Evaluation of microbial methods as potential indicators of soil quality in historical agricultural fields

In agricultural ecosystems that have had consistent cropping histories, standard microbial methods may be used to evaluate past and present practices. Our objective was to evaluate several microbial methods that best indicate cropping histories and soil quality on long-term plots. We selected soil microbial carbon (C), phospholipid analyses, direct counts of total fungal and bacterial biomass, and soil enzymes (phosphatases) to measure direct and indirect microbial activity on the Sanborn Field and Tucker Prairie. The Sanborn Field has been under various cropping and management practices since 1888 and the Tucker Prairie is an uncultivated site. Seven different plots were chosen on the Sanborn Field and random samples were taken in the summit area on the Tucker Prairie, which represented a reference site. Soil microbial biomass C, phospholipids, and enzyme activity were reflective of the cropping and management histories observed on the Sanborn Field. Enzymatic activity was highly correlated to soil organic matter. The direct counts of fungal and bacterial biomass showed that fungal populations dominated these soils, which may be attributed to soil pH. Soil microbial biomass C and enzyme assays seemed to be better potential indicators of cropping histories than the other methods tested in the long-term plots.This paper has been assigned by the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station to Journal Series no. 12043     

Fluoreszenzmikroskopisch bestimmte mikrobielle Biomasse und deren Beziehung zum Gesamtkohlenstoffgehalt und zur Dehydrogenaseaktivität in ausgewählten Bodenproben

Microbial biomass measured by fluorescence microscopy and its relation to total organic carbon and dehydrogenase activity in selected soil samples Techniques for direct observation of microbial biomass with epifluorescence microscopy, which have proved reliable in aquatic microbiology, were applied for investigation of soils. The procedure for measurement of microbial biomass consisted of ultrasound treatment, filtration with nuclepore-filters, registration of cell-size classes and separate counting of small bacteria. Microbial biomass of an arable A_p (Slu = silty loamy sand) was nearly twice as high with ultrasonication as with untreated samples. In 16 root-free samples removed from different mineral soils, bacterial biomass ranged from 0,22 to 7,50 mg C/g soil, surpassing fungal biomass in general by the factor 2 to 35. Up to 98% of the total organic carbon (C_org) in soil was present in microbial biomass. In uncultivated topsoils dehydrogenase activity was highly correlated with C_org and microbial biomass (n = 7, r_mult. = 0,972, α = 0,001).     

温室不同管理模式对土壤微生物生物量碳和原生动物丰度的影响

为了解温室环境下不同的农业管理模式对土壤微生物生物量碳和原生动物的影响,以中国农业大学曲周日光温室长期定位试验为研究对象,于2012年8—12月进行了5次取样,测定了有机、无公害和常规管理模式下的土壤真菌、细菌生物量碳和原生动物丰度。结果表明:温室环境土壤以细菌分解途径占优势;原生动物中鞭毛虫占绝对优势。管理模式对土壤真菌生物量碳、细菌生物量碳、微生物生物量总碳、原生动物各类群(鞭毛虫、纤毛虫和肉足虫)丰度及总数均有显著影响,但对真菌/细菌比率、鞭毛虫和肉足虫的相对丰度没有显著影响。细菌、真菌和微生物生物量碳在不同管理模式间总体呈现相同的规律,即有机模式无公害模式常规模式;对于原生动物,不同类群呈现出复杂的动态变化规律,总体上有机模式下原生动物数量高于无公害和常规模式的。管理模式对微生物生物量碳和原生动物的影响主要体现在生物量上,而对功能群结构的影响较小。     

Comparison of soil properties between continuously cultivated and adjacent uncultivated soils in rice-based systems

To assess cultivation-induced changes followed during the Green Revolution on continuous rice–rice and rice–wheat cropping, fence-line comparisons between cultivated and adjacent noncultivated soils were made to (a) quantify changes in selected soil chemical and biological properties at two moisture conditions, (b) determine the N, P, and K uptake of rice and wheat as affected by changes in soil properties, and (c) determine the relationship between N, P, and K uptake and soil properties. Two parallel experiments were conducted: laboratory incubation and a greenhouse experiment with soils collected from seven rice–wheat and two rice–rice soils. As an average, NH₄OAc-extractable K, water soluble organic carbon, and hot water soluble organic carbon were all lower by 48%, total carbon by 35%, total nitrogen by 33%, and microbial biomass carbon by 38% in the cultivated soils, whereas no significant change was observed in the enzyme activities. Changes were mostly associated with the existing fertilizer practices and moisture status of the soil during cultivation. In general, fertilizers were not sufficient to replenish crop removal. Soil type also influenced cultivation changes especially soil carbon parameters. Lighter soil texture had higher decomposable organic C and total C declined than heavy soils. Soils with higher declined in both decomposable organic C and total C had higher reduction in functional diversity of culturable microorganisms. The declining C pools caused lower N uptake and there was a clear association between organic matter parameters and N uptake. Olsen P was correlated with P uptake and extractable K with K uptake. As expected, crop biomass correlated with N, P, and K uptake of plants. Comparison of cultivated and its corresponding uncultivated soil provides possibility to determine management effect on soil status.     

Changes in soil microbial community structure following the abandonment of agricultural terraces in mountainous areas of Eastern Spain

In Eastern Spain, almond trees have been cultivated in terraced orchards for centuries, forming an integral part of the Mediterranean forest scene. In the last decades, orchards have been abandoned due to changes in society. This study investigates effects of changes in land use from forest to agricultural land and the posterior land abandonment on soil microbial community, and the influence of soil physico-chemical properties on the microbial community composition (assessed as abundances of phospholipids fatty acids, PLFA). For this purpose, three land uses (forest, agricultural and abandoned agricultural) at four locations in SE Spain were selected. Multivariate analysis showed a substantial level of differentiation in microbial community structure according to land use. The microbial communities of forest soils were highly associated with soil organic matter content. However, we have not found any physical or chemical soil property capable of explaining the differences between agricultural and abandoned agricultural soils. Thus, it was suggested that the cessation of the perturbation caused by agriculture and shifts in vegetation may have led to changes in the microbial community structure. PLFAs indicative of fungi and ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs were higher in abandoned agricultural soils, whereas the relative abundance of bacteria was higher in agricultural soils. Actinomycetes were generally lower in abandoned agricultural soils, while the proportions of vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhyzal fungi were, as a general trend, higher in agricultural and abandoned agricultural soils than in forests. Total microbial biomass and richness increased as agricultural < abandoned agricultural < forest soils.     

Aggregate stability in organically and conventionally farmed soils

A range of factors that influence aggregate stability and soil erodibility were analysed for soils sampled from land managed under contrasting agricultural methods. These included: an organic farm; a conventional farm that incorporated organic fertilizers; a conventional farm that only used inorganic fertilizers; and a non-cultivated control site. The stability of aggregates that compose the bulk soil structure (macroaggregates), and aggregates that were mobilized from the soil by simulated rainfall and surface runoff (microaggregates), were evaluated in terms of the soil fragmentation fractal dimension, organic carbon content and ATP (adenosine 5'-triphosphate; a signature of live biomass) concentration. The results were used to interpret the existing physical condition of the soils, the (microbial) processes that contribute to that physical structure, and how both pedogenic processes and existing soil quality are influenced by agricultural methods. The soils sampled for this study were demonstrated to be multi-fractal in nature: soils with greater bulk density were composed of more stable macro-aggregates, which, in turn, fragmented into larger, more stable micro-aggregates, rendering the entire soil structure less erodible. Soil erodibility and sustainable soil management should therefore be approached at multiple scales. The primary control on both macro- and micro-aggregate stability was determined to be the organic matter input to the soil, as represented by measurements of organic carbon and ATP. Organic content was greatest for the non-cultivated soil, which reflects the degradation of organic reserves in cultivated soils. For cultivated soils, it was not possible to differentiate aggregate stability for soils managed under organic or conventional (i.e. using biological and inorganic fertilizers) farming practices, but aggregates of soils that only received artificial fertilizers consistently exhibited less stability.     

Fungal, bacterial and plant dsDNA contributions to soil total DNA extracted from silty soils under different farming practices: Relationships with chloroform-labile carbon

Twelve differently-managed silty soils from North-Western France were chosen to compare two common methods of quantifying soil microbial biomass: Chloroform fumigation and extraction-labile carbon (CL_C) and microbial double stranded DNA (dsDNA). We also determined the contributions of each of the fungal, bacterial, and plant kingdoms to the total community dsDNA using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction with kingdom-specific ribosomal primer sets. Regardless of the method, the highest microbial biomasses were associated with long-term untilled plots. Site (locations) specificities could also be detected, especially in conventionally cultivated lands. Regardless of site, a strong linear relationship could be drawn between CL_C and dsDNA in tilled lands (r = 0.91, n = 15, P = 0.01) and in grasslands (r = 0.78, n = 21, P = 0.01). Moreover, we propose a logarithmic model describing all of our silty soils, irrespective of management. In order to explain the non-linearity (log) of this relationship, we tested the hypothesis of a weak plant dsDNA contribution in total dsDNA in comparison with the well-documented root cell contribution to CL_C quantifications. Plant dsDNA never exceeded 2.6% of total dsDNA content for all of the soils studied. Among groups examined, the bacterial dsDNA contribution to the community dsDNA pool was the most site- and/or pedoclimatic-dependent. Fungi constituted a major component of total microbial biomass in grassland or in land with permanent plant cover where their proportion reached almost 50% of total dsDNA. More precisely, fungal dsDNA concentration was highly related to tillage. Our study demonstrated the expediency of the total microbial dsDNA quantification in agricultural silty soils rather than the time-consuming quantification of CL_C. Quantifying the relative contribution of bacterial or fungal biomass in total dsDNA by real-time PCR allows to access to a new level of knowledge of the soil microbial biomass and to reveal the balances between those two kingdoms according to soils or farming practices.     

Spatial structure of microbial biomass and activity in prairie soil ecosystems

Management of soil ecosystems requires assessment of key soil physicochemical and microbial properties and the spatial scale over which they operate. The objectives were to determine the spatial structure of microbial biomass and activity and related soil properties, and to identify spatial relationships of these properties in prairie soils under different management histories. Soil were sampled along a transect at 0.2 m intervals in each of five long-term treatments, namely, undisturbed, cattle grazed at two intensities, and cultivated with either wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) or cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Contents of organic carbon (C_org), dissolved organic C (DOC), soluble nitrogen (N_sol), and microbial biomass C (C_mic) and N (N_mic) as well as dehydrogenase activity (DH) in 70 samples were evaluated. Results showed that long-term soil management altered the spatial structure and dependence of C_org and microbial biomass and activity. Cultivation has contributed to high nugget variance for C_org, C_mic, N_mic and DH which interfered with detection of spatial structure at the sampling scale used. Contents of C_org were spatially connected to microbial biomass and activity and to DOC in the uncultivated but not in the cultivated soils, indicating that various factors affected by management may operate at different spatial scales.     

Shifts in microbial diversity through land use intensity as drivers of carbon mineralization in soil

Land use practices alter the biomass and structure of soil microbial communities. However, the impact of land management intensity on soil microbial diversity (i.e. richness and evenness) and consequences for functioning is still poorly understood. Here, we addressed this question by coupling molecular characterization of microbial diversity with measurements of carbon (C) mineralization in soils obtained from three locations across Europe, each representing a gradient of land management intensity under different soil and environmental conditions. Bacterial and fungal diversity were characterized by high throughput sequencing of ribosomal genes. Carbon cycling activities (i.e., mineralization of autochthonous soil organic matter, mineralization of allochthonous plant residues) were measured by quantifying ¹²C- and ¹³C-CO₂ release after soils had been amended, or not, with ¹³C-labelled wheat residues. Variation partitioning analysis was used to rank biological and physicochemical soil parameters according to their relative contribution to these activities. Across all three locations, microbial diversity was greatest at intermediate levels of land use intensity, indicating that optimal management of soil microbial diversity might not be achieved under the least intensive agriculture. Microbial richness was the best predictor of the C-cycling activities, with bacterial and fungal richness explaining 32.2 and 17% of the intensity of autochthonous soil organic matter mineralization; and fungal richness explaining 77% of the intensity of wheat residues mineralization. Altogether, our results provide evidence that there is scope for improvement in soil management to enhance microbial biodiversity and optimize C transformations mediated by microbial communities in soil.     

Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks in Soils of Northeastern Brazil Converted to Irrigated Agriculture

The productivity of agricultural areas in semi‐arid regions can be improved through the use of irrigation. However, the intensive cropping of such soils can have detrimental effects, especially with regard to soil organic matter (SOM) pools. The goal of this work was to evaluate soil organic carbon and nitrogen stocks of different irrigated agricultural systems and compare these to preserved natural ecosystems adjacent to each of the cropping systems. We selected four cropping systems: banana, a maize/bean succession (MB), pasture (P) and guava (G), as well as areas covered by native vegetation. Stocks of total soil organic carbon (TOC), amounts of unprotected and protected soil organic carbon, carbon and nitrogen in microbial biomass and microbial respiration were quantified. Surface soil TOC stocks under banana, G and P grass were significantly greater than under native vegetation and MB system. The most intensive management system was the MB, and the least intensive systems were P and G. The least intensive cropping systems were grouped on the basis of similarities in TOC, POC, total soil nitrogen and N in microbial biomass stocks. These results show that the degree of soil degradation resulting from changes in land use systems increases with the intensity of the land use systems themselves. This confirms the established hypothesis that the extent of degradation of soil properties and changes in some SOM fractions depend on the intensity of soil use. Furthermore, the adoption of conservation practices may remediate soil degradation and increase SOM stocks, mainly at the soil's surface. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil organic carbon and microbial communities respond to vineyard management

The farming practices in vineyards vary widely, but how does this affect vineyard soils? The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of vineyard management practices on soil organic matter and the soil microbial community. To this end, we investigated three adjacent vineyards in the Traisen valley, Austria, of which the soils had developed on the same parent material and under identical environmental/site conditions but were managed differently (esp. tillage, fertilizer application, cover crops) for more than 10 yrs. We found that topsoil bulk density (BD) decreased with increasing tillage intensity, while subsoil BD showed the opposite trend. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in 0–50 cm depth increased from 10 kg m^?2 in an unfertilized and frequently tilled vineyard to 17 kg m^?2 in a regularly fertilized but less intensively tilled vineyard. Topsoil microbial biomass per unit SOC, estimated by the sum of microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), followed this trend, albeit not statistically significantly. Principal component analysis of PLFA patterns revealed that the microbial communities were compositionally distinct between different management practices. The fungal PLFA marker 18:2ω6,9 was highest in the vineyard with the lowest amount of extractable Cu (by 0.01 m CaCl₂), and the bacterial‐to‐fungal biomass ratio was positively correlated with extractable Cu. Our results indicate that tillage and fertilizer application of vineyards can strongly affect vineyard soil properties such as BD and SOC stocks and that the application of Cu‐based fungicides may impair soil fungal communities.     

Organic C and N storage, and organic C fractions, in adjacent cultivated and forested soils of eastern Canada

As a major attribute of soil quality, organic matter is responsive to agricultural land use practices including tillage. A study was initiated in eastern Canada to characterize changes in the masses of organic C and total N, and organic matter fractions in forested and adjacent cultivated or forage sites. Generally, the cultivated and forage sites had denser soil profiles than the forest sites. Based on an equivalent soil mass, to accommodate differences in soil bulk density, the paired forest and cultivated sites showed that cultivation decreased the mass of organic C (35%) and total N (10%) in the soil profile of the Podzolic soils, but increased organic C (25%) and total N (37%) in the Brunisolic (Cambisol) and Gleysolic soils. For the Podzolic soils, use of forages increased soil stored organic C and N by 55% and 35%, respectively. Organic C fractions were mainly of significance in the A horizon. Soil microbial biomass C was greater in the forested, compared to the cultivated soil, but the proportion of soil organic C as microbial biomass C (1.3% to 1.6%) was similar. The proportion, however, was greater (2.1%) for the forage soil, compared to the corresponding cultivated (1.3%) soil, suggesting that organic C was continuing to increase under the former. The relatively large proportion (19%) of organic C found in the light fraction of forest soils in the A horizon was decreased (up to 70%) by cultivation. In contrast, the proportion of macro-organic C present in the soil sand fraction was not greatly influenced by cultivation. Overall, soils in eastern Canada have a relatively large potential to store organic matter. The study illustrates the importance of soil type and cultivation interactions for maintenance of soil organic matter storage, and the positive influence of forages in this regard in agroecosystems.     

Anthropogenic effects on soil quality of ancient agricultural systems of the American Southwest

Soil studies of ancient agricultural fields contribute to research on long-term human–environmental relationships and land use sustainability. This kind of research is especially applicable in desert landscapes of the American Southwest because: (1) soil formation is slow enough that cultivation effects persist for centuries to millennia; (2) many ancient fields in valley margins have remained uncultivated since they were abandoned, so long-term soil properties reflect ancient agricultural use; and (3) agricultural features (e.g., terraces, rock alignments and rock piles, and irrigation canals) provide clues for identifying and sampling ancient cultivated and uncultivated soils. Surficial remnants of these field systems persist and remain intact in many cases. Soil studies of ancient and modern American Indian agricultural systems across the Southwest indicate that soil changes are highly variable, ranging from degradation (e.g., organic matter/nutrient decline, compaction), to minimal net change, to enhanced soil quality. Soil changes caused by cultivation can be inferred by comparing soils in agricultural fields relative to reference uncultivated areas in similar landscape settings (that is, space-for-time substitution). Soil response trajectories vary for a number of reasons, such as variability in initial ecosystem conditions, diversity in agricultural methods, variability in the mix of crops and cropping intensity, and environmental sensitivity to alteration (varying resistance and resilience). Studies of rock mulch soils indicate enhanced fertility, with elevated organic carbon, nitrogen, and available phosphorus levels, increased infiltration rates and moisture retention, and no evidence of compaction. By contrast, cultivation effects vary widely for terraced soils. Although numerous studies have focused on irrigation canals, irrigated soils have received far less attention. Soil studies of irrigation systems along the Gila and Santa Cruz rivers of Arizona now underway will help fill this research gap.     

Excessive Nitrogen Inputs in Intensive Greenhouse Cultivation May Influence Soil Microbial Biomass and Community Composition

Intensive greenhouse vegetable‐production systems commonly utilize excessive fertilizer inputs that are inconsistent with sustainable production and may affect soil quality. Soil samples were collected from 15 commercial greenhouses used for tomato production and from neighboring fields used for wheat cropping to determine the effects of intensive vegetable cultivation on soil microbial biomass and community structure. Soil total nitrogen (N) and organic‐matter contents were greater in the intensive greenhouse tomato soils than the open‐field wheat soils. Soil microbial carbon (C) contents were greater in the greenhouse soils, and soil microbial biomass N showed a similar trend but with high variation. The two cropping systems were not significantly different. Soil microbial biomass C was significantly correlated with both soil total N and soil organic matter, but the relationships among soil microbial biomass N, soil total N, and organic‐matter content were not significant. The Biolog substrate utilization potential of the soil microbial communities showed that greenhouse soils were significantly higher (by 14%) than wheat soils. Principal component (PC) analysis of soil microbial communities showed that the wheat sites were significantly correlated with PC1, whereas the greenhouse soils were variable. The results indicate that changes in soil microbiological properties may be useful indicators for the evaluation of soil degradation in intensive agricultural systems.     

Distribution of microbial biomass and its activity in different soil aggregate size classes as affected by cultivation

Cultivation is known to influence the organic matter status and structural stability of soil. We investigated the effects of 69 yr of cultivation on the nature, distribution and activity of microbial biomass (MB) in different aggregate size classes of an Orthic Brown Chernozemic soil. Cultivation decreased MB content, its activity and enzyme activity in soil. Microaggregate (<0.25mm) size classes in both native and cultivated soils contained lower organic-C, MB-C, fungal biomass, arylsulfatase, acid phosphatase and respiratory activities as compared to macroaggregates. However, the negative effects of cultivation were more pronounced on macroaggregate size classes. Nutrient ratios of both whole aggregates and microbial biomass were narrower in aggregates from cultivated soil as compared to native soil. In both native and cultivated soils, mineralization of C. N and S was greater in macroaggregates as compared to that in microaggregates. The greatest effect of cultivation on nutrient and microbial characteristics was observed in the 0.25 to 1.00 mm dia size classes. These results suggest that microbial biomass, especially fungal biomass, plays an important role in the formation of macroaggregates and is the labile organic matter that serves as the primary source of C and nutrients released following cultivation.     

Changes in soil microflora in response to repeated applications of some pesticides

The effects of pesticides on soil microflora were studied on arable soils that had received repeated applications of carbofuran and carbosulfan (insecticides), iprodione and vinclozolin (fungicides), and MCPA, simazine and paraquat (herbicides). Carbofuran at single and 5-fold treatments did not show any detectable detrimental effects on soil microbial biomass, but single application of carbosulfan produced a significant biomass reduction. There were dramatic reductions in soil microbial biomass following vinclozolin application, and this was due to a reduction in fungal biomass; iprodione showed less obvious biomass trends. MCPA and simazine caused no detectable effects to the microflora, but repeated paraquat application significantly lowered soil microbial biomass (chiefly fungal biomass). The results indicate that there may be substantially different effects on soil biomass produced by single or repeated applications of pesticides.     

Amino sugars and muramic acid—biomarkers for soil microbial community structure analysis

Characterizing functional and phylogenetic microbial community structure in soil is important for understanding the fate of microbially-derived compounds during the decomposition and turn-over of soil organic matter. This study was conducted to test whether amino sugars and muramic acid are suitable biomarkers to trace bacterial, fungal, and actinomycetal residues in soil. For this aim, we investigated the pattern, amounts, and dynamics of three amino sugars (glucosamine, mannosamine and galactosamine) and muramic acid in the total microbial biomass and selectively cultivated bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes of five different soils amended with and without glucose. Our results revealed that total amino sugar and muramic acid concentrations in microbial biomass, extracted from soil after chloroform fumigation varied between 1 and 27 mg kg⁻¹ soil. In all soils investigated, glucose addition resulted in a 50-360% increase of these values. In reference to soil microbial biomass-C, the total amino sugar- and muramic acid-C concentrations ranged from 1-71 g C kg⁻¹ biomass-C. After an initial lag phase, the cultivated microbes revealed similar amino sugar concentrations of about 35, 27 and 17 g glucosamine-C kg⁻¹ TOC in bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes, respectively. Mannosamine and galactosamine concentrations were lower than those for glucosamine. Mannosamine was not found in actinomycete cultures. The highest muramic acid concentrations were found in bacteria, but small amounts were also found in actinomycete cultures. The concentrations of the three amino sugars studied and muramic acid differed significantly between bacteria and the other phylogenetic microbial groups under investigation (fungi and actinomycetes). Comparison between the amino sugar and muramic acid concentrations in soil microbial biomass, extracted after chloroform fumigation, and total concentrations in the soil showed that living microbial biomass contributed negligible amounts to total amino sugar contents in the soil, being at least two orders of magnitude greater in the soils than in the soil inherent microbial biomass. Thus, amino sugars are significantly stabilized in soil.     

薄层黑土微生物生物量碳氮对土壤侵蚀—沉积的响应

研究土壤侵蚀—沉积对土壤微生物生物量的影响可以为科学评估土壤侵蚀的环境效应提供依据。以典型薄层黑土区——黑龙江省宾州河流域为研究区,利用土壤137Cs含量估算侵蚀速率,通过分析流域不同位置和不同坡面部位土壤微生物生物量碳和氮含量以及土壤侵蚀强度的差异,揭示土壤微生物生物量对土壤侵蚀—沉积的响应规律。结果表明:流域不同位置和不同坡面部位土壤微生物生物量的分布存在明显差异,并呈现出与土壤侵蚀—沉积空间分布相反的变化趋势。土壤侵蚀速率在流域的分布为上游中游下游,在坡面的分布为坡中部坡上部坡下部;土壤微生物生物量碳(Microbial biomass carbon,MBC)和微生物生物量氮(Microbial biomass nitrogen,MBN)在流域表现为下游中游上游,在坡面表现为坡下部坡上部坡中部。回归分析表明,MBC、MBN、有机质(Organic matter,OM)和全氮(Total nitrogen,TN)含量随土壤侵蚀强度的增大而减少。土壤侵蚀对土壤微生物生物量的分布有重要影响,土壤侵蚀—沉积过程引起土壤养分的迁移和再分布是导致侵蚀区和沉积区土壤微生物生物量分布产生差异的重要原因。     

Soil respiration is not limited by reductions in microbial biomass during long-term soil incubations

Declining rates of soil respiration are reliably observed during long-term laboratory incubations. However, the cause of this decline is uncertain. We explored different controls on soil respiration to elucidate the drivers of respiration rate declines during long-term soil incubations. Following a long-term (707 day) incubation (30 °C) of soils from two sites (a cultivated and a forested plot at Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, MI, USA), soils were significantly depleted of both soil carbon and microbial biomass. To test the ability of these carbon- and biomass-depleted (“incubation-depleted”) soils to respire labile organic matter, we exposed soils to a second, 42 day incubation (30 °C) with and without an addition of plant residues. We controlled for soil carbon and microbial biomass depletion by incubating field fresh (“fresh”) soils with and without an amendment of wheat and corn residues. Although respiration was consistently higher in the fresh versus incubation-depleted soil (2 and 1.2 times higher in the fresh cultivated and fresh forested soil, respectively), the ability to respire substrate did not differ between the fresh and incubation-depleted soils. Further, at the completion of the 42 day incubation, levels of microbial biomass in the incubation-depleted soils remained unchanged, while levels of microbial biomass in the field-fresh soil declined to levels similar to that of the incubation-depleted soils. Extra-cellular enzyme pools in the incubation-depleted soils were sometimes slightly reduced and did not respond to addition of labile substrate and did not limit soil respiration. Our results support the idea that available soil organic matter, rather than a lack microbial biomass and extracellular enzymes, limits soil respiration over the course of long-term incubations. That decomposition of both wheat and corn straw residues did not change after major changes in the soil biomass during extended incubation supports the omission of biomass values from biogeochemical models.     

土地利用和轮作方式对旱地红壤生化性质的影响

研究不同土地利用和轮作方式对旱地红壤肥力的影响对提高红壤质量具有十分重要的指导意义。本研究以湖南省桃源县的林地、大豆-油菜轮作、玉米-休闲轮作土壤为研究对象,明确了林地、农地土壤及农地不同轮作方式对土壤化学和生物性质的影响。结果表明,林地土壤的pH、有机碳、速效养分、微生物生物量碳及酶活性(纤维素酶、酸性磷酸酶、转化酶、蛋白酶)均显著高于农地土壤;大豆-油菜轮作土壤的pH、养分含量、微生物生物量碳含量及其微生物熵在大多数情况下高于玉米-休闲轮作,但轮作处理对各酶活性的影响并不完全一致。这种不一致性可能与不同酶对由不同利用和轮作方式导致的土壤性质差异的敏感性不同所致。土壤有机碳和pH与各生物指标均呈显著正相关关系,表明提高该地区的土壤有机碳含量对于维持土壤的生化性质具有重要的作用。