Long-term changes in microbial community structure in soils subjected to different fertilizing practices revealed by quinone profile analysis

Quinone profile analysis of stored air-dried soils gave an approximation of the long-term changes in the microbial community structure in four soils subjected to different types of fertilizer application from 1987 to 1997: unfertilized soil (NF-soil), soil amended with chemical fertilizers (CF-soil), soil amended with chemical fertilizers and 40 t ha^-1 y^-1 of farmyard manure (CF+ FYM-soil), and soil amended with 400 t ha^-1 y^-1 of farmyard manure (FYM-soil). The carbon content increased, and the soil pH remained higher in the soils receiving farmyard manure. Principal component analysis of the quinone profiles of the soils indicated that the microbial community structure showed a high similarity among the four soils before the onset of cultivation and changed to a different community structure specific to the respective fertilizing practices except for the NF-soil. The specific quinone profile became stable after two cropping seasons in the FYM-soil, after 10 cropping seasons in the CF+ FYM-soil and after 15 cropping seasons in the CF-soil, respectively. The quinone profile of the NF-soil did not become stable, and no specific profile was developed. The specific quinone profiles in the FYM- and CF+ FYM-soils were both characterized by large mole fractions of menaquinone with seven isoprenoid units (MK-7). Farmyard manure itself contained a large mole fraction of MK-7. It was suggested that the amount of MK-7 increased due to the application of farmyard manure. MK-7 indicates the presence of Gram-positive bacteria with low guanine plus cytosine contents such as Bacillus and Gram-negative bacteria of the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium complex. The specific quinone profile in the CF-soil was characterized by the presence of menaquinone with seven isoprenoid units dihydrated (MK-7(H₂)and MK-7(H₄). Although Brevibacterium and Kocuria contain MK-7(H₂), no microorganisms are known to have MK- 7(H.) as major quinone. The common major quinones were MK-8, MK-10(H₄) and a mixture of MK-8(H₄) and MK-9, suggesting the predominance of Grampositive bacteria in all the soils. Mole fractions of Ubiquinone with 8 isoprenoid units (Q-8) and Q-10 increased at various times in all the soils, indicating the sporadic growth of Gram-negative bacteria.     

Changes in the respiratory quinone profile of a soil treated with pesticides

The effects of the pesticides fenitrothion, chlorothalonil, chloropicrin, linuron, and simazine on the structure of microbial communities in a Nagoya University Farm soil (Typic Palehumult) were assessed for 28 days by monitoring changes in respiratory quinone profiles. Pesticides were applied to the soil at 10 times the recommended rates. Fenitrothion, linuron, and simazine did not significantly affect the total amount of quinones (an indicator of microbial biomass), the diversity of the quinones (an indicator of taxonomic diversity of the microbial community), or the composition of the quinone species (an indicator of community structure). Chlorothalonil decreased the diversity of quinones immediately after application, but no significant effect was observed after 3 days of incubation. The amount and composition of the quinones were not affected by chlorothalonil application. Application of chloropicrin decreased the amount and diversity of the quinones for 28 days. A continuous change in the structure of the microbial community in the chloropicrin-treated soil was documented by the change in the dominant quinone species. No change was observed in the control soil. It was suggested that quinone profile analysis is a potential method to detect the effect of pesticide on a soil microbial community. Less pronounced changes in the quinone profile indicated that changes in the structure of a soil microbial community may be masked by the persistent quinones from killed microorganisms.     

不同轮作制度下土壤中不稳定有机碳组分的变化

Taking Kenli County in the Yellow River Delta, China, as the study area and using digital satellite remote sensing techniques, cultivated land use changes and their corresponding driving forces were explored in this study. An interactive interpretation and a manual modification procedure were carried out to acquire cultivated land information. An overlay method based on classification results and a visual change detection method which was supported by land use maps were employed to detect the cultivated land changes. Based on the changes that were revealed and a spatial analysis between cultivated land use and related natural and socio-economic factors, the driving forces for cultivated land use changes in the study area were determined. The results showed a decrease in cultivated land in Kenli County of 5321.8 ha from 1987 to 1998, i.e., an average annual decrement of 483.8 ha, which occurred mainly in the central paddy field region and the northeast dry land region. Adverse human activities, soil salinization and water deficiencies were the driving forces that caused these cultivated land use changes.     

Seasonal influence of climate manipulation on microbial community structure and function in mountain soils

Microbial communities drive soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition through the production of a variety of extracellular enzymes. Climate change impact on soil microbial communities and soil enzymatic activities can therefore strongly affect SOM turnover, and thereby determine the fate of ecosystems and their role as carbon sinks or sources.To simulate projected impacts of climate change on Swiss Jura subalpine grassland soils, an altitudinal soil transplantation experiment was set up in October 2009. On the fourth year of this experiment, we measured microbial biomass (MB), microbial community structure (MCS), and soil extracellular enzymatic activities (EEA) of nine hydrolytic and oxidative extracellular enzymes in the transplanted soils on a seasonal basis.We found a strong sampling date effect and a smaller but significant effect of the climate manipulation (soil transplantation) on EEA. Overall EEA was higher in winter and spring but enzymes linked to N and P cycles showed higher potential activities in autumn, suggesting that other factors than soil microclimate controlled their pool size, such as substrate availability. The climate warming manipulation decreased EEA in most cases, with oxidative enzymes more concerned than hydrolytic enzymes. In contrast to EEA, soil MB was more affected by the climate manipulation than by the seasons. Transplanting soils to lower altitudes caused a significant decrease in soil MB, but did not affect soil MCS. Conversely, a clear shift in soil MCS was observed between winter and summer. Mass-specific soil EEA (EEA normalized by MB) showed a systematic seasonal trend, with a higher ratio in winter than in summer, suggesting that the seasonal shift in MCS is accompanied by a change in their activities. Surprisingly, we observed a significant decrease in soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration after four years of soil transplantation, as compared to the control site, which could not be linked to any microbial data.We conclude that medium term (four years) warming and decreased precipitation strongly affected MB and EEA but not MCS in subalpine grassland soils, and that those shifts cannot be readily linked to the dynamics of soil carbon concentration under climate change.     

Linear relation between the amount of respiratory quinones and the microbial biomass in soil

A linear relationship was observed between the amount of total respiratory quinones and the microbial biomass measured by a fumigation-extraction method in 15 soil samples regardless of the significant differences in the composition of the quinone profiles, with one exception in a soil amended with a very high application rate of farmyard manure. It is suggested that the amount of total respiratory quinones can be used as an indicator of the microbial biomass in soil.     

长期不同施肥下黑土与灰漠土有机碳储量的变化

采用长期试验,研究了20年不同施肥下1 m深黑土与灰漠土有机碳含量与碳储量的剖面变化。结果表明,单施化肥和不施肥对黑土1 m土层有机碳储量没有显著影响,但灰漠土略有降低。有机肥配施化肥能显著提高土壤有机碳含量和储量。高量有机肥配施化肥（NPKM2）能提高020 cm和2040 cm土层土壤有机碳含量,黑土分别提高56.6%和49.6%、灰漠土提高143.1%和46.9%;常量有机无机配施（NPKM）效果较差,增幅分别为黑土35.1%和35.3%,灰漠土80.2%和4.1%。两种土壤1 m土体的有机碳储量,NPKM2处理分别提高了C 30.7 t/hm2与C 40.6 t/hm2。显然,有机无机肥配施可以显著提高1 m深土体中有机碳储量,主要是由于提高了040 cm土层土壤有机碳含量。     

PH对红壤微生物生物量碳和生物量磷的影响

The impact of pH changes on microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) and microbial biomass phosphorus (Pmic) were examined for 3 red soils under citrus production with different lengths of cultivation. Soil pH significantly affected Cmic and Pmic. The Cmie and Pmic changes, as a function of soil pH, appeared to follow a normal distribution with the original soil pH value at the apex and as pH increased or decreased compared to the original soil pH, Cmic and Pmic declined. Moreover, there were critical pH values at both extremes (3.0 on the acidic side and 8.0 to 8.5 on the alkaline side), beyond which most of microorganisms could never survive. The effect of pH on Cmic and Pmic was also related to the original soil pH. The higher the original soil pH was, the less Cmic or Pmic were affected by pH change. It is suggested that soil microorganisms that grow in a soil environment with a more neutral soil pH range (i.e. pH 5.5-7.5) may have a greater tolerance to pH changes than those growing in more acidic or more alkaline soil pH conditions.     

茶园土壤微生物量碳的质量分数及其影响因素的研究

对148个茶园土壤的微生物量碳(MBC)质量分数及其影响因素进行了研究.结果表明,茶园土壤MBC的质量分数(ωmic)在38.1～680.2 mg·kg-1之间,平均为246.0 mg·kg-1,其含量变化幅度较大,主要受到土壤有机碳、pH、茶园管理方式、植茶年限、成土母质以及全氮量的影响.(1)茶园土壤的ωmic与有...     

利用有机质和pH值估算中国西北和东北退耕还林土壤容重

Regression models for predicting soil bulk density (BD) have usually been related to organic matter content,but it remains unknown whether soil acidity modifies this relationship,particularly for afforested/reforested soils.We measured soil BD along with organic matter content and pH in an afforested/reforested area in Northwest and Northeast China.Using these measurements,we parameterized and validated three BD models:the Adams equation,and exponential and radical models.Model validation showed that the Adams equation failed to predict the BD of the afforested/reforested soils,producing a large overestimation.Incorporation of soil pH into the Adams equation significantly improved its performance.The exponential and radical models parameterized by the measured data simulated soil BD quite well,particularly when soil pH was incorporated.However,incorporation of soil texture variables into these models did not improve model performance compared with the pH-modified models.This led to the conclusion that the Adams equation,exponential,and radical models with pH modification are applicable to afforested/reforested soils with various acidities.     

Black carbon in the zonal steppe soils of Russia

Black Mollisols are typically rich in charred organic matter, however, little is known about the zonal distribution of black C (BC) in steppe soils. In this study, we used benzene polycarboxylic acids (BPCA) as specific markers for BC in particle‐size fractions of depth profiles in several zonal soils (Greyzem, Phaeozem, Chernozem, Kastanozem) of the Russian steppe. In addition, liquid‐state ¹³C‐NMR spectra were obtained on the alkaline‐soluble soil organic matter (SOM). The results showed that both the content and depth distribution of BC varies in the different soil types; the concentration of BC in the bulk top soils being closely related to the aromaticity of the SOM (r² = 0.98 for the native topsoils, 0.83 for top‐ and subsurface soils). Especially the Chernozems were rich in aromatic SOM, which partly contained more than 17% BC of total C, most of which being allocated in the mineral fractions. Long‐term arable cropping did not reduce the BC contents of the surface soil, though it did promote the enrichment of BC in the silt fractions. The same shift was detected as soil depth increased. We conclude that BC is not fully inert in these soils, but apparently can be preserved in the silt as decomposition of SOM increased, i.e., it accumulates exactly in that fraction, which has been formerly assigned to contain old, aromatic C.     

土壤微生物群落结构与多样性对农田集约化管理程度降低的响应

Using a scheme of agricultural fields with progressively less intensive management （deintensification）, different management practices in six agroecosystems located near Goldsboro, NC, USA were tested in a large-scale experiment, including two cash-grain cropping systems employing either tillage （CT） or no-tillage （NT）, an organic farming system （OR）, an integrated cropping system with animals （IN）, a successional field （SU）, and a plantation woodlot （WO）. Microbial phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） profiles and substrate utilization patterns （BIOLOG ECO plates） were measured to examine the effects of deintensification on the structure and diversity of soil microbial communities. Principle component analyses of PLFA and BIOLOG data showed that the microbial community structure diverged among the soils of the six systems.Lower microbial diversity was found in lowly managed ecosystem than that in intensive and moderately managed agroecosystems, and both fungal contribution to the total identified PLFAs and the ratio of microbial biomass C/N increased along with agricultural deintensification. Significantly higher ratios of C/N （P 〈 0.05） were found in the WO and SU systems, and for fungal/bacterial PLFAs in the WO system （P 〈 0.05）. There were also significant decreases （P 〈 0.05） along with agricultural deintensification for contributions of total bacterial and gram positive （G＋） bacterial PLFAs.Agricultural deintensification could facilitate the development of microbial communities that favor soil fungi over bacteria.     

Microbial activity and community structure in two drained fen soils in the Ljubljana Marsh

Fen peatlands are specific wetland ecosystems containing high soil organic carbon (SOC). There is a general lack of knowledge about the microbial communities that abound in these systems. We examined the microbial activity and community structure in two fen soils differing in SOC content sampled from the Ljubljana Marsh under different seasonal conditions. Substrate-induced respiration and dehydrogenase activity were used as indicators of total microbial activity. Both methods indicated higher microbial activities in the fen soil with the higher SOC content on all dates of sampling. To determine whether the differences in microbial activity were associated with differences in the microbial community structures, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of bacterial 16S rRNA genes was performed. Comparison of the T-RFLP profiles revealed very similar community structures in both fens and in the two seasonal extremes investigated. This suggested a stable community structure in the two fens, which is not affected by the SOC content or seasonal variation. In addition, a bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene based clone library was prepared from the fen soil with the higher SOC content. Out of 114 clones analysed, approximately 53% belonged to the Proteobacteria, 23% to the Acidobacteria, 21% to a variety of other taxa, and less than 3% were affiliated with the Firmicutes.     

Changes in the carbon concentrations and other soil properties of some Scottish agricultural soils: Evidence from a resampling campaign

The change in soil carbon (C) concentration, soil pH and major nutrients for approximately 1,000 topsoil sampled from on-farm experimental sites over a thirty-year period from 1950 to 1980 in north-east Scotland are summarized. This period coincided with increased agricultural intensification, which included regular liming and fertilizer additions. During 2017, 37 of these sites were resampled and reanlaysed. While pH and extractable phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) increased over this period, there was no detectable change in the percentage loss on ignition. Composite soil samples were taken by auger from a depth of 0–15 cm and compared with the corresponding archived samples collected at the initiation of each experiment. Analysis of these resampled soils indicated no significant change in soil carbon (C), although soil pH, extractable magnesium (Mg) and K and Nitrogen (N) concentrations were significantly greater (p < .001) but extractable soil P concentration was significantly less (p = .015) compared with the original samples. Even though measuring C concentration alone is a poor indicator of overall changes in soil C stocks, it does provide a relative quick “early warning” of C losses that would justify a more comprehensive measure of stocks.     

Deep incorporation of corn straw benefits soil organic carbon and microbial community composition in a black soil of Northeast China

‘Deep incorporation of corn straw’ (CSDI) is to concentrate the burial of corn straw into the subsurface soil layer (20–40 cm) and to break the plough pan, thereby creating a loosened plough layer (0–20 cm) and a fertile subsurface soil layer. However, its impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) and the microbial community remain poorly understood. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of 1-year CSDI (CD1), 3-year CSDI (CD3) and 5-year CSDI (CD5) on soil aggregates and aggregate-associated SOC, as well as bacterial and fungal community characteristics (examined by the high-throughput gene sequencing method). The results demonstrated that SOC and soil fungal diversity were decreased by CD1, but increased by CD3 and CD5. Compared with the control, CD5 promoted 2–0.25 mm soil macroaggregation, significantly increased SOC by 8.94% and aggregate-associated SOC by 5.96%–8.84%, consequently improving the physical protection of SOC by soil aggregates. CD3 and CD5 enhanced the richness and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi, and altered community composition. For soil bacteria, the relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi was increased, while that of Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, Sphingomonas and Bacillus was decreased. For soil fungi, the relative abundance of Ascomycota, Zygomycota, Mortierella and Fusarium was greatly improved, but that of Basidiomycota was reduced. These obvious variations in microbial community structure were beneficial to straw degradation and SOC accumulation. Overall, the optimization of microbial community with CSDI plays a positive role in promoting soil organic matter, nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration, and thus improving soil fertility.     

Cations adsorbed to soil organic matter — A regulatory factor for the release of organic carbon and hydrogen ions from soils to waters

Surface waters in northern forest ecosystems receive a substantial amount of drainage water from superficial soil horizons enriched in organic matter (SOM). Chemical reactions in the interface between the soil solution andf organic colloides will therefore affect the surface water chemistry. The mobilization of total organic carbon (TOC) and pH was studied as a function of amounts of organically adsorbed Na, Ca and Al in two O and one A horizon, which differed in the likelihood of contributing to the chemistry in runoff, in a forested watershed in northern Sweden. The samples were hydrogen ion saturated, washed and titrated with NaOH, Ca(OH)₂ and Al(OH)₃ in a constant ionic medium of 0.01 M NaCl in order to give rise to a population of manipulated samples differing in the composition of adsorbed cations. The highly humified SOM accumulated in the O_h and A_h horizons of a Gleysol close to the draining stream was stabilized by flocculating Al (95% of adsorbed metal cations), which resulted in a low release of TOC. These horizons showed a high potential of organic carbon solubility when Al was changed for di- or monovalent cations. Calculations suggested that the release of TOC would increase more than ten times if Al was exchanged for Ca upon liming to pH 6.0. The pH values of all horizons were shown to be determined mainly by the composition of adsorbed mono-,di- and trivalent cations.     

Intensive management enhances mycorrhizal respiration but decreases free-living microbial respiration by affecting microbial abundance and community structure in Moso bamboo forest soils

Intensive management is known to markedly alter soil carbon (C) storage and turnover in Moso bamboo forests compared with extensive management. However, the effects of intensive management on soil respiration (R_S) components remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in different R_S components (root, mycorrhizal, and free-living microorganism respiration) in Moso bamboo forests under extensive and intensive management practices. A 1-year in-situ microcosm experiment was conducted to quantify the R_S components in Moso bamboo forests under the two management practices using mesh screens of varying sizes. The results showed that the total R_S and its components exhibited similar seasonal variability between the two management practices. Compared with extensive management, intensive management significantly increased cumulative respiration from mycorrhizal fungi by 36.73%, while decreased cumulative respiration from free-living soil microorganisms by 8.97%. Moreover, the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) increased by 43.38%, but bacterial and fungal abundances decreased by 21.65% and 33.30%, respectively, under intensive management. Both management practices significantly changed the bacterial community composition, which could be mainly explained by soil pH and available potassium. Mycorrhizal fungi and intensive management affected the interrelationships between bacterial members. Structural equation modeling indicated that intensive management changed the cumulative R_S by elevating AMF abundance and lowering bacterial abundance. We concluded that intensive management reduced the microbial respiration-derived C loss, but increased mycorrhizal respiration-derived C loss.     

Changes in particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon with land use in contrasting soils

Soil organic carbon(SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon(C) stock, and the capacity of soils to preserve organic C(OC) varies with many factors,including land use, soil type, and soil depth. We investigated the effect of land use change on soil particulate organic matter(POM) and mineral-associated organic matter(MOM). Surface(0–10 cm) and subsurface(60–70 cm) samples were collected from paired sites(native and cropped) of four contrasting soils.Bulk soils were separated into POM and MOM fract...     

Detection of microbial groups metabolizing a substrate in soil based on the [l4C] quinone profile

Analysis of [^l4C]respiratory Quinones synthesized in soil for 6 h after spiking with [U-¹⁴C]glucose, [U-^l4C]glycine, and [1,2-^l4C]acetate enabled to fingerprint the microorganisms metabolizing each substrate in soil and to determine the whole structure of the microbial communities at the same time. The [^l4C]- Quinones synthesized from [U-^l4C] glucose were the same as those from [U-^l4C] gIycinc in soil, suggesting that the same microbial groups metabolized glucose and glycine under the given conditions. No [^l4C]quinones from [1,2- ¹⁴C] acetate were detected in soil, indicating that the metabolism of acetate by microorganisms is negligible. The profiles of [^l4C]quinones from [U-^l4C]- glucose were compared between Nagoya University Farm soils subjected to 4 different fertilizing practices. The soils receiving farmyard manure contained [^l4C]menaquinones with highly hydrated isoprenoid units, which indicated the presence of Actinobacteria metabolizing glucose. The soil receiving only chemical fertilizers contained [¹⁴C]ubiquinone with 8 isoprenoid units (Q-8), indicating the presence of beta and gamma subdivisions of Proteobacteria. All the 4 soils were characterized by the high proportions of [¹⁴C] MK-6 and a mixture of [^l4C]MK-8(H₄) and [^l4C]MK-9. The Q-9 and Q-10(H₂) indicators of fungi, were not labeled under most of the conditions.     

生草对渭北旱地苹果园土壤有机碳组分及微生物的影响

在渭北旱地苹果园行间播种毛苕子（Vicia villosa）、白三叶（Trifolium repens）、黑麦草（Lolium perenne）和早熟禾（Poa pratensis）,以清耕为对照,对0100 cm土层的土壤有机碳各组分及微生物群落功能多样性进行研究。结果表明,行间生草可显著增加040 cm土层土壤的总有机碳（TOC）、颗粒有机碳（POC）、轻质有机碳（LFOC）、易氧化有机碳（ROC）、可溶性有机碳（DOC）和微生物量碳（MBC）,豆科牧草毛苕子和白三叶的各有机碳含量总体上高于禾本科牧草黑麦草和早熟禾。其中在020 cm土层中,豆科牧草的TOC含量平均每年增加约1.2 g/kg,禾本科牧草每年增加约0.9 g/kg。生草处理的微生物群落碳源利用率（AWCD）、微生物群落Shannon 指数（H）和微生物群落丰富度指数（S）均高于清耕处理,其中豆科牧草的微生物活性更高。因此,生草可以提高土壤有机碳各组分的含量、土壤微生物群落碳源利用率、微生物群落的丰富度和功能多样性,豆科牧草毛苕子和白三叶提高效应更加明显。     

杉木和米槠人工林土壤可溶性碳组分动态及其对凋落叶输入的响应

可溶性碳组分是土壤有机碳库中最活跃的部分,作为土壤碳周转初期变化的敏感指标,其含量受到凋落叶等植物残体输入、森林类型及季节性水热变化的共同调节。采用土壤原位培养法,以亚热带米槠(Castanopsis carlesii)人工林与杉木(Cunninghamia lanceolata)人工林为对象,分析生长季内土壤可溶性碳(DOC)与热水溶性碳(HWSC)含量动态变化及其对凋落叶输入的响应趋势。结果表明,凋落叶输入、森林类型和培养月份均极显著影响土壤可溶性碳组分含量(p<0.001)。杉木人工林土壤DOC与HWSC含量整体较高,分别高出米槠人工林15.09%和13.06%,但后者的土壤可溶性有机质芳香化程度更高。经过1个生长季的培养,2种人工林土壤DOC与HWSC含量均明显增加。凋落叶增加生长季米槠人工林土壤DOC与HWSC的含量,但对杉木人工林的影响具有季节差异。研究结果表明杉木人工林土壤DOC与HWSC含量更高,但凋落叶输入促进米槠人工林DOC与HWSC含量,更易于随淋溶过程流失。