigenous bacteria were determined, and the kinetics changes in microbial communities were monitored. In general, the mixed microbial consortia demonstrated wider catabolic versatility and faster overall rate of hydrocarbon degradation than individual isolates. Our experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbon by indigenous bacteria for soil remediation in the Yellow River Delta.     

引种植物江南桤木改变了土著芦苇根际细菌群落的结构和多样性

Alnus trabeculosa, a rhizobia-nodulating tree, was introduced into the Chongxi tidal wetland in the Yangtze River estuary of China to increase the biodiversity of plants and restore tidal wetland functions. However, the effect of the introduced plant on soil bacterial communities and restoration outcomes remains unknown. In this study, the rhizosphere bacterial community structure and diversity were compared between Phragmites australis monospecific community and A. trabeculosa-P. australis mixed communities,aiming to assess whether A. trabeculosa influenced the rhizosphere bacterial communities of P. australis and to investigate whether different taxonomic groups within a soil community may respond similarly to the presence of an introduced exotic plant. Among the14 phylogenetic phyla detected, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were the dominant bacterial taxa in the rhizosphere. Phylogenetic analysis of the predominant Proteobacteria showed that the clones from the rhizosphere soils of A. trabeculosa and P. australis in A. trabeculosa-P. australis mixed communities were more diverse than those in the rhizosphere soil of P. australis in P. australis monospecific community. The rhizosphere community in the wetland potentially included active microbial community related to carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling in the Yangtze River estuary. The rhizosphere soil of P. australis in A. trabeculosa-P. australis mixed communities exhibited the highest Shannon diversity index(H′) and Simpson diversity index(1/D)(H = 4.52, 1/D =253). Correspondence analyses revealed that the bacterial community structures were altered after A. trabeculosa was introduced.     

外源铬对小白菜(Brassica chinensis L.)根际土壤微生物生物量和磷脂脂肪酸的剖面分布特征的影响

The effects of root activity on microbial response to cadmium （Cd） loading in the rhizosphere are not well understood. A pot experiment in greenhouse was conducted to investigate the effects of low Cd loading and root activity on microbial biomass and community structure in the rhizosphere of pakchoi （Brassica chinensis L.） on silty clay loam and silt loamy soil. Cd was added into soil as Cd（NO3）2 to reach concentrations ranging from 0.00 to 7.00 mg kg-1. The microbial biomass carbon （MBC） and community structure were affected by Cd concentration, root activity, and soil type. Lower Cd loading rates （〈 1.00 mg kg-1） stimulated the growth of pakchoi and microorganisms, but higher Cd concentrations inhibited the growth of microorganisms. The content of phospholipid fatty acids （PLFAs） was sensitive to increased Cd levels. MBC was linearly correlated with the total PLFAs. The content of general PLFAs in the fungi was positively correlated with the available Cd in the soil, whereas those in the bacteria and actinomycetes were negatively correlated with the available Cd in the soil. These results indicated that fungi were more resistant to Cd stress than bacteria or actinomycetes, and the latter was the most sensitive to Cd stress. Microbial biomass was more abundant in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil. Root activity enhanced the growth of microorganisms and stabilized the microbial community structure in the rhizosphere. PLFA analysis was proven to be sensitive in detecting changes in the soil microbial community in response to Cd stress and root activity.     

中国长江三角洲地区一新石器时代水稻土细菌群落

An ancient irrigated paddy soil from the Neolithic age was excavated at Chuodunshan Site in the Yangtze River Delta, close to Suzhou, China. The soil organic matter (SOM) content in the prehistoric rice soil is comparable to the average SOM content of present rice soils in this region, but it is about 5 times higher than that in the parent materials. As possible biomarkers to indicate the presence of the prehistoric paddy soil, the bacterial communities were investigated using the techniques of aerobic and anaerobic oligotrophic bacteria enumeration, Biolog analysis, and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). The results showed that in the buried soil layers, the prehistoric paddy soil had the largest number of aerobic and anaerobic oligotrophic bacteria, up to 6.12 and 5.86 log cfu g-1 dry soil, respectively. The prehistoric paddy soil displayed better carbon utilization potential and higher functional diversity compared to the parent materials and a prehistoric loess layer. The Shannon index and richness based on DGGE profiles of bacterial 16S rRNA genes were higher in prehistoric paddy soil than those in the prehistoric loess soil. It might be concluded that the prehistoric irrigated rice cultivation accumulated the SOM in plowed soil layer, and thus increased soil bacterial populations, metabolic activity, functional diversity and genetic diversity. Bacterial communities might be considered as the sensitive indicators of the presence of the prehistoric paddy soil in China’s Yangtze River Delta.     

Changes in soil free-living diazotrophic community and co-occurrence patterns along desert wetland degradation gradient in the Mu Us Desert, northern China

Climate change and human activity have led to the degradation of desert wetlands. Free-living diazotrophs are vital for soil nitrogen input. However, a comprehensive understanding of how soil free-living diazotrophic communities and their co-occurrence patterns respond to desert wetland degradation is lacking. Here, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), amplicon sequencing targeting nitrogenase gene (nifH), and network analysis were used to investigate the abundance, diversity, community composition, and co-occurrence patterns of soil free-living diazotrophs along the wetland degradation gradient, i.e., non-degraded (ND), lightly degraded (LD), moderately degraded (MD), and severely degraded (SD), in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, northern China. The abundance and Shannon, Simpson, Chao 1, and ACE indexes decreased (P < 0.05) by 14.6%, 20.7%, 2.1%, 46.5%, and 45.0%, respectively, in SD wetland, whereas no significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed between ND and LD wetlands. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria generally decreased (by 53.5%–19.7%) across the different degradation levels, while the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria increased (by 6.2%–40.1%) from ND to MD levels. The abundance, diversity, and community composition of diazotrophs were most strongly related to soil organic carbon, followed by total nitrogen, moisture, and pH. The least number of network nodes and edges and the lowest density were observed for MD and SD wetlands, indicating that the complexity of free-living diazotrophic networks was reduced by continued degeneration. Overall, severe desert wetland degradation affected the abundance, diversity, and network complexity of soil free-living diazotrophs more negatively than light degradation. This degradation promoted the growth of autotrophic diazotrophs and inhibited the growth of heterotrophic diazotrophs. These changes were mostly related to the loss of soil organic carbon.     

AM真菌群落改善保护地退化土壤质量和黄瓜生长的效应

A pot experiment was performed to determine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) communities on soil properties and the growth of cucumber seedlings in a degraded soil that had been used for continuous cucumber monoculture in a greenhouse for 15 years.In the experiment,AMF communities(created by combining various AMF species that were found to be dominant in natural farm soil) were inoculated into the degraded soil,and then the soil was planted with cucumber.Inoculation with AMF communities did not affect soil pH but increased soil aggregate stability and decreased the concentrations of salt ions and electrical conductivity(EC) in the soil.Inoculation with AMF communities increased the numbers of culturable bacteria and actinomycetes but reduced the number of fungi.AMF communities increased plant growth,soluble sugar content,chlorophyll content,and root activity compared to non-mycorrhizal or a single AMF species treatments.Improvements of soil quality and plant growth were greatest with the following two communities:Glomus etunicatum + G.mosseae + Gigaspora margarita + Acaulospora lacunosa and G.aggregatum + G.etunicatum + G.mosseae + G.versiforme + G.margarita + A.lacunosa.The results suggested that certain AMF communities could substantially improve the quality of degraded soil.     

水稻根际和周围土壤中微生物功能基因丰度与碳、氮状况及其通量之间的关系

Rapid nitrogen（N） transformations and losses occur in the rice rhizosphere through root uptake and microbial activities. However,the relationships between rice roots and rhizosphere microbes for N utilization are still unclear. We analyzed different N forms（NH＋4,NO-3, and dissolved organic N）, microbial biomass N and C, dissolved organic C, CH4 and N2O emissions, and abundance of microbial functional genes in both rhizosphere and bulk soils after 37-d rice growth in a greenhouse pot experiment. Results showed that the dissolved organic C was significantly higher in the rhizosphere soil than in the non-rhizosphere bulk soil, but microbial biomass C showed no significant difference. The concentrations of NH＋4, dissolved organic N, and microbial biomass N in the rhizosphere soil were significantly lower than those of the bulk soil, whereas NO-3in the rhizosphere soil was comparable to that in the bulk soil. The CH4 and N2O fluxes from the rhizosphere soil were much higher than those from the bulk soil. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the abundance of seven selected genes, bacterial and archaeal 16 S rRNA genes, amoA genes of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, nosZ gene, mcrA gene, and pmoA gene, was lower in the rhizosphere soil than in the bulk soil, which is contrary to the results of previous studies. The lower concentration of N in the rhizosphere soil indicated that the competition for N in the rhizosphere soil was very strong, thus having a negative effect on the numbers of microbes. We concluded that when N was limiting, the growth of rhizosphere microorganisms depended on their competitive abilities with rice roots for N.     

中国北方温带草原土壤微生物对气温变暖与添加氮素的响应特征

The responses of soil microbes to global warming and nitrogen enrichment can profoundly affect terrestrial ecosystem functions and the ecosystem feedbacks to climate change. However, the interactive effect of warming and nitrogen enrichment on soil microbial community is unclear. In this study, individual and interactive effects of experimental warming and nitrogen addition on the soil microbial community were investigated in a long-term field experiment in a temperate steppe of northern China. The field experiment started in 2006 and soils were sampled in 2010 and analyzed for phospholipid fatty acids to characterize the soil microbial communities. Some soil chemical properties were also determined. Five-year experimental warming significantly increased soil total microbial biomass and the proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in the soils. Long-term nitrogen addition decreased soil microbial biomass at the 0-10 cm soil depth and the relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soils. Little interactive effect on soil microbes was detected when experimental warming and nitrogen addition were combined. Soil microbial biomass positively correlated with soil total C and N, but basically did not relate to the soil C/N ratio and pH. Our results suggest that future global warming or nitrogen enrichment may significantly change the soil microbial communities in the temperate steppes in northern China.     

黑土区大豆基因型的根际细菌群落结构时空动态变化

The dynamics of rhizosphere microbial communities is important for plant health and productivity, and can be influenced by soil type, plant species or genotype, and plant growth stage. A pot experiment was carried out to examine the dynamics of microbial communities in the rhizosphere of two soybean genotypes grown in a black soil in Northeast China with a long history of soybean cultivation. The two soybean genotypes, Beifeng 11 and Hai 9731, differing in productivity were grown in a mixture of black soil and siliceous sand. The bacterial communities were compared at three zone locations including rhizoplane, rhizosphere, and bulk soil at the third node (V3), early flowering (R1), and early pod (R3) stages using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) of 16S rDNA. The results of principal component analyses (PCA) showed that the bacterial community structure changed with growth stage. Spatially, the bacterial communities in the rhizoplane and rhizosphere were significantly different from those in the bulk soil. Nevertheless, the bacterial communities in the rhizoplane were distinct from those in the rhizosphere at the V3 stage, while no obvious differences were found at the R1 and R3 stages. For the two genotypes, the bacterial community structure was similar at the V3 stage, but differed at the R1 and R3 stages. In other words, some bacterial populations became dominant and some others recessive at the two later stages, which contributed to the variation of the bacterial community between the two genotypes. These results suggest that soybean plants can modify the rhizosphere bacterial communities in the black soil, and there existed genotype-specific bacterial populations in the rhizosphere, which may be related to soybean productivity.     

接种溶磷真菌对玉米和大豆根际细菌群落结构多样性的影响

Application of phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms （PSMs） has been reported to increase P uptake and plant growth. However, no information is available regarding the ecological consequences of the inoculation with PSMs. The effect of inoculation with phosphate-solubilizing fungal （PSF） isolates Aspergillus niger P39 and Penicillium oxalicum P66 on the bacterial communities in the rhizospheres of maize （Zea mays L. ‘Haiyu 6＇） and soybean （Glycine max Merr. ‘Heinong 35＇） was examined using culture-dependent methods as well as a culture-independent method, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （PCR-DGGE）. Compared with the control, the number of culturable microbes for soybean was significantly greater with P39, whereas for maize, the same was significantly greater with P66. In addition, a greater number of microbes were found in the rhizosphere of maize compared with soybean. The fingerprint of DGGE for 16S rDNA indicated that inoculation with PSF also increased bacterial communities, with the P66 treatment having higher numbers of DGGE bands and a higher Shannon-Weaver diversity index compared with P39; the composition of the microbial community was also more complex with the P66 treatment. Overall, complex interactions between plant species and exotic PSMs affected the structure of the bacterial community in the rhizosphere, but plant species were more important in determining the bacterial community structure than the introduction of exotic microorganisms.     

Rhizosphere effects on soil bacterial abundance and diversity in the Yellow River Deltaic ecosystem as influenced by petroleum contamination and soil salinization

In this study, we compared the differences of bacterial abundance and diversity between rhizosphere and surrounding bulk soils under soil salinization and petroleum contamination in the Yellow River Delta on a 110-km-distance scale. In comparison with bulk soils, rhizosphere soils were mainly characterized by lower salinity and higher water content in saline soils. For bacterial abundance, the numbers of total bacteria and hydrocarbon degraders were significantly higher in rhizosphere soils than those in bulk soils. Although there was no significant difference in total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration between the two types of soils, TPH had distinctly different effects on bacterial abundance in rhizosphere and bulk soils. TPH concentration was the major determinant of total bacterial abundance and had positive effects on abundances of hydrocarbon degraders. However, the abundances of total bacteria and hydrocarbon degraders in bulk soils were primarily determined by soil salinity and water content. Great abundance of rhizosphere bacteria suggested that plant roots could alleviate the stresses from soil salinization and provide more favorable microhabitats for bacterial growth. TPH had positive effects on bacterial diversity of both rhizosphere and bulk soils. Our results support the view that petroleum in the environments functions as both toxic chemicals and carbon sources to soil bacteria. Great abundance and diversity of total bacteria in plant rhizospheres would potentially improve the roles of bacteria in maintaining ecosystem functioning in the degraded ecosystems. Our results would improve our understanding of the relationships between rhizosphere effects and multiple environmental stresses that control the development of bacterial community in fragile anthropologically-affected ecosystems.     

黄河三角洲刺槐根际与非根际细菌结构及多样性

为精确分析黄河三角洲刺槐根际与非根际土壤细菌群落定殖情况,本研究采用高通量测序方法对刺槐根际与非根际土壤细菌结构及多样性进行了研究。研究表明,根际土壤细菌共有36门214属,非根际土壤细菌共有33门153属。变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria)、酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)细菌丰度超过15%,是根际与非根际土壤中的优势菌落。根际与非根际土壤中酸杆菌门、硝化螺旋菌门(Nitrospirae)丰度差异显著。根际土壤中红游动菌属(Rhodoplanes)、溶杆菌属(Lysobacter)、热单胞菌属(Thermomonas)、链霉菌属(Streptomyces)及非根际土壤中红游动菌属、溶杆菌属、链霉菌属、Kaistobacter细菌丰度超过4%。根际土壤中固氮菌丰度显著高于非根际土壤,解磷、解钾细菌丰度差异不显著。根际与非根际土壤细菌Chao丰富度分别为2 054、2 376,差异显著。根际与非根际土壤细菌之间的权重(Weighted Unifrac)距离在0.12~0.25之间。综上所述,黄河三角洲刺槐根际与非根际土壤细菌结构具有一定差异,多样性差异显著。     

A DGGE analysis shows that crop rotation systems influence the bacterial and fungal communities in soils

A better understanding of the relationships among different cropping systems, their effects on soil microbial ecology, and their effects on crop health and productivity is necessary for the development of more efficient, sustainable crop production systems. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to determine the impacts of crop rotations and crop types on bacterial and fungal communities in the soil. The communities of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and fungal 18S rRNA genes were analyzed in experimental field plots that were kept under 4 different crop rotation systems from 1999 to 2008 (continuous cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.), cabbage–lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) rotation, cabbage–radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus L.H. Bailey) rotation, and a 3-year crop rotation). A principal component analysis (PCA) and a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that both the bacterial and fungal communities in bulk soils were influenced by the crop rotation systems. However, the primary factors influencing each community differed: bacterial communities were most affected by soil properties (especially carbon content), while fungal communities were influenced most strongly by rotation times. To elucidate factors that may cause differences in crop rhizosphere microbial communities, the microbial communities in the harvested cabbage rhizospheres were also analyzed. The results suggest that the fungal communities in bulk soil are related to the rhizosphere fungal communities. Our present study indicates that the microbial communities in bulk and rhizosphere soils could be managed by crop rotation systems.     

籽粕熏蒸对哈密瓜发病土壤真核生物群落组成和变化的影响

本文利用十字花科白菜型和芥菜型籽粕作为土壤绿色熏蒸剂，研究了籽粕对哈密瓜土传病害的防治效果以及该过程中真核微生物群落在哈密瓜整个生育期的动态变化。研究结果表明两种籽粕对病害有显著防控效果，与化学熏蒸剂棉隆效果相似，但对土壤中微生物群落的扰动以及根际微生物的富集方面存在明显不同。白菜型和芥菜型籽粕均能显著降低土壤中真核微生物的丰富度和多样性，并有选择性的促进土壤中某些特定微生物的恢复和富集，使得有益微生物在根际定殖。在整个过程中，子囊菌门（Ascomycota）真菌主导了微生物群落结构的变化，且在根际有益微生物的群落构建中起到了重要作用，其下属曲霉属（Aspergillus）和毛壳菌属（Chaetomium）中的慢性曲霉（Aspergillus lentulus）和未知物种（OTU_213）与发病率间呈现出显著负相关关系，可能抑制了病原菌群在根际的定殖。而棉隆处理对根际有益微生物的富集方面影响较小，对土壤微生物群落结构的作用也不显著。     

Functional Diversity and Size of Soil Microbial Communities Induced by Different Land Management Systems

Abstract

Soil microorganisms drive nutrients cycling to a great extent, and they play an essential role in maintaining a stable soil ecosystem and ensuring sustainable forestry development. Land management has been proven to be a real factor in influencing soil quality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different land management techniques on soil microbial communities. There were four types of land management systems selected for this study: natural masson pine, Phyllostachy pubescens, Phyllostachys praecox, and vegetable. Soils were sampled from these four systems and assayed for soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), community level substrate utilization pattern, functional diversity, and principle component analysis. Values of MBC were significantly different (P<0.05) from one another in the order of masson pine>Phyllostachy pubescens>Phyllostachys Praecox>vegetable. Analysis of community level substrate utilization pattern indicated that carbon source utilization and total activity by soil microorganisms were greater under the masson pine system than the other three systems (P<0.01). The functional diversities of soil microbial communities characterized as Shannon and McIntosh indexes were much richer in soil under masson pine system; Shannon index was 4.483, 4.241, 4.224, and 3.938 and McIntosh index was 13.51, 7.332, 6.272, and 6.261 for natural masson pine, Phyllostachy pubescens. Phyllostachys praecox, and vegetable systems, respectively. The results from the principle components analysis (PCA), based on the data of optical density (OD) at 120 h of incubation, showed that the value of the first principal component (PC1) of soil for natural masson pine was greater (P<0.05) than those for the other three systems. The difference in scores of the second principal component (PC2) between Phyllostachy pubescens, Phyllostachys praecox, and vegetable were not statistically different. The size and activity of soil microbial communities generally decreased with soil depth, with significant differences in soil MBC, community level substrate utilization pattern, and functional diversity indexes found between A and C horizons (P<0.01). It was concluded that land management systems had a great influence on soil microbial biomass, activity, and functional diversity.     

Structure and function of microbial communities in the rhizosphere of Scots pine after tree-felling

We evaluated changes occurring in the rhizosphere microbial communities of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) due to tree-felling and decrease of the photosynthetic C flow into the soil under field conditions over one growing season. Samples were taken from tree rhizospheres, freshly felled stump rhizospheres and bulk soil. We used culture dependent (CFU counts, community level physiological profiles, CLPPs) and independent methods (fluorogenic MUF-substrates, PLFA pattern and PCR-DGGE) to monitor the microbial communities in soil samples. The numbers of cultivable bacteria and amounts of phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere of trees were significantly higher compared with those in the bulk soil. The organic C consuming community measured by CLPP was stimulated directly after the tree-felling in stump rhizospheres; utilization of the disintegration components of cellulose, hemicellulose and chitin increased. Furthermore, bacterial and fungal biomass as well as chitin decomposers (CFU) increased in the stump rhizosphere. After 11 weeks of tree-felling the stump rhizosphere soluble PO₄-P and NH₄-N as well as amounts of total C and N began to resemble the concentrations measured in the bulk soil. However, the stump rhizosphere community structure detected by PLFA and PCR-DGGE still resembled that of the tree rhizosphere.     

转Bt基因棉花根际细菌与古菌群落结构分析

在一年内棉花的四个生长时期（苗期,蕾期,花铃期,吐絮期）分别采集转Bt基因抗虫棉GK12和非转基因亲本棉花泗棉3号根际土壤,以及未种植棉花的背景土壤,利用末端标记限制性片段长度多态性（T-RFLP）分析技术,分析三种土壤中细菌和古菌的16S rRNA基因片段多态性,结合克隆文库建立和测序,研究了土壤中细菌和古菌群落结构的变化.结果表明：在棉花生长的各个时期,背景土壤中细菌群落结构发生了明显的变化,生物多样性指数明显降低,古菌群落结构也有一定的变化,说明季节性变化对土壤中微生物群落产生了明显的影响.与背景土壤相比,棉花种植后根际土壤中细菌和古菌群落发生显著的变化.转基因棉花与非转基因棉花相比,根际土壤细菌和古菌的种类和种群大小的分布也发生了明显的改变.克隆文库和测序结果表明土壤中主体微生物为目前未培养的、功能特性未知的细菌和古菌,转基因棉花种植对这些细菌和古菌影响的原因、环境危害和生态风险目前尚不清楚.与古菌群落相比,棉花种植对细菌群落结构的影响较小.     

Divergence in the soil and rhizosphere microbial communities of monoculture and silvopastoral traditional C. dodecandra agroforestry systems in Yucatan,Mexico

Numerous works have reported the impact on soil properties and microbial communities of intensive soil management, but very little is known about the impact caused by traditional agroforestry systems carried out by smallholders. To investigate whether the different smallholder's management between a monoculture plantation of Cordia dodecandra trees and a Silvopastoral system has led to a divergence in these ecosystems, soil properties, as well as soil and Cordia dodecandra rhizosphere microbial communities were analysed by MiSeq amplicon sequencing. The main findings were (i) Large variation in the soil properties of the Silvopastoral system suggests that it has a greater heterogeneity; (ii) Organic carbon, organic matter, carbonates, nitrogen, inorganic phosphorous and calcium, was significantly higher in the soil of the Silvopastoral system. (iii) The relative abundance of the major prokaryotic orders in soil and rhizospheres displayed small differences between the two agroforestry systems, and diversity indexes were slightly higher in the Silvopastoral system. (iv) The fungal orders Hypocreales and Pleosporales were more abundant in the Silvopastoral system than in the monoculture. Other evaluated parameters showed only minor or no difference. Thus, the main conclusion is that these soils have diverged in some properties and fungal orders, but not in their prokaryotic communities. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the divergence in soil properties and microbiota of these two extended smallholder agroforestry systems and therefore can serve as reference for future works.     

Manganese availability and microbial populations in the rhizosphere of wheat genotypes differing in tolerance to Mn deficiency

Plant genotypes differ in their capacity to grow in soils with low manganese (Mn) availability. The physiological mechanisms underlying differential tolerance to Mn deficiency are poorly understood. To study the relationship between Mn content in soil, plant genotypes, and rhizosphere microorganisms in differential Mn efficiency, two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, RAC891 (tolerant to Mn deficiency) and Yanac (sensitive), were grown in a Mn‐deficient soil to which 5, 10, 20 or 40 mg Mn kg^–1 were added. The shoot dry matter of both cultivars increased with increasing Mn addition to the soil. At all soil Mn fertilizer levels, the tolerant RAC891 had a greater shoot dry matter and a higher total shoot Mn uptake than the sensitive Yanac. The concentration of DTPA‐extractable Mn in the rhizosphere soil of RAC891 at Mn20 and Mn40 was slightly lower than in the rhizosphere of Yanac. The population density of culturable microorganisms in the rhizosphere soil was low (log 6.8–6.9 cfu (g soil)^–1) in both cultivars and neither Mn oxidation nor reduction were observed in vitro. To assess the non‐culturable fraction of the soil microbial community, the ribosomal intergenetic spacer region of the bacterial DNA in the rhizosphere soil was amplified (RISA) and separated in agarose gels. The RISA banding patterns of the bacterial rhizosphere communities changed markedly with increasing soil Mn level, but there were no differences between the wheat cultivars. The bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere was significantly correlated with the concentration of DPTA‐extractable Mn in the rhizosphere, fertilizer Mn level, shoot dry matter, and total shoot Mn uptake. The results obtained by RISA indicate that differential tolerance to Mn deficiency in wheat may not be related to changes in the composition of the bacterial community in the rhizosphere.