Seasonal patterns of cellulase concentration in desert soil

The concentration of cellulose in plant material greatly affects the decomposition rate of plant-derived litter and hence carbon availability. The disappearance of pure cellulose in soil was studied as a measure of plant decomposition and carbon turnover. Our objective was to understand the effect of various cellulose concentrations and plant material added to soil and collected during different seasons, on cellulase concentrations under laboratory conditions (e.g. constant soil moisture and incubation temperature). The percentage of recovery of the enzyme in the control soil and in samples amended with known amounts of cellulose powder was estimated. Several methods for estimating soil cellulase concentrations/activity are available, most based on the determination of released reducing sugars. The method used in this study is based on the cleavage of a cellulose-azure substrate by cellulase to spectrophotometrically detectable fragments. Our results showed a significant correlation (p<0.05) between cellulose concentration and cellulase levels in soil, which varied along the study period. When pure cellulose was added to the soil, cellulase was detected after 7 days of incubation, whereas when plant material was added to the soil, cellulase was detected after 14 days. The recovery of cellulase from soil was also found to be seasonally dependent. The method of cellulase determination used in this study was simple, safe and rapid. From the results presented in this study, it can be assumed that there are seasonally dependent factors that affect the existence and concentration of cellulase in soils of the arid Negev Desert, in addition to organic matter, water and temperature.     

Effects of chemical inhibitors on soil protozoan dynamics in a desert ecosystem

This field study was designed to monitor the composition, size, and dynamics of the protozoan population during the different seasons in an arid environment. The protozoan populations contribution to the ecological system was examined using chemical inhibitors. Samples were collected from the 0 to 10 and 10 to 20-cm depths from four different treatment plots: Nemacur (nematocide), Edigan (biocide), water, and control. The results obtained from the field study demonstrated that the number of protozoan individuals was affected by season and was significantly higher as spring neared. The flagellate population appeared in soil samples throughout the year, whereas the ciliate population appeared mainly during the wet seasons (winter and spring). Use of soil population inhibitors did not demonstrate any significant differences between treatments in the number of protozoan individuals in winter, summer, and autumn. During the populations proliferation in spring, a significant change between treatments occurred in population composition and size.     

Evolution of soil respiration depends on biological soil crusts across a 50-year chronosequence of desert revegetation

Despite intensive study in recent decades, soil respiration rate (Rs) and its evolution accompanying vegetation succession remain perplexing. Using a 50-year chronosequence of sand-fixing revegetation in the Tengger Desert of China, we took intact soil columns of 20 cm in depth, incubated them at 12 levels of soil water content (0–0.4 m³ m^?3) and at nine temperatures (5–45°C) in a growth chamber, and measured Rs. The results showed that Rs increased rapidly 15 to 20 years following revegetation but stabilized after 25 years. Rs for soils covered with moss crusts were markedly higher than those covered with algal crusts. Further, Rs correlated significantly with sand content (negatively) and fine particle contents (positively), and increased exponentially with increased soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN) contents. Soil texture had a stronger influence on Rs than did SOM and TN. Also, Rs increased linearly with increased coverage and depth of biological soil crusts, which had a more pronounced influence on Rs than did soil physicochemical properties. Our results suggest that the capacity of carbon sequestration likely increases during the 50-year period after revegetation because the linear increase in SOM outweighs the limited sigmoidal increase in Rs.     

Longterm influence of liquid sewage sludge on the organic carbon and nitrogen content of a furrow-irrigated desert soil

Summary In this study we evaluated the impact of five annual liquid sewage-sludge applications on the organic C and N content of a furrow-irrigated desert soil. Mineralization rates showed that sludge organic matter is mineralized rapidly (65% per year). Resistant residual sludge organic matter accumulation resulted in a theoretical increase in total soil organic C of 0.013% for the single sludge rate or 0.038% for three annual applications. These small additions were not detected in sludged soils at any depth to 270 cm. Similarly, increases in total soil N were not detected at any depth. However, soluble forms of organic C and N did increase in sludged soils relative to the non-sludged soils. In addition, soluble C:N ratios decreased significantly in the sludged soils. Soluble C and N also increased with depth due to leaching. This study therefore shows that applications of liquid sludge onto desert soils could affect the status of underground aquifers with respect to nitrate pollution.     

Ameba community dynamics and diversity in a desert ecosystem

A field study was conducted to monitor the effect of different desert shrub ecophysiological adaptations on the composition, size, and diversity of soil free-living amebae. Population diversity was also analyzed using four morphological types. Samples were collected seasonally under the canopy of the common desert shrubs Artemisia herba alba, Reaumuria negevensis, and Noea mucronata. Control samples were taken from exposed interspace areas between shrubs. The composition and diversity of the ameba population were significantly affected by both season and plant species. Types 3 and 4 amebae were found to create a complementary system of adaptation in which type 3 was resistant and adapted to the harsh environment, whereas type 4 was much more vulnerable and existed for short periods of time when the environment allowed. The Reaumuria negevensis ecophysiological adaptation had a negative effect on type 4 amebae by creating a stressed environment.     

Effect of fractionation on location of enzyme activities in soil structural units

Summary Two different soils were fractionated with three granulometric procedures. Enzyme activity measurements were carried out in four fractions of real (undisturbed), stable (water-dispersed) and structural (water-dispersed and physically disrupted) soil units.A predominance of catalase (67.3%), dehydrogenase (57.6%) and urease (65.3%) activities was observed in soil structural microunits with diameters of less than 50 m. Highest protease activity was found in fractions with a diameter of less than 50 m (66.3%) and in fractions with a diameter ranging from 200 to 2000 m (18.5%) which contain organic matter of a higher and lower grade of humification, respectively.All fractionation procedures result in a loss of total enzyme activities, which was more clear in the physically disrupted soil than in the sieved soil (e.g. 38.4% vs. 5.9% loss of urease activity).     

纤维素酶高产菌株桧状青霉9-3的诱变选育及产酶条件研究

本文以桧状青霉9-3为出发菌株,采用硫酸二乙酯（DES）诱变,通过筛选得到一株酶活力高且遗传稳定性良好的菌株H16,其滤纸酶活力、β-葡萄糖苷酶酶活力与蛋白产量均较出发菌株相比均提高了4倍左右。并通过对发酵培养基以及发酵条件的优化,确定了最佳的产酶条件为：微晶纤维素浓度为2%,玉米浆干粉浓度为1.5%,发酵温度为30℃,初始pH为5.5,装液量为30 mL/250 mL,发酵周期为5 d。在优化的条件下,该菌株的纤维素酶和蛋白产量均进一步提高25%左右。     

荒漠草原土壤酶与土壤养分的动态研究

研究了内蒙古荒漠草原不同利用强度单元内土壤养分以及5种酶活性,并对土壤酶活性与土壤养分含量之间的相关性进行了分析。结果表明,草原的利用强度直接影响着草地的土壤养分状况和酶活性,轻度利用有利于土壤中5种酶活性的增加,重度利用则导致土壤转化酶和蛋白酶活性显著降低。轻度利用增加了土壤中有机质、全氮和全磷的含量,重度利用则导致土壤有机质、全磷、全氮和全钾含量降低。脲酶和多酚氧化酶的活性在年季内变化幅度较大。相关性分析表明,蛋白酶与各养分之间的相关性最大。     

Denitrification activity in the root zone of a sludge-amended desert soil

Summary We evaluated potential NO _inf3 ^sup- losses from organic and inorganic N sources applied to improve the growth of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) on a Pima clay loam soil (Typic Torrifluvent). An initial set of soil cores (April 1989) was collected to a depth of 270 cm from sites in a cotton field previously amended with anaerobically digested sewage sludge or an inorganic N fertilizer. The denitrification potential was estimated in all soil samples by measuring N₂O with gas chromatography. Soils amended with a low or high rate of sludge showed increased denitrification activity over soil samples amended with a low rate or inorganic N fertilizer. All amended samples showed greater denitrification activity than control soils. The denitrification decreased with soil depth in all treatments, and was only evident as deep as 90 cm in the soils treated with the high sludge rate. However, when soils collected from depths greater than 90 cm were amended with a C substrate, significant denitrification activity occurred. These date imply that organisms capable of denitrification were present in all soil samples, even those at depths far beneath the root zone. Hence, denitrification was C-substrate limited. A second series of soil cores taken later in the growing season (July 1989) confirmed these data. Denitrification losses (under laboratory conditions) to a soil depth of 270 cm represented 1–4% of total soil N depending on treatment, when the activity was C-substrate limited. With additional C substrate, the denitrification losses increased to 15–22% of the total soil N.     

Amino-N compounds found in soil organic matter hydrolysates of a loamy sand using an immobilized protease reactor column

Summary Soil organic matter (OM) from seven different fertility plots of a loamy sand was extracted and fractionated into high- and low-molecular-weight (HMW, LMW) fractions using gel filtration. The fractions were acid-hydrolyzed to determine the amino sugar and amino acid contents. The same fractions were hydrolyzed with an immobilized protease reactor column. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify the soil amino-N compounds. With the HMW fraction as substrate, the enzyme released less than 1% of 11 amino-N compounds determined by acid hydrolysis. Phenylalanine and leucine, however, were recovered in quantities of 2% and 4%, respectively. Immobilized protease hydrolysis of the LMW fraction recovered considerably more amino-N compounds compared with acid hydrolysis of the same fractions. Each system of hydrolysis produced some amino-N compounds not found in the other. We conclude that an immobilized enzyme reactor column will allow a researcher to perform time-course hydrolysis, so that hydrolysis intermediates, e.g. peptides, can be separated and identified.     

Bacterial diversity and occurrence of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the Atacama Desert soil during a “desert bloom” event

The Atacama Desert, located in northern Chile, is one of the driest deserts on the Earth. However, in some years, short and sporadic rainfall in the southern end of this desert has increased the soil moisture that produces ephemeral “desert bloom”. Our goal was to assess the composition of the bacterial community and determine variations in the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria guild diversity from soils collected during the course of the “desert bloom” event. The bacterial composition from this arid soil was determined by cloning and sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. A relatively high diversity of clones belonging to 14 bacterial groups was detected. The ammonia-oxidizers showed a significantly higher diversity of amoA gene clones after the “desert bloom” than during or at the beginning of this event. All sequences obtained were related to Nitrosospira genera and environmental clones. These results suggest that the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in this arid soil can be affected by the occurrence of “desert bloom”.     

Relationship of soil organic matter dynamics to physical protection and tillage

Tillage has been reported to reduce organic matter concentrations and increase organic matter turnover rates to a variable extent. The change of soil climate and the incorporation of aboveground C inputs within the soil lead to no unique effect on biodegradation rates, because of their strong interaction with the regional climate and the soil physical properties. The periodical perturbation of soil structure by tools and the subsequent drying–rewetting cycles may be the major factor increasing organic matter decomposition rates by exposing the organic matter that is physically protected in microaggregates to biodegradation. This paper reviews the assessed effects of tillage on organic matter, the scale, extent and mechanisms of physical protection of organic matter in soils.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis of ester sulphate in soil organic matter extracts

Summary A method of assessing the enzymatic hydrolysis of ester sulphate in soil organic matter was developed. Soil organic matter extracted using a mild, chelating resin extraction procedure was incubated with a sulphatase from Helix pomatia in 0.05 M sodium acetate buffer (pH 4–8) at 37°C for 2h and the sulphate released was determined by a high performance liquid chromatography-conductivity detector system. The effect of some soil factors on the enzymatic hydrolysis of ester sulphate was examined. The study showed that part of the ester sulphate in soil organic matter was biochemically reactive. In the three Podzols studied, the ester sulphate hydrolysed accounted for 2%–12% of the hydriodic acid-reducible organic sulphate extracted. The largest amount of hydrolysable ester sulphate was found in the soil with a low pH, high inorganic sulphate and high hydriodic acid-reducible organic sulphate.     

Substrate utilization patterns of desert soil microbial communities in response to xeric and mesic conditions

The Negev Desert is characterized by low soil moisture and organic matter content and an unpredictable rainfall amount, dispersion, and intensity. Water and nutrient availability are, therefore, the major limiting factors of biological activity in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Plants have developed different ecophysiological adaptations in order to cope with the harsh conditions in this xeric environment, e.g., excretion of salt (Reaumuria negevensis) and chemical compounds (Artemisia sieberi) through the leaves. Microorganisms constitute a major part of these ecosystems' total biomass, and are diverse members of the soil food web, being primarily responsible for breaking down complex organic compounds, which are then recycled. They are also known to be very sensitive to abiotic changes and can time their activity to the environmental conditions.Soil samples were collected monthly from a 0 to 10 cm depth, under the canopies of A. sieberi, Noaea mucronata, and R. negevensis. Samples collected from inter-shrub spaces served as control. CO₂ evolution, microbial biomass, microbial functional diversity, and the physiological profile of the community, were determined by MicroResp™ analysis. A significant difference was found between the two dry periods in most of the examined parameters. The values of water, organic matter content, and total soluble nitrogen were higher in soil samples collected in the vicinity of R. negevensis than in samples collected in the vicinity of N. mucronata, A. sieberi, and the open area. A similar trend was found in CO₂ evolution, microbial biomass, and H' values, in which soil samples collected beneath the canopies of N. mucronata and R. negevensis and from open area had higher values during the wet periods (which were characterized by a mesic environment) and in samples collected beneath the A. sieberi in the wet 2006 and dry 2007 periods.     

Change of dry bulk density and Ksat after incubation of a soil in the presence of organic amendments

Abstract

Kamouraska Ap horizon samples were incubated in the presence of organic amendments, peat moss, straw, compost and green manure, applied at a rate equivalent to 7.5 t of carbon/ha. Water was added to reach 80% of field capacity. The soil‐amendement mixtures were incubated at 37°C for periods of 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 weeks. Settling tests were performed using a jolting volumeter. Minimum dry bulk density (mDBD), saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_sat) and water content at field capacity were determined. For the unamended soil, mDBD corresponded to 1.1 g.cm^‐3 and K_{sat max} to 265 cm/h. After incubation, mDBD varied from 1.02 to 1.12 g.cm^‐3 and K_{sat max} values were generally below 150 cm/h. The results were discussed in relation to the decomposition of the organic amendments and the formation of stable aggregates.     

新疆绿洲农田不同开垦年限土壤有机碳及不同粒径土壤颗粒有机碳变化

研究不同开垦年限新疆绿洲农田土壤有机碳及不同粒径土壤颗粒有机碳的变化规律,评价长期垦殖对新疆绿洲农田土壤有机碳的影响。以相应未开垦地为对照,选取南北疆兰州湾、31团和普惠农场三个典型绿洲不同开垦年限土壤为研究对象,应用物理分组方法研究不同粒径土壤颗粒中有机碳含量及分布。结果表明:(1)开垦有利于新疆绿洲农田土壤总有机碳的积累,开垦初期(0～5a)增加迅速,年均增加0·5gkg-1,10a后增加趋于平缓。(2)垦殖增加了不同粒径土壤颗粒有机碳的含量,砂粒有机碳在垦殖10a间达到最大值后趋于相对稳定的水平;粉砂粒和黏粒有机碳随垦殖年限延长增加。(3)开垦提高了POC/MOC值,表现为开垦初期(0～5a)增加迅速,10a左右达到最大值后开始下降。研究说明,新疆绿洲区域未开垦地开垦增加了土壤总有机碳和不同粒径土壤颗粒有机碳含量,随垦殖年限延长,粉砂粒和黏粒有机碳成为绿洲农田土壤主要碳库,土壤自身生产力存在下降可能,土壤质量存在潜在退化风险。     

Effect of desert plant ecophysiological adaptation on soil nematode communities

Nutrient source limitation in desert ecosystems enhances competition among plant communities, leading to creation of microhabitats beneath the shrubs that can determine composition and abundance of soil organisms. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of plant ecophysiological adaptation on soil nematode communities in the rhizosphere of tightly interweaving shrubby communities. Soil samples were collected monthly under the canopies of three perennial desert shrubs: Artemesia herba-alba, possessing the allelopathic ability to dominate in relationships with other plants; Reaumuria negevensis, a salt-resistant plant; and Noea mucronata, a typical dry desert shrub. An inter-plant area was used as a control. The results demonstrated that soil water content (SWC) and total organic carbon (C_org) were significantly different under different plants and inter-plant areas, with the highest values found under R. negevensis (SWC) and N. mucronata and R. negevensis (C_org). Plant parasite and omnivore-predator nematodes were more sensitive to the ecophysiological individual features of observed plants versus the total number of nematodes and bacteria- and fungi-feeding nematodes. Generally accepted ecological indices such as Wasilewska (WI), trophic diversity (T), maturity (MI, MMI), basal (BI), enrichment (EI), structure (SI), and channel (CI), pointed to specific ecological conditions under canopies of the observed plants.     

荒漠盐生植物根际土壤酶活性的变化

利用根袋法研究了荒漠盐土和灌耕灰漠土中6种不同荒漠盐生植物根际养分和酶活性特征.结果表明:两种土壤中,根际土全氮含量比非根际土高,但全磷却比非根际土低.根际土有效态养分的变化则与全态相反,6种植物的根际土有效氮含量均显著低于非根际土,除芦苇外,根际土有效磷含量均高于非根际土.6种植物中,钠猪毛菜根际土有效氮亏缺最高,有效磷富集也最少.分析测定了根际土和非根际土转化酶、蛋白酶、过氧化氢酶、脲酶、中性磷酸酶和碱性磷酸酶活性及其与土壤养分的关系.结果表明:过氧化氢酶、脲酶和蛋白酶在两种土壤的植物根际表现出相反的变化,荒漠盐土中,根际土3种酶的活性均高于非根际土;而灌耕灰漠土的根际土3种酶活性均低于非根际土.荒漠盐土碱性磷酸酶、过氧化氢酶和转化酶与几种主要养分含量有很强的相关性,较好地体现了荒漠盐土根际的养分状况,也说明盐生植物对荒漠盐土酶活性有较大的影响.     

有机质对土壤光谱特性的影响研究

为了探明土壤有机质的光谱特征及其影响作用,从而为有机质土壤铁氧化物的定量反演提供理论依据。利用去有机质前后土壤的光谱数据,研究了有机质对土壤反射率、土壤线参数、土壤铁氧化物定量反演的影响。研究结果表明,去除有机质后,能明显提高土壤反射率,变化最明显的为可见光橙黄光波段,即570～630 nm。相关性分析也显示橙黄光波段反射率的相对变化量或差值与有机质去除量之间的相关系数要比其他波段高,相关系数最大值在600 nm。因此,建议采用570～630 nm的光谱数据进行有机质的反演;土壤线斜率在去有机质后明显降低,截距显著增大,二者变化量与有机质去除量呈极显著相关关系,可用土壤线参数预测有机质含量。有机质对铁氧化物的反演具有明显影响,特别是有机质大于20 g kg-1的土壤,在进行反演时应考虑有机质对反演精度的影响,需采取有效地技术手段消减其影响作用,才能达到较好的效果。     

Characterization of ester sulphate in a gypsum-amended podzol using an immobilized sulphatase reactor

An immobilized sulphatase reactor column was successfully used to determine the biochemical stability of ester sulphate in soil organic matter extracted from a podzol amended with gypsum. The sulphatase from Helix pomatia was covalently attached to controlled-porosity glass beads, and the immobilized enzyme was packed into a small glass column. The optimum pH, the time required to reach equilibrium, and the percentage of substrate consumed for the enzymatic hydrolysis of soil ester sulphate (pH 7.7, 90 min, 23–59%) were substantially different from those of p-nitrophenyl sulphate at similar concentrations of substrate (pH 7.0, 40 min, 99%). The striking difference in the biochemical stability and kinetic behaviour between soil ester sulphate and the simple synthetic substrate reflected their different chemical nature and structural features. The amounts of enzymatically hydrolysable (labile) ester sulphate in soil organic matter extracted from the podzol amended with gypsum at rates of 0, 50, and 200 kg S ha^-1 were significantly different (P=0.0004), being 0.5, 1.1, and 1.4 g S ml^-1 soil extract (or 5, 11, and 14 g S g^-1 soil), respectively. The labile ester sulphate was not correlated with the total hydriodic acid-reducible organic sulphate with the soil organic matter extracts but with the hydriodic acid-reducible organic sulphate: organic C ratio, which increased as a result of gypsum amendment. This study revealed that input of inorganic sulphate as gypsum substantially increased the accumulation of labile ester sulphate in a podzol.