Rapid effects of plant species diversity and identity on soil microbial communities in experimental grassland ecosystems

Changes in plant community structure, including the loss of plant diversity may affect soil microbial communities. To test this hypothesis, plant diversity and composition were experimentally varied in grassland plots cultivated with monocultures or mixtures of 2, 3 or 4 species. We tested the effects of monocultures versus mixtures and of plant species composition on culturable soil bacterial activity, number of substrates used and catabolic diversity, microbial biomass N, microbial respiration, and root biomass. These properties were all measured 10 months after seeding the experiment. Soil bacterial activity, number of substrates used and catabolic diversity were measured in the different plant communities using BIOLOG GN and GP microplates, which are redox-based tests measuring capacity of soil culturable bacteria to use a variety of organic substrates. Microbial biomass N, microbial respiration, and root biomass were insensitive to plant diversity. Culturable soil microbial activity, substrates used and diversity declined with declining plant diversity. Their activity, number of substrates used and diversity were significantly higher in plots with 3 and 4 plant species than in monocultures and in plots with 2 species. There was also an effect of plant species composition. Culturable soil microbial activity and diversity was higher in the four-species plant community than in any of the plant monocultures suggesting that the effect of plant diversity could not be explained by the presence of a particular plant species. Our results showed that changes in plant diversity and composition in grassland ecosystems lead to a rapid response of bacterial activity and diversity.     

Effects of long-term litter manipulation on soil carbon,nitrogen, and phosphorus in a temperate deciduous forest

Changes in above-ground litterfall can influence below-ground biogeochemical processes in forests. In order to examine how above-ground litter inputs affect soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in a temperate deciduous forest, we studied a 14-year-old small-scale litter manipulation experiment that included control, litter exclusion, and doubled litter addition at a mature Fagus sylvatica L. site. Total organic C (TOC), total N (TN) and total P (TP), total organic P (TOP), bioavailable inorganic P (Pi), microbial C, N and P, soil respiration and fine root biomass were analyzed in the A and in two B horizons. Our results showed that litter manipulation had no significant effect on TOC in the mineral soil. Litter addition increased the bioavailable Pi in the A horizon but had no significant effect on N in the mineral soil. Litter exclusion decreased TN and TP in the B horizon to a depth of 10 cm. In the A horizon of the litter exclusion treatment, TP, TOP and bioavailable Pi were increased, which is most likely due to the higher root biomass in this treatment. The high fine root biomass seems to have counteracted the effects of the excluded aboveground litter. In conclusion, our study indicates that aboveground litter is not an important source for C in the mineral soil and that P recycling from root litter might be more important than from above-ground litter.     

Organic farming fosters agroecosystem functioning in Argentinian temperate soils: Evidence from litter decomposition and soil fauna

Benefits of organic farming on soil fauna have been widely observed and this has led to consider organic farming as a potential approach to reduce the environmental impact of conventional agriculture. However, there is still little evidence from field conditions about direct benefits of organic agriculture on soil ecosystem functioning. Hence, the aims of this study were to compare the effect of organic farming versus conventional farming on litter decomposition and to study how this process is affected by soil meso- and macrofauna abundances. Systems studied were: (1) organic farming with conventional tillage (ORG), (2) conventional farming with conventional tillage (CT), (3) conventional farming under no-tillage (NT), and (4) natural grassland as control system (GR). Decomposition was determined under field conditions by measuring weight loss in litterbags. Soil meso- and macrofauna contribution on decomposition was evaluated both by different mesh sizes and by assessing their abundances in the soil. Litter decomposition was always significantly higher after 9 and 12 months in ORG than in CT and NT (from 2 to 5 times in average), regardless decomposer community composition and litter type. Besides, mesofauna, macrofauna and earthworm abundances were significantly higher in ORG than in NT and CT (from 1.6 to 3.8, 1.7 to 2.3 and 16 to 25 times in average, respectively for each group). These results are especially relevant firstly because the positive effect of ORG in a key soil process has been proved under field conditions, being the first direct evidence that organic farming enhances the decomposition process. And secondly because the extensive organic system analyzed here did not include several practices which have been recognized as particularly positive for soil biota (e.g. manure use, low tillage intensity and high crop diversity). So, this research suggests that even when those practices are not applied, the non-use of agrochemicals is enough to produce positive changes in soil fauna and so in decomposition dynamics. Therefore, the adoption of organic system in an extensive way can also be suggested to farmers in order to improve ecosystem functioning and consequently to achieve better soil conditions for crop production.     

Interactive effects of warming, soil humidity and plant diversity on litter decomposition and microbial activity

Human activity has induced a multitude of global changes that are likely to affect the functioning of ecosystems. Although these changes act in concert, studies on interactive effects are scarce. Here, we conducted a laboratory microcosm experiment to explore the impacts of temperature (9, 12 and 15 °C), changes in soil humidity (moist, dry) and plant diversity (1, 4, 16 species) on soil microbial activity and litter decomposition.We found that changes in litter decomposition did not mirror impacts on microbial measures indicating that the duration of the experiment (22 weeks) may not have been sufficient to determine the full magnitude of global change effects. However and notably, changes in temperature, humidity and plant litter diversity/composition affected in a non-additive way the microbial parameters investigated. For instance, microbial metabolic efficiency increased with plant diversity in the high moisture treatment but remained unaffected in low moisture treatment suggesting that climate changes may mask beneficial effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. Moreover, litter decomposition was unaffected by plant litter diversity/composition but increased with increasing temperature in the high moisture treatment, and decreased with increasing temperature in the low moisture treatment.We conclude that it is inevitable to perform complex experiments considering multiple global change agents in order to realistically predict future changes in ecosystem functioning. Non-additive interactions highlight the context-dependency of impacts of single global change agents.     

Impact of faunal complexity on microbial biomass and N turnover in field mesocosms from a spruce forest soil

In a field study using soil mesocosms in an acid spruce forest soil we investigated the effects of mesofauna and macrofauna on microbial biomass, dissolved organic matter, and N cycling. Intact soil monoliths were taken from the ground, defaunated by deep-freezing, and wrapped in nets of various mesh-sizes to control re-immigration of different faunal size-classes. The monoliths were then replanted in the field. Three treatments of mesocosms were prepared: (1) with only microbiota, (2) microbiota and mesofauna, and (3) microbiota, mesofauna, and macrofauna (= complex fauna). After 8 months of exposure the mesocosms and the unmanipulated control plots (treatment 4) were destructively sampled. We estimated microbial biomass by substrate-induced respiration and the chloroform fumigation-extraction method. N cycling was measured by monitoring microbial N mineralization, the NH _inf4 ^sup+ content, and selected amino acids and the activities of protease, urease, and deaminase. The results from the L/F layer showed that the pool of the microbial biomass was not changed by the activity of the mesofauna. However, the mesofauna and macrofauna together enhanced SIR. An increase in microbial N mineralization was only observed in treatment 3 (microbiota + complex fauna). Protease activity and NH _inf4 ^sup+ content increased in treatments 2 (microbiota + mesofauna) and 3 (microbiota + complex fauna). The complex fauna induced a soil pH increase in treatment 3 as opposed to treatment 1 and the control. This increase was presumably due to excretory NH _inf4 ^sup+ . Principal component analysis revealed that the complex fauna in treatment 3 caused a significantly higher N turnover per unit of microbial biomass.     

Influence of heavy metals on the functional diversity of soil microbial communities

Three soil types-Calcaric Phaeozem, Eutric Cambisol and Dystric Lithosol-in large container pots were experimentally contaminated with heavy metals at four different levels (light pollution: 300 ppm Zn, 100 ppm Cu, 50 ppm Ni, 50 ppm V and 3 ppm Cd; medium pollution: twofold concentrations; heavy pollution: threefold concentrations; uncontaminated control). We investigated the prognostic potential of 16 soil microbial properties (microbial biomass, respiration, N-mineralization, 13 soil enzymes involved in cycling of C, N, P and S) with regard to their ability to differentiate the four contamination levels. Microbial biomass and enzyme activities decreased with increasing heavy metal pollution, but the amount of decrease differed among the enzymes. Enzymes involved in the C-cycling were least affected, whereas vartous enzyme activities related to the cycling of N, P and S showed a considerable decrease in activity. In particular, arylsulfatase and phosphatase activities were dramatically affected. Their activity decreased to a level of a few percent of their activities in the corresponding unpolluted controls. The data suggest that aside from the loss of rare biochemical capabilities-such as the growth of organisms at the expense of aromatics (Reber 1992)-heavy metal contaminated soils lose very common biochemical propertities which are necessary for the functioning of the ecosystem. Cluster analysis as well as discriminant analysis underline the similarity of the enzyme activity pattern among the controls and among the polluted soils. The trend toward a significant functional diversity loss becomes obvious already at the lowest pollution level. This implies that concentrations of heavy metals in soils near the current EC limits will most probably lead to a considerable reduction in decomposition and nutrient cycling rates. We conclude that heavy metal pollution severely decreases the functional diversity of the soil microbial community and impairs specific pathways of nutrient cycling.Dedicated to Professor J. C. G. Ottow on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Organic matter status and the size,activity and metabolic diversity of the soil microflora as indicators of the success of rehabilitation of mined sand dunes

The effectiveness of the rehabilitation of mined sand dunes on the northern coast of KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa, was assessed based on measurements of the total and labile organic matter content and the size, activity and metabolic diversity of the soil microflora. Soil was sampled (0–10 cm) after 0, 5, 10, 20 and 25 years of rehabilitation and compared with soil under undisturbed native forest and under long-term commercial pine forest. Following topsoil removal, stockpiling and respreading on reformed dunes, there was a massive loss of organic C such that, at time zero, organic C content was only 24% of that present under native forest. Soil organic C content increased progressively during rehabilitation until, after 25 years, it represented 93% of that present under native forest. The pattern of change in light-fraction C, KMnO₄-extractable C, water-soluble C, microbial biomass C, basal respiration and arginine ammonification rate was broadly similar to that for organic C, but the extent of the initial loss and the magnitude of the subsequent increase differed. Microbial biomass C, water-soluble C and KMnO₄-extractable C, expressed as a percentage of organic C, declined during rehabilitation as humic substances progressively accumulated. Principal component (PC) analysis of catabolic response profiles to 36 substrates revealed that the catabolic diversity of microbial communities differed greatly between native forest, commercial pine forest, 0 years and 10 years of rehabilitation. On the PC1 axis, values for soils under native forest and after 25 years rehabilitation were similar, but there was still separation on the PC2 axis. The main factor explaining variation in response profiles on the PC1 axis was organic C content; and the greatest catabolic diversity occurred in soils under native forest and after 25 years of rehabilitation.     

The influence of plant litter diversity on decomposer abundance and diversity

Although there has been much recent interest in the effect of litter mixing on decomposition processes, much remains unknown about how litter mixing and diversity affects the abundance and diversity of decomposer organisms. We conducted a litter mixing experiment using litterbags in a New Zealand rainforest, in which treatments consisted of litter monocultures of each of 8 forest canopy and understory plant species, as well as mixtures of 2, 4 and 8 species. We found litter mixing to have little effect on net decomposition rates after either 279 or 658 days, and for each species decomposition rates in mixture treatments were the same as in monoculture. Litter species identity had important effects on litter microfauna, mesofauna and macrofauna, with different litter types promoting different subsets of the fauna. Litter mixing had few effects on densities of mesofauna and macrofauna, but did have some important effects on components of the microfauna, notably microbe-feeding and predatory nematodes. At day 279, litter mixing also consistently reduced the ratio of bacterial-feeding to microbe-feeding (bacterial-feeding+fungal-feeding) nematodes, pointing to mixing causing a significant switch from the bacterial-based to the fungal-based energy channel. Litter mixing sometimes influenced the community composition and diversity of nematodes and macrofauna, but effects of litter mixing on diversity were not necessarily positive, and were much weaker than effects of litter species identity on diversity. We conclude that litter mixing effects on the abundance and diversity of decomposer biota, when they occur, are likely to be of secondary and generally minor significance when compared to the effects of litter species identity and composition.     

Effects of tree species and topography on soil chemistry, litter quality, and decomposition in Northeast Turkey

Leaf litters from beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky.) and oak (Quercus robur L.), and needle litters from fir (Abies nordmanniana Spach.) and pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees were collected from north-facing site and south-facing site and at three slope positions (top, middle and bottom) on each aspect that varied in soil chemical characteristics (soil pH, cation exchange capacity and base saturation). The litters were analysed for initial total carbon, nitrogen, acid detergent fibre, lignin and cellulose concentrations. Nitrogen, acid detergent fibre and lignin concentrations and carbon:nitrogen and lignin:nitrogen ratios varied significantly within and between species according to soil chemical characteristics on aspects and slope positions. Litter decomposition was studied in the field using the litterbag technique. The litters were placed on two aspects and at three slopes on each aspect in October 2001, and were sampled every 6-month for 2 years. The main effects of aspect, species and slope position on decomposition rates were all statistically significant. Oak leaf litter showed highest decomposition rates, followed by pine, fir and beech litter, and the litters placed on north-facing site decomposed faster than those on the south-facing site. The litters placed at the top slope position decomposed slower than at those at either the bottom or middle positions. Initial lignin concentrations explained most of the variation in decomposition rates between species, and within species for the aspects and the slope positions, but the explained variance showed differences between aspects and slope positions. This result illustrates the important point that litter quality may define the potential rates of microbial decomposition but these are significantly influenced by the biotic and abiotic environment in which decomposition takes place.     

Chemical composition and diversity influence non-additive effects of litter mixtures on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling: Implications for plant species loss

Diverse plant litter mixtures frequently decompose differently than expected compared to the average of the component species decomposing alone, and it remains unclear why decomposition may respond non-additively to diversity. Here, we hypothesized that litter chemical composition and chemical diversity would be important determinants of the strength and direction (synergistic versus antagonistic) of non-additive soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling responses to litter mixtures. To test this, we performed a soil incubation experiment using litter mixtures comprised of up to four plant species, and we measured three components of decomposition: respiration, net N mineralization, and microbial biomass N accumulation. We used nine chemical traits to calculate the chemical composition and diversity of the litter mixtures. First, we found that respiration responded as the average of the individual species in the mixture (i.e. additively), rather than non-additively as initially predicted. Second, litter mixtures stimulated significantly more net N immobilization than expected in 64% of cases, and non-additive responses were highly dependent on mixture chemical composition, and were influenced to a lesser degree by chemical diversity. Specifically, concentrations of tannins and certain low molecular weight phenolics in the mixtures were positively correlated with greater N immobilization than expected. Non-additive N mineralization responses were poorly correlated with traditional measures of litter chemistry like N concentration, C:N, lignin:N, and phenolic:N. Our results also show that non-additive N mineralization responses were affected by loss of some species significantly more than others, and the effects of species loss could depend on 1) whether a species contains compounds with strong effects on non-additive responses; and 2) whether those compounds are also found in other species. Finally, litter mixtures stimulated more microbial biomass N than expected in 45% of cases, but non-additive responses were only weakly dependent on the litter chemistry variables that we measured.     

Tissue architecture and soil fertility controls on decomposer communities and decomposition of roots

Using complementary techniques we observed great differences in decomposition of mono- and dicot roots (Festuca rubra L., red fescue grass and Trifolium pratense L., red clover) in compost and soil of varying fertility which we attribute both to chemical characteristics and differences in tissue architecture. In our study the lignin contents were equal for the root materials while C-to-N ratios and cellulose-to-lignin ratios were higher in fescue roots. Pictures taken with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the rippled surface of fescue roots appeared largely intact even after prolonged incubation giving scant support to predominantly cocci bacteria, where an angular grid structure on the surface of intact clover roots rapidly yielded. The clover root cavities became deeper over time and seemed a favourable nest for colonising rod shaped bacteria. In addition the nodules on clover roots were abundantly covered by decomposers early on. SEM pictures as well as bands of microbial DNA from polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) on roots degraded in compost indicate that organisms colonising clover and fescue grass roots are inherently different and to a greater extent connected to the root material than the compost. Respiration data showed that soil fertility compared to root material played a smaller, albeit significant role in determining the decomposition pattern. There was no indication of N limitation in decomposition. On the contrary accumulated respiration was highest from infertile soils and had significantly lower T_½ compared to nutrient rich soils, most likely due to a higher maintenance respiration and lower substrate use efficiency of the decomposers. DGGE showed that infertile soils as well as recalcitrant material both led to a larger diversity of decomposers compared to fertile soils or easily degradable materials. All together this study demonstrated a positive relationship between microbial diversity and stress resulting in higher diversity in the recalcitrant the roots and the infertile soils.     

Soil communities and plant litter decomposition as influenced by forest debris: Variation across tropical riparian and upland sites

Forest debris on ground surface can interact with soil biota and consequently change ecosystem processes across heterogeneous landscape. We examined the interactions between forest debris and litter decomposition in riparian and upland sites within a tropical wet forest. Our experiment included control and debris-removal treatments. Debris-removal reduced leaf litter decomposition rates in both the riparian and upland sites. Debris-removal also reduced soil microbial biomass C in the upland site, but had no effect on microbial biomass C in the riparian site. In contrast, debris-removal altered the density of selected arthropod groups in the riparian site. Litter decomposition rates correlated with both soil microbial biomass and the density of millipedes in a multiple stepwise regression model. Removal of forest debris can substantially reduce rates of leaf litter decomposition through suppressing soil activities. This influence can be further modified by landscape position. Forest debris plays an essential role in maintaining soil activities and ecosystem functioning in this tropical wet forest.     

Nutrient release from decomposing leaf litter of temperate deciduous forest trees along a gradient of increasing tree species diversity

In the litter of six deciduous tree species (Fagus sylvatica, Tilia spp., Fraxinus excelsior, Carpinus betulus, Acer pseudoplatanus and Acer platanoides) and in stand-specific litter mixtures, we compared mass loss and nutrient release across diversity levels along a gradient of decreasing proportion of Fagus in stands with similar environmental and physical soil conditions. The litterbag studies ran over 22 months. The decomposition rate constants (k) of the temperate forest species ranged from k = 0.5 for Fagus to k = 1.5-2 for all other tree species. In Fagus, k was closely negatively correlated with the thickness of the litter layer and positively correlated with soil pH and isopod abundance. k was significantly higher in the mixed species stands (except for Carpinus and Fraxinus) and was positively correlated with earthworm abundance. Over the whole incubation time, nutrient amount and release rates of N, P, K, Ca and Mg as well as C-related ratios showed significant differences between tree species but no consistent differences among the diversity levels. Initial C-related nutrient ratios of the leaf litter and abundance of mesofauna and macrofauna were correlated with the length of time lag before nutrient release. We conclude that the mere number of tree species is not the main driver of nutrient release and decomposition processes, but that key groups of the decomposer fauna as well as the characteristic traits of the individual tree species are decisive.     

The impacts of individual plant species on rhizosphere microbial communities in soils of different fertility

To investigate the effects of individual plant species on microbial community properties in soils of differing fertility, a microcosm experiment was carried out using plant species representative of the dominant flora in semi-fertile temperate grasslands of northern England. Soil microbial biomass and activity were found to be significantly greater in the more fertile, agriculturally improved soil than in the less productive unimproved meadow soil. Differences in microbial community structure were also evident between the two soils, with fungal abundance being greater in the unimproved soil type. Individual plant species effects significantly differed between the two soils. Holcus lanatus and Anthoxanthum odoratum stimulated microbial biomass in the improved soil type, but negatively affected this measure in the unimproved soil. In both soil types, herb species generally had negative effects on microbial biomass. Patterns for microbial activity were less consistent, but as with microbial biomass, A. odoratum and H. lanatus promoted respiration, whereas the herbs negatively affected this measure. All plant species grown in the improved soil increased the abundance of fatty acids synthesised by bacteria (bacterial phospholipid fatty acid analysis) relative to bare soil, but they negatively impacted on this group of fatty acids in unimproved soil. Similarly, the abundance of the fungal fatty acid 18:26 was increased by all plants in the more fertile improved soil only, albeit non-significantly. Our data indicate that effects of plant species on microbial properties differ markedly in soils of differing fertility, making general predictions about how individual plants impact on soil properties difficult to make.     

Interactions between litter quality, decomposition and soil fertility: a laboratory study

Leaf litters from beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and oak (Quercus robur L.) trees were collected from mixed, deciduous woodlands growing on three soil types that varied in mineral nutrient concentrations and N mineralisation potential. Litter quality, including %N, %Mn, %P, acid detergent fibre, cellulose, Klason lignin, phenylpropanoid constituents of lignin, hexose and pentose sugar (mainly from hemicelluloses) varied within species according to soil type. However, oak and beech showed the opposite responses to soil nutrient status for most of these variables. The litters were incubated in the laboratory for 12 months (at 18 °C and constant moisture) on beds of forest floor material from two soils of contrasting high nutrient material (HNM) or low nutrient material (LNM) nutrient status to investigate litter quality and substrate interactions. At 4, 8 and 12 months there were significant differences in mass losses from oak and beech litters from all sites, and for each litter type exposed to the HNM and LMN soils. At 12 months mean mass losses were higher for HNM treatment (38.7% oak, 27.8% beech) than for the LNM treatment (30.6% oak, 25.5% beech). However, the beech and oak litters from the different sites consistently responded in opposite ways on the same soil treatment reflecting site-related effects on litter quality. Initial concentration of Klason lignin was the best predictor for mass losses from litter species and litter types. Intra-specific variation in rates of litter decomposition of beech and oak litters from different sites, and differences in their interactions with the two forest floor materials, illustrate the complexities of proximate controls on decomposition that are often masked in system-level studies.     

Changes of the functional diversity of soil microbial community during the colonization of abandoned grassland by a forest

The impact of secondary succession of grassland communities towards a Norway spruce forest on soil microbial community was studied on a belt transect established in the Pol’ana Mts., Central Europe. Data on understory vegetation, light availability, soil properties and microbial activity were collected on 147 plots distributed over regular grid. Moreover, distributions of functional groups of microorganisms were assessed using BIOLOG analysis on a subset of 27 plots. Mantel partial correlations between microbial community indicators and environmental variables showed that microbial activity generally decreased with increasing tree density and size, whereas it increased with increasing radiation at the soil surface, soil temperature, and cover and diversity of understory vegetation. Functional richness and diversity of microorganisms were positively correlated with solar radiation, but also with plant species richness and diversity. Abundance of several functional groups correlated closely with succession-related variables. Redundance analysis of microbial data provided slightly different outcomes. Forward selection yielded only two environmental variables significantly influencing the composition of the microbial community: tree influence potential and organic carbon content. Abundances of several functional microbial groups correlated with tree influence, documenting that microbial community changes are at least partially driven by the colonization of grassland by trees. Nevertheless, the relative importance of abiotic environment change and plant community succession on microbial community dynamics remains unresolved.     

Soil microbial activity and litter turnover in native grazed and ungrazed rangelands in a semiarid ecosystem

Long-term overgrazing is known to influence soil microbiological properties and C sequestration in soil organic matter. However, much remains to be known concerning overgrazing impacts on soil microbial activity and litter turnover in heavily grazed rangelands of Central Iran. Aboveground litter decomposition of three dominant species (Agropyron intermedium, Hordeum bulbosum, and Juncus sp.) were studied using a litter bag experiment under field conditions in three range sites of Central Iran, a site with continuous grazing, a site ungrazed for 17 years with dominant woody species (80% cover), and a site ungrazed for 17 years with dominant pasture species (70% cover). Soil samples were taken from 0 to 30 cm depth and analyzed for their chemical and microbiological properties. Results demonstrate that soil organic C and total N contents and C/N ratios were similar for both ungrazed and grazed sites, while available P and K concentrations significantly decreased under grazed conditions. It was also evident that range grazing decreases soil respiration and microbial biomass C, suggesting a lower recent annual input of decomposable organic C. Nevertheless, grazing conditions had no significant effect on litter decomposition indicating soil microclimate is not affected by grazing animals in this ecosystem. It is concluded that overgrazing may presumably depress microbial activity through either reduced input of fresh plant residue into the surface soil or lack of living roots and exudates for stimulating microbial activity. This study also suggests that 17 years of livestock exclusion might be insufficient time for expected C accumulation in soil.     

The addition of labile carbon alters litter fungal communities and decreases litter decomposition rates

Many field and laboratory studies have demonstrated that the addition of easily available carbon can increase rates of decomposition of plant litter or humified soil organic matter, though opposite trends are also common. In boreal forests, a large part of labile carbon enters soil via tree roots and ectomycorrhizal (EM) network. The influence of increased C availability and the presence of EM roots on litter decomposition was studied in a long-term field experiment in a 50-year-old Picea abies plantation. Litterbags containing litter of three species (Populus tremula, Quercus robur, or P. abies) were buried to the depth of ca. 2.5 cm. The experiment was set up in a full-factorial design with carbon availability and presence of roots as factors. Carbon was added as an aqueous sucrose solution (50 g C m⁻²) every second week during snow-free period. Spruce roots around and underneath experimental plots were cut once a month. Subsets of litterbags were analysed after 12, 21 and 24 months. The serial dilution technique was used to assess the fungal community composition. The addition of labile carbon led to a strong decrease in litter decomposition rates, associated with consistent shifts in the composition of saprotrophic microfungal communities, and to an increase in the overall density of culturable fungal species (r-strategists), but not of specialized cellulolytic microfungi (K-strategists), isolated on Hutchinson agar. Sucrose addition did not affect the number of species isolated but the dominance structure was shifted toward the domination of the 2–4 most abundant species. The presence of EM roots significantly reduced moisture content in decomposing litter but had only weak and inconsistent effect on the decomposition rates and on the community composition of saprotrophic microfungi; these effects did not depend on the level of carbon availability.     

Effects of soil microarthropods on plant litter decomposition across an elevation gradient in the Wuyi Mountains

Soil microarthropods are considered to be among the strongest determinants of plant litter decomposition in warm, humid sites. Little is known, however, about the regulation of plant litter decomposition dynamics along an elevation gradient in such sites. Our study examined the contributions of soil microarthropods to leaf litter decomposition of a single substrate (Castanopsis carlesii) along an elevation gradient across four types of zonal vegetations in southeastern China: evergreen broadleaf forest (EVB): coniferous forest (COF): dwarf forest (DWF): and alpine meadow (ALM) during April 2007 to March 2008. Leaf litter decomposition of C. carlesii was significantly accelerated by the presence of fauna in all four sites. After 360 days in the field, mass loss rates with the full decomposer assemblage and in the reduction of microarthropods were 62.9% and 41.2% in EVB, 48.1% and 30.6% in COF, 36.4% and 27.8% in DWF, 30.3% and 23.7% in ALM, respectively. The percentage of total decomposition due to the presence of soil fauna was 37% in EVB, 25% in COF, 12% in DWF, and 8% in ALM, thus showing strong systematic variation along the elevational gradient. The mass losses in control plots at the four sites were significantly correlated with the abundances of total Acari, Collembolans, and Mesostigmata mites. Although the proportion of Oribatid mites at EVB was not the highest among the four sites, there were elevated proportions of Mesostigmatid and Prostigmata mites, many of which were microbe-consuming species and induce an indirect influence on litter decomposition. Moreover, Shannon Index (F = 2.455, p = 0.093) and Group Number (F = 5.830, p = 0.005) both decreased along the elevation gradients. Mass losses were also found to be distinctively related to H′ (r² = 0.984, p = 0.016), and GN (r² = 0.952, p = 0.048) across the four sites. Our results suggest that the faunal contribution to plant litter decomposition varies markedly across environmental gradients that differ in litter faunal diversity.     

Effects of addition of maize litter and earthworms on C mineralization and aggregate formation in single and mixed soils differing in soil organic carbon and clay content

C mineralization and aggregate stability directly depend upon organic matter and clay content, and both processes are influenced by the activity of microorganisms and soil fauna. However, quantitative data are scarce. To achieve a gradient in C and clay content, a topsoil was mixed with a subsoil. Single soils and the soil mixture were amended with 1.0 mg maize litter C g soil⁻¹ with and without endogeic earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa). The differently treated soils were incubated for 49 days at 15 °C and 40% water holding capacity. Cumulative C mineralization, microbial biomass, ergosterol content and aggregate fractions were investigated and litter derived C in bulk soil and aggregates were determined using isotope analyses. Results from the soil mixture were compared with the calculated mean values of the two single soils. Mixing of soil horizons differing in carbon and clay content stimulated C mineralization of added maize residues as well as of soil organic matter. Mixing also increased contents of macro-aggregate C and decreased contents of micro-aggregate C. Although A. caliginosa had a stimulating effect on C mineralization in all soils, decomposition of added litter by A. caliginosa was higher in the subsoil, whereas A. caliginosa decreased litter decomposition in the soil mixture and the topsoil. Litter derived C in macro-aggregates was higher with A. caliginosa than with litter only. In the C poor subsoil amended with litter, A. caliginosa stimulated the microbial community as indicated by the increase in microbial biomass. Furthermore, the decrease of ergosterol in the earthworm treated soils showed the influence of A. caliginosa on the microbial community, by reducing saprotrophic fungi. Overall, our data suggest both a decrease of saprotrophic fungi by selective grazing, burrowing and casting activity as well as a stimulation of the microbial community by A. caliginosa.