Soil bacterial and fungal communities along a soil chronosequence assessed by fatty acid profiling

Microbial communities are important components of terrestrial ecosystems. The importance of their diversity and functions for natural systems is well recognized. However, a better understanding of successional changes of microbial communities over long time scales is still required. In this work, the size and composition of microbial communities in soils of a deglaciation chronosequence at the Damma glacier forefield were studied by fatty acid profiling. Soil fatty acid concentrations clearly increased with soil age. The abundances of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), bacteria and other soil fungi, however, were more affected by abiotic soil parameters like carbon content and pH than by soil age. Analysis of ratios of the different microbial groups (AMF, fungi, bacteria) along the soil chronosequence indicated that: i) the ratios of AMF to bacteria and AMF to fungi decreased with soil age; and ii) the ratio of fungi to bacteria remained unchanged along the soil chronosequence. These two pieces of evidence suggest that the evolution of this ecosystem proceeds at an uneven pace over time and that the role of AMF is less important in older, more organic and acidified soils than in mineral soils. In contrast to other studies, no successional replacement of bacteria with fungi in more acidified and organic soil was observed.     

Soil microbial community patterns related to the history and intensity of grazing in sub-montane ecosystems

Long-term variations in the frequency and intensity of sheep (Ovis aries) grazing have led to the development of ubiquitous plant successional transitions in sub-montane regions of the UK. In this study, we measured a range of soil microbial properties across these successional transitions in three biogeographic regions of the UK, to establish how gradients of grazing-influence (in terms of the history and intensity of sheep grazing) alter the biomass, activity, and structure of soil microbial communities. We also measured soil physicochemical variables to relate changes in soil microbial community arrangement along these grazing-related successional transitions to key soil properties. Our results from three locations show that microbial communities of soils display some consistent and ‘broad-scale’ trends along successional transitions that are related to the history and intensity of grazing. We show that microbial biomass of soil is maximal at low-to-intermediate levels of grazing influence and that the phenotypic evenness (a component of diversity) of the microbial community declines as the intensity of grazing increases. We also provide evidence that soil microbial communities of heavily grazed sites are dominated by bacterial-based energy channels of decomposition, whereas in systems that are less intensively grazed, or completely unmanaged, fungi have a proportionally greater role. Further studies are needed to establish the significance of these changes in relation to soil-level ecosystem processes of decomposition and nutrient cycling. The data show that human disturbances can have profound effects on the biomass and structure of the soil communities that regulate soil processes in these ecosystems and that these effects are consistent across sites.     

Interactions among functional groups in the cycling of,carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the rhizosphere of three successional species of tropical woody trees

During the natural revegetation process, which occurs after rain forest destruction, there are different types of successional groups of woody tree species (pioneer (PN), early secondary (ES), late secondary (LS) and climax). A study of interactions among these plant groups, and the functional groups of microorganisms, is fundamental in improving revegetation programs in south Brazil. The revegetation processes are related directly to the functional communities of microorganisms, because several stages of the nutrient cycle are mediated exclusively by microorganisms, and some of these microorganisms can participate in one or more biogeochemical cycles. The interactions between some successional groups of woody species inoculated with native arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and the C, P and N cycling functional groups of microorganisms were assessed. The results showed that the AM fungi play an important role in regulating the cycling functional populations in the plant rhizosphere. The characteristics of the plant successional groups also influenced the functional microbial groups. Two populations of free-living N-fixing bacteria were evaluated. Inhibition occurred in the community that used glucose as a carbon source in the pioneer rhizosphere, whereas no differences were observed in the community of N-fixing bacteria that used malate as carbon source.     

Mycorrhizae support oaks growing in a phylogenetically distant neighbourhood

Host-plants may rarely leave their ancestral niche and in which case they tend to be surrounded by phylogenetically distant neighbours. Phylogenetically isolated host-plants might share few mutualists with their neighbours and might suffer from a decrease in mutualist support. In addition host plants leaving their ancestral niche might face a deterioration of their abiotic and biotic environment and might hence need to invest more into mutualist partners. We tested whether phylogenetic isolation of hosts from neighbours decreases or increases abundance and activity of their mutualists and whether mutualist activity may help to compensate deterioration of the environment. We study oak-hosts and their ectomycorrhizal fungi mutualists established in the litter layer formed by the phylogenetically closely or distantly related neighbourhood. We find that oaks surrounded by phylogenetically distant neighbours show increased abundance and enzymatic activity of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the litter. Moreover, oaks surrounded by phylogenetically distant neighbours also show delayed budburst but ectomycorrhizal fungi activity partly compensates this negative effect of phylogenetic isolation. This suggests decreased nutrient availability in a phylogenetically distant litter partly compensated by increased litter-degradation by ectomycorrhizal fungi activity. Most observed effects of phylogenetic isolation cannot be explained by a change in baseline soil fertility (as reflected by nutritional status of fresh oak litter, or soil microbial biomass and activity) nor by simple reduction of percentages of oak neighbours, nor by the presence of gymnosperms. Our results show that colonizing new niche represented by the presence of distantly related neighbours may delay plant phenology but may be supported by mycorrhizal mutualists. Studies on other host-plant species are required to generalize our findings.     

Soil fertility is associated with fungal and bacterial richness,whereas pH is associated with community composition in polar soil microbial communities

Microbial activities in Arctic and Antarctic soils are of particular interest due to uncertainty surrounding the fate of the enormous polar soil organic matter (SOM) pools and the potential to lose unique and vulnerable micro-organisms from these ecosystems. We quantified richness, evenness and taxonomic composition of both fungi and bacteria in 223 Arctic and Antarctic soil samples across 8 locations to test the global applicability of hypotheses concerning edaphic drivers of soil microbial communities that have been primarily developed from studies of bacteria in temperate and tropical systems. We externally validated our model's conclusions with an independent dataset comprising 33 Arctic heath samples. We also explored if our system was responding to large scale climatic or biogeographical processes that we had not measured by evaluating model stability for one location, Mitchell Pennisula, that had been extensively sampled. Soil Fertility (defined as organic matter, nitrogen and chloride content) was the most important edaphic property associated with measures of α-diversity such as microbial richness and evenness (especially for fungi), whereas pH was primarily associated with measures of β-diversity such as phylogenetic structure and diversity (especially for bacteria). Surprisingly, phosphorus emerged as consistently the second most important driver of all facets of microbial community structure for both fungi and bacteria. Despite the clear importance of edaphic factors in controlling microbial communities, our analyses also indicated that fungal/bacterial interactions play a major, but causally unclear, role in structuring the soil microbial communities of which they are a part.     

Reclamation of lignite mine areas with Triticum aestivum: The dynamics of soil functions and microbial communities

In this paper is studied the dynamics of the soil microbial structure and function, and enzymatic activities during a chronosequence (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years) after reclamation of coal mine areas with wheat (Triticum aestivum). Due to the homogeneity induced by monoculture all over the sites, similarity in the dynamics of structural and functional soil attributes was expected. Moreover, the idea of Whisenant (2002) claiming non monotonic succession unfolding during the reclamation process was checked. Soil samples were collected from the upper 12 cm of cultivated fields differing in their post-reclamation age, and they were analyzed for physicochemical variables, microbial community structure (PLFAs), catabolic profiles (Biolog Ecoplates) and enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, urease and alkaline phosphatase). Fields outside the mine area, cultivated with the same species were used as controls. Exhibiting rapid growth from 0 to 4–5 years after reclamation, slow decline from 5 to 10 years and stabilization after 10 years, the abundances of the microbial groups (Gram⁺, Gram⁻, fungi, protozoa) showed similar dynamics. Similar dynamics displayed also the activity of alkaline phosphatase and β-glucosidase, which increased gradually from 0 to 10 years and stabilized afterwards. By contrast, the activity of urease showed an inverse temporal pattern. After 15 years, the microbial abundances, the functional diversity (Shannon index), and the soil enzymatic activities of the reclaimed soils converged to values recorded in the controls fields. Significant shifts in the microbial community structure were not detected, probably because of the type of reclamation (agricultural use). However, when the overall PLFA and carbon utilization data sets were analyzed, it was revealed that the microbial community structure changed non monotonically in the transition between 0 and 5 years after reclamation, while the carbon utilization profiles exhibited more complex successional patterns. Above findings support the idea of non monotonic successional processes in soil microbial communities.     

Abundance, production and stabilization of microbial biomass under conventional and reduced tillage

Soil tillage practices affect the soil microbial community in various ways, with possible consequences for nitrogen (N) losses, plant growth and soil organic carbon (C) sequestration. As microbes affect soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics largely through their activity, their impact may not be deduced from biomass measurements alone. Moreover, residual microbial tissue is thought to facilitate SOM stabilization, and to provide a long term integrated measure of effects on the microorganisms. In this study, we therefore compared the effect of reduced (RT) and conventional tillage (CT) on the biomass, growth rate and residues of the major microbial decomposer groups fungi and bacteria. Soil samples were collected at two depths (0-5 cm and 5-20 cm) from plots in an Irish winter wheat field that were exposed to either conventional or shallow non-inversion tillage for 7 growing seasons. Total soil fungal and bacterial biomasses were estimated using epifluorescence microscopy. To separate between biomass of saprophytic fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizae, samples were analyzed for ergosterol and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers. Growth rates of saprophytic fungi were determined by [¹⁴C]acetate-in-ergosterol incorporation, whereas bacterial growth rates were determined by the incorporation of ³H-leucine in bacterial proteins. Finally, soil contents of fungal and bacterial residues were estimated by quantifying microbial derived amino sugars. Reduced tillage increased the total biomass of both bacteria and fungi in the 0-5 cm soil layer to a similar extent. Both ergosterol and PLFA analyses indicated that RT increased biomass of saprophytic fungi in the 0-5 cm soil layer. In contrast, RT increased the biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizae as well as its contribution to the total fungal biomass across the whole plough layer. Growth rates of both saprotrophic fungi and bacteria on the other hand were not affected by soil tillage, possibly indicating a decreased turnover rate of soil microbial biomass under RT. Moreover, RT did not affect the proportion of microbial residues that were derived from fungi. In summary, our results suggest that RT can promote soil C storage without increasing the role of saprophytic fungi in SOM dynamics relative to that of bacteria.     

不同施氮水平下配施硅肥对水稻根部周围土壤微生物群落结构的影响

为研究不同水平氮肥、硅肥配施对水稻根部周围土壤微生物群落结构影响,为水稻的硅肥、氮肥合理配施提供参考。以Na₂SiO₃作为硅肥硅源,设置了6组硅肥、氮肥处理组,采用变性梯度凝胶电泳（PCR-DGGE）技术探究不同施氮水平下配施硅肥处理对水稻根部周围土壤细菌、真菌和古细菌群落结构的影响。结果显示在施加低氮和中氮处理组中水稻根部周围土壤细菌群落多样性没有显著变化,施高氮处理组的细菌群落多样性呈上升趋势,但在不同施氮水平下加硅处理对细菌的群落结构影响不明显。施低氮水平和中氮水平下硅对水稻根部周围土壤真菌群落结构的影响亦不明显;与施中低氮水平相比,在施高氮水平下,水稻根部周围土壤中真菌的多样性显著下降,但施硅能显著提高水稻根部周围土壤真菌的多样性,能促进真菌类群（Coniochaeta prunicola）、粉质拟青霉（Paecilomyces farinosus）、子囊菌（Ascomycota sp.）与浅黄褐色嗜热菌（Thermothelomyces hinnuleus）等类群的生长,同时抑制水稻病原真菌木贼镰刀菌（Fusarium equiseti）类群的生长。随着施加的氮水平升高,古细菌群落多样性呈升高趋势,各氮水平下加硅处理对水稻根部周围土壤的古细菌群落结构没有显著影响。研究表明,在不同施氮水平下,施加以Na₂SiO₃为硅源的硅肥对水稻根部周围土壤的细菌、古细菌群落结构没有显著影响;但在施加高氮水平后,加硅肥能显著提高水稻根部周围土壤真菌群落的多样性。     

崇明西红花根际土壤和球茎微生物多样性分析

为研究崇明西红花栽培地根际土壤和球茎中微生物多样性,采用Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术对其微生物群落组成进行了比对分析。结果表明,西红花根际土壤和球茎中细菌和真菌在门类水平上菌群类别差异不显著,但在丰富度和多样性方面根际土壤明显高于球茎;在属和种水平上差异显著;在种水平上,根际土壤或球茎均有各自特有的细菌或真菌,且具有较高的相对丰度。西红花致病真菌瓶霉(Phialophora)和背芽突霉(Cadophora)在崇明西红花球茎大量存在。因此,推测西红花病害发生,除与土壤菌群相关外,与其内生细菌和真菌也紧密相关。本研究结果初步分析了崇明栽培地西红花根际土壤和球茎中微生物多样性及群落结构组成,为进一步筛选合适的崇明西红花栽培地土壤和种球杀菌剂提供了理论依据。     

A soil microbial community structural-functional index: the microscopy-based total/active/active fungal/bacterial (TA/AFB) biovolumes ratio

In most studies of fungal–bacterial communities in soils, single-value indices such as fumigation–extraction (FE) of microbe-derived organic carbon, measures of specific microbial cell chemical constituents, or activity-related measures have been used. These widely used single value indices, however, do not provide information on the physical structure of the filamentous fungal and bacterial community in a soil. The filamentous fungi, considered as indeterminate organisms, have a variable and changing hyphal network, most of which is devoid of cytoplasm. To meet this need for a direct integrated measure of the physical characteristics of the indeterminate fungi and their associated bacteria, a microscopy-based microbial biovolumes ratios approach is suggested. To provide this information, the total and active biovolumes of both the filamentous fungi and bacteria are assessed by microscopy. To normalize these responses, the ratio of total to active (TA) fungal plus bacterial biovolumes is divided by the ratio of the active fungal to bacterial biovolume (AFB), to yield the total/active/active fungal/bacterial (TA/AFB) biovolumes ratio. This approach has been used to analyze data from recently-cultivated early successional (ES) and uncultivated late successional (LS) sites at a shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado, where control plots were compared with those receiving mineral nitrogen amendments, using samples taken during the summer of 1995. The TA/AFB ratio index showed distinct and significant decreases in response to soil disturbance which reflected the decreased hyphal lengths present in these disturbed soils. These changes were not detected by the use of FE-based extractable carbon measurements. The TA/AFB ratio also showed significant positive correlations with indices of plant community development and mineral nitrogen, especially in the plots not amended with N. This TA/AFB ratios index should be able to provide information on the physical structure of the indeterminate filamentous fungi and associated soil bacteria for use in the assessment of soil quality, health and resiliency.     

铅胁迫对黄褐土微生物区系和功能多样性的影响

为了筛选出黄褐土中对铅污染敏感的指示微生物,本研究采用室内培养试验研究不同铅浓度对土壤微生物区系和功能多样性的影响。结果表明,向土壤中添加硝酸铅显著降低了可培养细菌、放线菌和真菌微生物的种群数量,这种抑制作用随着铅浓度的升高而增强,随着培养时间的延长而减弱。铅浓度、细菌、真菌和放线菌数量两两间呈极显著负相关关系。低浓度铅处理（100 mg kg?1）在培养初期（1 d）显著减少了可培养细菌和放线菌的数量,降低率分别为27.43%和30.89%;高浓度铅处理（2500 mg kg?1）在整个培养期内均对真菌数量产生显著抑制作用,且抑制率维持在90%左右。从培养初期到中期（1 ~ 14 d）,随着铅浓度升高土壤微生物群落活性和功能多样性指数显著下降（中浓度铅处理除外）,培养后期（28 d）各个浓度铅处理的土壤微生物的丰富度和优势度均显著增加。与对照、低浓度铅和高浓度铅处理相比,中浓度铅处理（500 mg kg?1）更有利于保持黄褐土较高的微生物的群落代谢活性和功能多样性。本研究中3 种可培养微生物功能群对黄褐土添加硝酸铅的敏感度依次是放线菌,细菌和真菌。研究表明,在黄褐土地区真菌可以用来指示较为严重的土壤铅污染状况,放线菌和细菌可以用来指示铅污染程度较轻的土壤环境状况。     

Magnitude of Species Diversity Effect on Aboveground Plant Biomass Increases Through Successional Time of Abandoned Farmlands on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau of China

Recent empirical and theoretical studies have shown that magnitude and direction of biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning can shifts over time. Here, we used species richness and plant abundance (total individual plant stem density) as proxies for species diversity and aboveground biomass for productivity. We used an analytical approach combining both chronosequence and 6 year of vegetation monitoring in a subalpine ecosystem as a model system to assess temporal species richness–abundance–aboveground biomass relationships at different successional stages and spatial scales. We observed that both species richness and plant aboveground biomass increased rapidly early in succession after land abandonment, then after 10 years of abandonment reached a steady state. We found that the relationship between species richness and plant abundance with aboveground biomass was strengthening over successional time. In all successional stages, species richness had stronger positive effects as compared with plant abundance on plant aboveground biomass. Species richness was linearly correlated with aboveground biomass, whereas plant abundance showed a humped‐back relationship with aboveground biomass across all successional stages. Our results showed an increase in the effect of plant diversity over time, and a combination of both plant species richness and abundance is correlated with plant productivity throughout successional time, knowledge that maybe important to managing ecological restoration and conservation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of the chitinolytic microbial community to chitin amendments of dune soils

 The dynamics of culturable chitin-degrading microorganisms were studied during a 16-week incubation of chitin-amended coastal dune soils that differed in acidity. Soil samples were incubated at normal (5% w/w) and high (15% w/w) moisture levels. More than half of the added chitin was decomposed within 4 weeks of incubation in most soils. This rapid degradation was most likely due to fast-growing chitinolytic fungi (mainly Mortierella spp. and Fusarium spp.) at both moisture levels, as dense hyphal networks of these fungi were observed during the first 4 weeks of incubation. Chitin N mineralization was inhibited by cycloheximide, and fast-growing fungal isolates were capable of rapid chitin decomposition in sterile sand, further suggesting that these fungi play an important role in initial chitin degradation. The strong increase in fast-growing fungi in chitin-amended dune soils was only detected by direct observation. Plate counts and microscopic quantification of stained hyphae failed to reveal such an increase. During the first part of the incubation, numbers of unicellular chitinolytic bacteria also increased, but their contribution to chitin degradation was indicated to be of minor importance. During prolonged incubation, colony forming units (CFU) of chitinolytic streptomycetes and/or slow-growing fungi increased strongly in several soils, especially at the 5% moisture level. Hence, the general trend observed was a succession from fast-growing fungi and unicellular bacteria to actinomycetes and slow-growing fungi. Yet, the composition of chitinolytic CFU over time differed strongly between chitin-amended dune soils, and also between the two moisture levels. These differences could not be attributed to pH, organic matter or initial microbial composition. The possible consequence of such unpredictable variation in microbial community composition for the use of chitin-amendments as a biocontrol measure is discussed. Received: 10 March 1998     

Woodland trees modulate soil resources and conserve fungal diversity in fragmented landscapes

Resource islands around woody plants are thought to define the structure and function of many semiarid and arid ecosystems, but their role in patterning of soil microbial communities remains largely unexamined in dry environments. This study examined soil resource distribution and associated fungal communities in two Allocasuarina luehmannii (buloke) remnants of semiarid north-western Victoria, Australia. These savannah-like woodlands are listed as endangered due to extensive clearing for agriculture. We used the DNA-based profiling technique T-RFLP and ordination-based statistical methods to compare fungal community compositions in surface soils from two remnants (located 1.6 km apart) and three sampling positions (beneath individual buloke canopies; grassy inter-canopy areas; and adjoining cleared paddocks). Resource island formation beneath buloke trees was clearly evident in soil physicochemical properties (e.g. threefold concentrations of total carbon and nitrogen in canopy versus non-canopy soils). This heterogeneity of resources was moderately correlated with soil fungal community compositions, which were distinct for each sampling position. We argue that fungal composition patterns reflected multiple roles of fungi in dryland ecosystems, namely: responses of saprotrophic fungi to tree organic matter inputs; specificity of ectomycorrhizal fungi to tree rooting zones; and fungal involvement in biological soil crusts that variably covered non-canopy soils. Our data did not indicate that buloke canopy areas were particular hotspots of soil fungal diversity, but that they increased landscape-level diversity by supporting a distinct suite of fungi. In addition, we provide evidence of phylogenetic differentiation of soil fungal communities between our two remnants, which adds to growing evidence of fungal genetic structure at localised scales. These findings highlight the importance of remnant trees in conserving both soil resources and microbial genetic diversity. In addition, evidence of differentiation of soil fungal phylogenetics between nearby but isolated remnants suggests that conserving soil fungal diversity requires conservation of host habitats over their entire (remaining) range, and indicates previously unseen consequences of tree loss from extensively cleared landscapes.     

Diversity and distribution of Victoria Land biota

Understanding the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is critical to predicting and monitoring the effects of ecosystem changes on important soil processes. However, most of Earth's soils are too biologically diverse to identify each species present and determine their functional role in food webs. The soil ecosystems of Victoria Land (VL) Antarctica are functionally and biotically simple, and serve as in situ models for determining the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem processes. For a few VL taxa (microarthropods, nematodes, algae, mosses and lichens), species diversity has been intensively assessed in highly localized habitats, but little is known of how community assemblages vary across broader spatial scales, or across latitudinal and environmental gradients. The composition of tardigrade, rotifer, protist, fungal and prokaryote communities is emerging. The latter groups are the least studied, but potentially the most diverse. Endemism is highest for microarthropods and nematodes, less so for tardigrades and rotifers, and apparently low for mosses, lichens, protists, fungi and prokaryotes. Much of what is known about VL diversity and distribution occurs in an evolutionary and ecological vacuum; links between taxa and functional role in ecosystems are poorly known and future studies must utilize phylogenetic information to infer patterns of community assembly, speciation, extinction, population processes and biogeography. However, a comprehensive compilation of all the species that participate in soil ecosystem processes, and their distribution across regional and landscape scales is immediately achievable in VL with the resources, tools, and expertise currently available. We suggest that the soil ecosystems of VL should play a major role in exploring the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and in monitoring the effects of environmental change on soil processes in real time and space.     

Using landscape and depth gradients to decouple the impact of correlated environmental variables on soil microbial community composition

Simultaneously assessing shifts in microbial community composition along landscape and depth gradients allows us to decouple correlations among environmental variables, thus revealing underlying controls on microbial community composition. We examined how soil microbial community composition changed with depth and along a successional gradient of native prairie restoration. We predicted that carbon would be the primary control on both microbial biomass and community composition, and that deeper, low-carbon soils would be more similar to low-carbon agricultural soils than to high carbon remnant prairie soils. Soil microbial community composition was characterized using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, and explicitly linked to environmental data using structural equations modeling (SEM). We found that total microbial biomass declined strongly with depth, and increased with restoration age, and that changes in microbial biomass were largely attributable to changes in soil C and/or N concentrations, together with both direct and indirect impacts of root biomass and magnesium. Community composition also shifted with depth and age: the relative abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria increased with both depth and restoration age, while gram-negative bacteria declined with depth and age. In contrast to prediction, deeper, low-C soils were more similar to high-C remnant prairie soils than to low-C agricultural soils, suggesting that carbon is not the primary control on soil microbial community composition. Instead, the effects of depth and restoration age on microbial community composition were mediated via changes in available phosphorus, exchangeable calcium, and soil water, together with a large undetermined effect of depth. Only by examining soil microbial community composition shifts across sites and down the soil column simultaneously were we able to tease apart the impact of these correlates environmental variables.     

Temporal variation outweighs effects of biosolids applications in shaping arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities on plants grown in pasture and arable soils

Landspreading of biosolids (treated sewage sludge) in agroecosystems is a common waste management practice worldwide. Evidence suggests biosolids may be detrimental to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF); however, previous studies focused on arable systems and often unrealistically high biosolids application levels. We investigated the effects of biosolids on AMF communities in grassland and arable agroecosystems, in the context of the natural seasonal dynamics of AMF community composition and diversity. A pasture and arable system under commercial farming management were amended annually with two different types of biosolids, applied at levels meeting current European Union regulations, in a factorial, replicated field-scale plot experiment. AMF root colonisation and community composition were measured in Lolium perenne roots from the pasture and Trifolium repens roots growing in arable soil across the seasons of two years. AMF community compositions were assessed by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. Biosolids had no significant effect on AMF root colonisation or community composition in either agroecosystem. Soil chemical analyses indicated several changes in the top 0–5 cm layer of the pasture soil, including small increases in heavy metal concentrations in biosolids relative to control plots. Temporal AMF dynamics were detected in soils from both agroecosystem indicating that the effect of seasonality outweighed that of biosolids application.     

Functional diversity of microbial communities in the mixed boreal plain forest of central Canada

This study was designed to examine whether or not specific tree species (Picea glauca, Picea mariana, Pinus banksiana, Populus tremuloides), their post-fire stand age, or their position in a successional pathway had any significant effect on the functional diversity of associated soil microbial communities in a typical mixed boreal forest ecosystem (Duck Mountain Provincial Forest, Manitoba, Canada). Multivariate analyses designed to identify significant biotic and/or abiotic variables associated with patterns of organic substrate utilization (assessed using the BIOLOG™ System) revealed the overall similarity in substrate utilization by the soil microbial communities. The five clusters identified differed mainly by their substrate-utilization value rather than by specific substrate utilization. Variability in community functional diversity was not strongly associated to tree species or post-fire stand age; however, redundancy analysis indicated a stronger association between substrate utilization and successional pathway and soil pH. For example, microbial communities associated with the relatively high pH soils of the P. tremuloides-P. glauca successional pathway, exhibited a greater degree of substrate utilization than those associated with the P. banksiana-P. mariana successional pathway and more acidic soils. Differences in functional diversity specific to tree species were not observed and this may have reflected the mixed nature of the forest stands and of their heterogeneous forest floor. In a densely treed, mixed boreal forest ecosystem, great overlap in tree and understory species occur making it difficult to assign a definitive microbial community to any particular tree species. The presence of P. tremuloides in all stand types and post fire stand ages has probably contributed to the large amount of overlap in utilization profiles among soil samples.     

Changes in plant diversity,biomass and soil C,in alpine meadows at different degradation stages in the headwater region of three rivers,China

Field surveys and experiment analyses were applied to detect the relationships between plant diversity, community biomass and soil resources at different degradation successional stages in the headwater region of three rivers in an alpine meadow. The chronosequence approach (space‐for‐time substitution) is a viable tool for obtaining integrated information within successional studies. The experimental plots were located in the Guoluo area, which is part of the source region for the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. The results showed not only that the quantities of roots and soil that are ‘carriers’ for cultivating soil roots were altered not only by disturbance (including overgrazing) and environmental factors but also that the proportion of the rhizome to soil at the 0–10 cm soil layer was enhanced by disturbance in heavy degradation. The plant community composition changed, and the number of plant species and the proportions of fine forage decreased. Moreover, soil fertility levels decreased remarkably, and the soil was degenerated. Plant community biomass levels at different degradation successional stages affected the soil microbial biomass carbon, soil organic carbon and also affected soil fertility conditions. Soil organic carbon and soil total nitrogen declined with grassland degeneration, and the distribution of soil organic carbon was influenced greatly. The alpine species Kobresia pygmaea was at different degradation successional stages, and the plant community biomass was significantly related to soil nutrients. In the positive successional series, the composition of plant functional groups became complex gradually, plant species richness was gradually enhanced, and the change in the composition of each plant functional group also reflected the restoration degree plant community structure. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Responses of birds of different biogeographic origins and habitat requirements to agricultural land abandonment in northern Spain

Agricultural land-use changes in Europe have taken two opposing directions: towards agricultural intensification or land abandonment. While in the Mediterranean region land abandonment is a main cause of avian diversity decline, in northern Europe species diversity often increases with successional age. We examined the hypothesis that the biogeographic origin of the avifauna determines whether abandonment brings conservation benefits or detriment by studying the bird community of agricultural land in northern Spain, at the boundary of the Mediterranean and Eurosiberian regions. Using a successional gradient, we examined landscape-scale effects of agricultural abandonment on birds during the breeding and non-breeding seasons.The trend in avian diversity with successional stage differed little between Mediterranean and Eurosiberian species in winter. In the spring, however, there was an increase in diversity with stage in abandonment for Eurosiberian birds but not for Mediterranean species. Analysis of individual species showed a preference among Eurosiberian birds for more wooded habitats whereas Mediterranean birds preferred open areas and shrubland.The introduction of agricultural policies to geo-political units that do not coincide with eco-regions cannot be assumed to bring uniform conservation benefits. In the Mediterranean region, agricultural mosaics of low intensity cultivation maintain the highest diversity of priority bird species. Agricultural land abandonment should not be assumed to benefit conservation.