Microscale distribution and function of soil microorganisms in the interface between rhizosphere and detritusphere

The rhizosphere and the detritusphere are hot spots of microbial activity, but little is known about the interface between rhizosphere and detritusphere. We used a three-compartment pot design to study microbial community structure and enzyme activity in this interface. All three compartments were filled with soil from a long-term field trial. The two outer compartments were planted with maize (root compartment) or amended with mature wheat shoot residues from a free air CO₂ enrichment experiment (residue compartment) and were separated by a 50 μm mesh from the inner compartment. Soil, residues and maize differed in ¹³C signature (δ¹³C soil −26.5‰, maize roots −14.1‰ and wheat residues −44.1‰) which allowed tracking of root- and residue-derived C into microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). The abundance of bacterial and fungal PLFAs showed clear gradients with highest abundance in the first 1–2 mm of the root and residue compartment, and generally higher values in the vicinity of the residue compartment. The δ¹³C of the PLFAs indicated that soil microorganisms incorporated more carbon from the residues than from the rhizodeposits and that the microbial use of wheat residue carbon was restricted to 1 mm from the residue compartment. Carbon incorporation into soil microorganisms in the interface was accompanied by strong microbial N immobilisation evident from the depletion of inorganic N in the rhizosphere and detritusphere. Extracellular enzyme activities involved in the degradation of organic C, N and P compounds (β-glucosidase, xylosidase, acid phosphatase and leucin peptidase) did not show distinct gradients in rhizosphere or detritusphere. Our microscale study showed that rhizosphere and detritusphere differentially influenced microbial C cycling and that the zone of influence depended on the parameter assessed. These results are highly relevant for defining the size of different microbial hot spots and understanding microbial ecology in soils.     

Soil management modifies micro-scale abundance and function of soil microorganisms in a Mediterranean ecosystem

The present study tests whether soil management (tillage and fertilizer) modified the small-scale abundance and function of soil microorganisms in response to changes in organic matter quantity and quality. The experimental field, located in the coastal hills of Marche (central Italy), was planted in rotation with Triticum durum in winter and Zea mais in summer. Soil samples were collected in the maize-field soil, in conventional and no-tillage (NT) systems, and in fertilized and unfertilized soil. We analysed total organic C (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) microbial biomass C (MBC), enzymes involved in C- (β-glucosidase, α-glucosidase, β-cellobiohydrolase, β-xylosidase), N- (leucine-aminopeptidase and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase), P- (acid phosphatase) and S-cycling (arylsulphatase), as well as functional diversity in the bulk soil, coarse sand, fine sand, silt and clay fractions. Micro-scale investigations revealed great microbial abundance in smaller fractions because of protection offered by microaggregates, whereas the distribution of enzymes reflected the availability of their corresponding substrates. No-tillage treatment significantly increased organic input, mainly in the coarser fractions, enhancing enzyme activities and the functional diversity of the microbial community. This effect was even larger in the absence of fertilizer. At the particle-size level of resolution, adding fertilizer stimulated nutrient cycling. Our results confirmed the hypothesis that no-tillage enlarges the content of particulate organic matter in the coarse sand fraction and stimulates microbial decomposition. In the smaller fractions the enlarged microbial pool and increased soil organic matter with small C/N ratio under NT confirm that this management practice is effective in increasing soil C sequestration capacity.     

Dynamics of litter carbon turnover and microbial abundance in a rye detritusphere

Factors determining C turnover and microbial succession at the small scale are crucial for understanding C cycling in soils. We performed a microcosm experiment to study how soil moisture affects temporal patterns of C turnover in the detritusphere. Four treatments were applied to small soil cores with two different water contents (matric potential of ?0.0063 and ?0.0316 MPa) and with or without addition of ¹³C labelled rye residues (δ¹³C=299‰), which were placed on top. Microcosms were sampled after 3, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 84 days and soil cores were separated into layers with increasing distance to the litter. Gradients in soil organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, extracellular enzyme activity and microbial biomass were detected over a distance of 3 mm from the litter layer. At the end of the incubation, 35.6% of litter C remained on the surface of soils at ?0.0063 MPa, whereas 41.7% remained on soils at ?0.0316 MPa. Most of the lost litter C was mineralised to CO₂, with 47.9% and 43.4% at ?0.0063 and ?0.0316 MPa, respectively. In both treatments about 6% were detected as newly formed soil organic carbon. During the initial phase of litter decomposition, bacteria dominated the mineralisation of easily available litter substrates. After 14 days fungi depolymerised more complex litter compounds, thereby producing new soluble substrates, which diffused into the soil. This pattern of differential substrate usage was paralleled by a lag phase of 3 days and a subsequent increase in enzyme activities. Increased soil water content accelerated the transport of soluble substrates, which influenced the temporal patterns of microbial growth and activity. Our results underline the importance of considering the interaction of soil microorganisms and physical processes at the small scale for the understanding of C cycling in soils.     

Tillage effects on soil strength and solute transport

To study the effect of different soil tillage practices and the consequences of soil deformation on the functioning of the pore system, we performed unsaturated leaching experiments (by applying a suction of −10 kPa) on undisturbed soil columns from the Ap-horizon of a luvisol derived from glacial till (agricultural site at Hohenschulen, North Germany). We compared two different tillage practices (conventionally tilled to 30 cm depth, and conservational chiselled to a depth of 8 cm-Horsch system) with respect to soil strength, pore connectivity and their effect on the fate of surface-applied fertilisers. The soil strength was measured by determining the precompression stress value (PCV). The conventionally tilled topsoil had a PCV of 21 kPa at a pore water potential of −6 kPa, while the conservation treatment resulted in a slightly higher PCV of 28 kPa, suggesting a slowly increasing soil strength induced by the formation of aggregates under reduced tillage practice.

The leaching experiments were modelled using the convection dispersion equation (CDE) and a modified version of the mobile–immobile approach (MIM), which included three water fractions: mobile, immobile and totally immobile water. From the CDE mobile water fractions (θ_m) ranging from 47 to 67% were found, and θ_m was slightly higher in the ploughed seedbed compared to the conservation-tilled one. This could be due to higher aggregation in the latter one. Dispersivities were relatively large, ranging from 44 to 360 mm, but no difference was found for the treatments. The MIM could simulate the drop in concentration when leaching was interrupted, but overall did not improve the simulation, despite the larger number of fitting parameters.

Compacting the soil with loads of 70 kPa prior to the leaching experiment did not affect solute transport in the conservational tilled soil. In the conventional-tilled soil, however, the dispersivity decreased and the mobile water content increased compared to the non-compacted soil, suggesting that the former one is less prone to deformation by mechanical loads.     

土壤水流通量对饱水带溶质运移参数的影响

The transport processes of solutes in two soil columns filled with undistrubed soil material collected from an unsaturated sandy aquifer formation in Belgium subjected to a variable upper boundary condition were identified from breakthrough curves measured by means of time domain reflectometry(TDR),Solute breakthrough was measured with 3 TDR probes inserted into each soil column at three different depths at a 10 minutes time interval.In addition,soil water content and pressure head were measured at 3 different depths.Analyteical solute transport models were used to estimate the solute disperison coefficient and average pore-water velocity from the observed breakthrough curves,the results showed that the analytical solutions were suitable in fitting the observed solute transport,The dispersion coefficient was found to be a function of the soil depth and average proe-water velocity,imposed by the soil water flux.the mobile moistrue content on the other hand was not correlated with the average pore-water velocity and the dispersion coefficient.     

区域尺度农田水盐动态模拟模型—GSWAP

由于土壤和水文气象等因子的空间变异性,区域尺度的农田水盐动态难以应用小尺度-维模型进行模拟.该文将-维农田水文模型(soil-water-atmosphere-plant model,SWAP)与Arclnfo进行紧密结合,构建了区域尺度的农田水盐动态模拟模型-GSWAP.该模型利用GIS强大的空间数据分析与处理功能,可高效地进行模型数据的前后处理与分析.模型将研究区划分为多个均质单元进行模拟,并以RS反演的表土含水率和ETa为观测资料,运用遗传算法确定各单元等效土壤水力参数.该文以内蒙河套灌区永联试验区为背景,对GSWAP模型进行了应用分析.结果表明,应用GSWAP模型可高效地进行区域农田水盐动态模拟,实现数据输入输出、可视化显示与空间分析,且永联试验区的模拟结果具有合理性.     

Experimental study on the relation between the fractal characteristics and solute transport parameters of sandy soil

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Assessing solute transport in porous media is important for better understanding groundwater contamination. Transport parameters are closely related to the soil...     

地下水浅埋条件下包气带水和溶质运移数值模拟研究述评

地下水浅埋条件下包气带水和溶质运移规律是解决土壤盐渍化、地下水污染等环境与生态问题的基本理论基础,基于多孔介质水和溶质运移基本方程的数值模型是研究包气带物质运移的重要手段。通过深入分析土壤水和地下水之间的相互关系,强调在地下水埋深小于其极限埋深的情况下应把地下水作用耦合到包气带水和溶质运移模型中。该文概括总结了现有研究把地下水作用与土壤水模型相耦合的方法,并分析了各种方法的优缺点。在回顾现有土壤水分运动参数和溶质运移参数确定方法的基础上,归纳了包气带水和溶质运移模型从“点”尺度向“田块”尺度扩展的途径,随机方法仍将是今后的研究热点,并有望应用于实践。     

Nitrogen loading levels affect abundance and composition of soil ammonia oxidizing prokaryotes in semiarid temperate grassland

Purpose  

Global nitrogen deposition has profound impact on the terrestrial ecosystem including the semiarid temperate grassland, causing vegetation community shifts and soil acidification. Little is known regarding the effect of nitrogen (N) deposition on the belowground microbial communities. This study aimed to examine the response of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) to added N in semiarid temperate grassland.     

Modelling water and solute transport in macroporous soil. I. Model description and sensitivity analysis

A detailed mechanistic model of water movement and transport of non-reactive solute in a macroporous soil is described. One important feature of the model is that it may be run in either one or two flow domains using the same values for the hydraulic properties characterizing the soil. Water and solute movement in the micropores is calculated with the Richards and convection-dispersion equations and, in two domains, this is coupled to fluxes of water and solute in the macropores by empirical interaction terms. These interaction terms are redundant in the one-domain model, which simply reduces to the non-steady state convection-dispersion equation. A sensitivity analysis is presented showing how it is possible to identify conditions under which a macropore flow domain may need to be considered. In part II (Jarvis et al., 1991), the model is evaluated under field conditions in chloride breakthrough experiments in soil monolith lysimeters.     

土壤团聚体N_2O释放与反硝化微生物丰度和组成的关系

不同粒径团聚体的物理化学和生物学特性差异可能影响N2O的产生与释放,但目前有关团聚体N2O释放的微生物学机制少有研究。本研究从菜地土壤中分筛出粒径为1 mm、2~4 mm和4~8 mm的团聚体并开展培养试验,通过实时荧光定量PCR(Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction,q PCR)与末端限制性片段长度多态性分析(Terminal-Restricted Fragment Length Polymorphism,T-RFLP)技术的结合,研究了不同粒径团聚体反硝化微生物群落数量与组成的变化规律及其与N2O释放的相互关系。结果表明,不同粒径团聚体N2O释放速率表现为:粒径小于1 mm团聚体2~4 mm团聚体4~8 mm团聚体;硝酸还原酶基因(nar G)和氧化亚氮还原酶基因(nos Z)的丰度也表现为小粒径团聚体最高,随团聚体粒径增加而显著下降。然而,不同粒径团聚体间含nar G和nos Z基因的群落组成并没表现出显著差异。因此,不同粒径团聚体N2O释放速率差异与反硝化功能微生物丰度密切相关,而与它们的组成没有显著相关性。     

落干对表层水稻土氮素转化及关键功能微生物丰度的影响

落干过程中稻田土壤氮素转化发生显著变化,但表层土壤不同层次的氮素转化特征及相关机制尚不清楚。通过室内土壤培养试验,探讨了落干过程中(9 d)上表层(0～5 cm)和下表层(5～10 cm)水稻土氧化还原电位(Eh)、土体氧化亚氮(N2O)浓度和排放通量等的动态变化特征,并利用实时荧光定量PCR测定氨氧化基因(古菌amoA和细菌amoA)和硝酸盐还原酶基因(narG和napA)的丰度变化。结果表明,经9 d落干上表层水稻土Eh由-200 mV上升至500 mV左右,而下表层在-200～0 mV之间波动。上表层水稻土NH4+-N含量下降速率和NO^3--N含量上升速率分别是下表层的2.8和1.8倍。落干过程中,上表层水稻土氨氧化作用可能是由氨氧化细菌(AOB)主导的,而驱动硝酸盐还原作用可能以含napA基因反硝化微生物为主。     

咸淡水轮灌对棉花产量和土壤溶质迁移的影响

为探讨不同咸淡水膜下滴灌方式对棉花根系、产量和土壤剖面溶质迁移的影响,于2012–2013年在巴州灌溉试验站开展大田试验,共设置全生育期微咸水、淡水和咸淡水轮灌(蕾期—花铃前期淡水、其余生育期微咸水)3个处理。对比不同咸淡水处理下,棉花根系发育、地上部生长和产量的差异,分析0~100 cm土壤中铜、铁、锰、钙、钾、钠6种溶质垂向分布与变化特点。结果表明:2012年,微咸水灌溉条件下,钠离子未发生表聚,40 cm以上土壤微量元素含量显著增高(P0.05),棉花总根长密度、最大根长密度呈咸水处理轮灌处理淡水处理,咸水和轮灌处理下,单株棉花地上部干物质、单位面积铃数和籽棉产量显著高于淡水处理,分别达32%、20%和22%。2012–2013年,咸水处理下棉花总根长密度骤减,导致该处理下单株棉花地上部干物质、单位面积铃数和籽棉产量显著降低(P0.05)。在土壤盐害离子增加,微量元素减少的情况下,采用蕾期至花铃前期淡水灌溉、其余生育期微咸水灌溉的方式,钠离子未发生表聚,2013年棉花总根长密度高于咸水处理达24%,地上部干物质、单位面积铃数和籽棉产量较咸水处理高出13%~24%。咸淡水轮灌一定程度上促进了棉花根系生长,缓解盐害离子对棉花造成的生长胁迫。另外,不同咸淡水灌溉处理下,土壤溶质迁移规律不同:2012–2013年,土壤中铜、铁、锰平均质量分数降低约40%,0~10 cm的表聚系数由0.14~0.17增长至超过0.20,3种处理下铜、铁、锰都表现出强烈的表聚性;钙、钾、钠平均质量分数增加33%~45%,3种处理下钙、钾未表现出明显的表聚性,而微咸水处理下钠由不表聚转变为显著表聚。该成果可为干旱地区合理利用微咸水,实现棉花优质稳产提供参考。     

Modelling water and solute transport in macroporous soil. II. Chloride breakthrough under non-steady flow

A model of water and solute transport in macroporous soils (Jarvis et al., 1991) has been evaluated in column breakthrough experiments under field conditions. Hydraulic properties were first measured in replicate soil monolith lysimeters sampled from grass ley and continuous barley treatments in a clay soil. A pulse input of 0.05 M KCl was then supplied by drip irrigation and measurements made of the water discharge and chloride leaching resulting from the natural rainfall over a 1-month period. The results showed that the macropores constituted the dominant flow pathway (accounting for 80% of the total water outflow) and that diffusive exchange of chloride between the two flow domains was the main factor causing variability in leaching. Larger hydraulic conductivities and macroporosities in the lower topsoil and at plough depth in the grass ley monoliths were taken as evidence of structural amelioration. Less of the applied chloride was leached in the grass monoliths than in the barley (means of 20% and 31% respectively). This was mainly due to a smaller effective aggregate size and thus a more efficient diffusion-controlled retention.     

脱硫废弃物改良宁夏盐渍化土壤对细菌和氨氧化微生物丰度的影响

为探明脱硫废弃物改良盐渍化土壤对微生物群落的影响效果,在2009~2010年,采用田间试验,施用不同量的脱硫废弃物(0、0.74、1.49、2.25、3.00 kg·m-2),研究了脱硫废弃物对盐渍化土壤细菌、氨氧化细菌和氨氧化古菌的影响。试验结果表明:0~20 cm土层,Ca2+和NO-3-N含量随着施用量增加而增加;土壤p H值、电导率值显著下降。实时荧光定量PCR(q PCR)分析结果表明,微生物丰度随着脱硫废弃物的施用发生变化,但这种变化并不与脱硫废弃物的施用量呈线性关系。在0~20 cm土壤层,施脱硫废弃物使得细菌16S rRNA基因拷贝数处理组显著高于对照组。氨氧化古菌与氨氧化细菌基因拷贝数在T2和T4处理高于其它处理。20~40 cm土层各处理间微生物群落没有显著变化,或没有出现规律的变化趋势。因此,脱硫废弃物增加了土壤细菌和氨氧化功能基因丰度,且对上层土壤影响更为显著。本研究中施用脱硫废弃物1.49 kg·m-2(T2)是引起细菌和氨氧化功能基因丰度增加的施用量。     

Field-scale solute transport — spatially interpolating the parameters of a transfer function model

The results from a solute transport study done near Basel, Switzerland are reported. The experimental site was a 3.25 ha corn field consisting of well drained silt loam. A bromide tracer was applied to the surface of 40 plots, located at regular intervals on a grid. Soil cores were taken twice at each plot during the experiment. The first time, samples were collected at 10 cm intervals from the surface to 50 cm. During the second sampling, soil cores were taken to a depth of 100 cm in 20 cm increments. Four plots were sampled twice each time to assess small-scale heterogeneities. Solute transport was described as a convective-dispersive process with highly variable parameters within the test field. A poor correspondence between the apparent fraction of the soil volume that is active in transport and volumetric water content was found. This was interpreted as resulting from effects such as stagnant water, locally three-dimensional flow and infiltration water which bypasses the regions of the soil which contain the main mass of the tracer. The spatial distribution of the transport parameters within the test field could not be explained on the basis of soil physical properties. The fields of the transport properties showed spatial dependence and locally estimated parameters were interpolated over the entire test field by kriging.     

土壤非均匀水流运动和溶质迁移显色示踪方法研究

根据碘-淀粉显色原理示踪土壤非均匀流动,探讨非均匀水流运动和溶质迁移描述方法。在1.0m×1.0m尺度上开展试验,60mm碘离子溶液入渗后,在70cm深度内逐层开挖剖面,剖面中水流经过的区域喷洒淀粉溶液后显色,采用图像分析和率定的方法建立了土壤显色和碘离子浓度之间的关系。采用环状直方图,从浓度空间分布和信息量两个方面对流动非均匀性进行了描述。碘-淀粉显色示踪方法较好地显现了非均匀流动模式,环状直方图分析表明,浓度分布的离散程度随浓度值的减小而增加,描述流动的非均匀性需要考虑水平和垂直方向上流动非均匀特征,非均匀流动的相似性随着距离的增加而明显下降。     

Microenvironments of soil microorganisms

Summary Ultrastructural studies of soil micro-organisms and the microenvironments surrounding them are reviewed. Soil microfauna, and bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi, fixed and embedded in situ, were examined by electron microscopy (both transmission and scanning). In some cases ultrastructural histochemistry was used to detect and identify the organic matter with which microorganisms were associated and to examine the polymeric microbial materials (enzymes, extracellular polysaccharides) they produced. Although some small organisms (0.3 m diameter) occurred singly in dense fabrics of clay or humified organic matter, larger bacteria occurred in rhizospheres, in small colonies in the larger micropores or associated with substantial deposits of organic matter (faecal pellets, carbohydrate-rich plant cell-wall debris). Whereas rhizospheres had mixed microbial populations, individual microvoids in the bulk soil usually contained only one type of micro-organism. Following chloroform treatment, microorganisms were found only in mucigel deposits or deep in the interiors of micropores, suggesting that these constitute protected sites where microorganisms survive temporarily adverse conditions. Soil microfauna and fungi were mainly confined to the larger voids. Although some live hyphae occurred in the outer regions of aggregates, hyphae deep within soil fabrics were usually devoid of cytoplasmic organelles. Faecal pellets, plant tissues and cell-wall remnants comprised the most frequent, larger organic masses, while the most common micron- and submicron-sized organic matter consisted of fibrous or amorphous humified matter. Unequivocal detection of enzymes was limited to the surface of microorganisms.     

Water potential and the respiration of microorganisms in the soil

The effect of soil water potential on the respiration of microorganisms in soil was studied. Bacterial respiration decreased rapidly below ?3 bar; at -20 bar it was very slight. The most rapid decline occurred above ? 6 bar. The respiration of a mixed population of microorganisms, however, was maintained at a fairly high level between ?8 and ?30 bar but subsequently declined until at ?50 bar it became negligible. At potentials below ?50 bar, additions of glucose caused no increase in respiration. The sensitivity of bacteria to relatively small negative potentials was probably due to their restricted movement as the soil pores drained.