Soil microbial and nutrient dynamics in a wet Arctic sedge meadow in late winter and early spring

Microbial activity is known to continue during the winter months in cold alpine and Arctic soils often resulting in high microbial biomass. Complex soil nutrient dynamics characterize the transition when soil temperatures approach and exceed 0 °C in spring. At the time of this transition in alphine soils microbial biomass declines dramatically together with soil pools of available nutrients. This pattern of change characterizes alpine soils at the winter-spring transition but whether a similar pattern occurs in Arctic soils, which are colder, is unclear. In this study amounts of microbial biomass and the availability of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for microbial and plant growth in wet peaty soils of an Arctic sedge meadow have been determined across the winter-spring boundary. The objective was to determine the likely causes of the decline in microbial biomass in relation to temperature change and nutrient availability. The pattern of soil temperature at depths of 5-15 cm can be divided into three phases: below −10 °C in late winter, from −7 to 0 °C for 7 weeks during a period of freeze-thaw cycles and above 0 °C in early spring. Peak microbial biomass and nutrient availability occurred early in the freeze-thaw phase. Subsequently, a steady decrease in inorganic N occurred, so that when soil temperatures rose above 0 °C, pools of inorganic nutrients in soils were very low. In contrast, amounts of microbial C and soluble organic C and N remained high until the end of the period of freeze-thaw cycles, when a sudden collapse occurred in soluble organic C and N and in phosphatase activity, followed by a crash in microbial biomass just prior to soil temperatures rising consistently above 0 °C. Following this, there was no large pulse of available nutrients, implying that competition for nutrients from roots results in the collapse of the microbial pool.     

Methods for evaluating human impact on soil microorganisms based on their activity,biomass, and diversity in agricultural soils

The present review is focused on microbiological methods used in agricultural soils accustomed to human disturbance. Recent developments in soil biology are analyzed with the aim of highlighting gaps in knowledge, unsolved research questions, and controversial results. Activity rates (basal respiration, N mineralization) and biomass are used as overall indices for assessing microbial functions in soil and can be supplemented by biomass ratios (C : N, C : P, and C : S) and eco‐physiological ratios (soil organic C : microbial‐biomass C, qCO₂, qN_min). The community structure can be characterized by functional groups of the soil microbial biomass such as fungi and bacteria, Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria, or by biotic diversity. Methodological aspects of soil microbial indices are assessed, such as sampling, pretreatment of samples, and conversion factors of data into biomass values. Microbial‐biomass C (µg (g soil)^–1) can be estimated by multiplying total PLFA (nmol (g soil)^–1) by the F_PLFA‐factor of 5.8 and DNA (µg (g soil)^–1) by the F_DNA‐factor of 6.0. In addition, the turnover of the soil microbial biomass is appreciated as a key process for maintaining nutrient cycles in soil. Examples are briefly presented that show the direction of human impact on soil microorganisms by the methods evaluated. These examples are taken from research on organic farming, reduced tillage, de‐intensification of land‐use management, degradation of peatland, slurry application, salinization, heavy‐metal contamination, lignite deposition, pesticide application, antibiotics, TNT, and genetically modified plants.     

铅锌矿区污染土壤微生物活性研究

通过野外调查和采样分析，研究了浙江衢州铅锌矿区土壤的微生物、土壤酶活性及植物重金属积累特性。结果表明：矿区污染区土壤Ph、Zn、Cd、Cu全量的平均值分别是对照土壤的267．8倍、132．6倍、41．8倍、17．0倍。矿区植物体内重金属含量与土壤重金属全量和有效态含量呈显著正相关。矿区土壤随着重金属含量的增加，土壤微生物生物量碳逐渐降低，而土壤基础呼吸、微生物代谢商则升高，矿区中心污染土壤微生物生物量碳只有对照土壤的72％，而基础呼吸和微生物代谢商分别是对照土壤的1．6倍和2．3倍。铅锌矿口附近污染区土壤酶活性较低，对照土壤的各种酶活性最高。其中土壤脱氧酶的活性变化最大，作为矿区重金属污染的指标更灵敏。     

Prolonged simulated acid rain treatment in the subarctic: Effect on the soil respiration rate and microbial biomass

Humus chemistry and respiration rate, ATP, ergosterol, and muramic acid concentration as measures of chemical properties, microbial activity, biomass, and indicators of fungal and bacterial biomass were studied in a long-term acid rain experiment in the far north of Finnish Lapland. The treatments used in this study were dry control, irrigated control (spring water, pH 6), and two levels of simulated acid rain (pH 4 and pH 3). Originally (1985–1988), simulated acid rain was prepared by adding both H₂SO₄ and HNO₃ (1.9:1 by weight). In 1989 the treatments were modified as follows. In subarea 1 the treatments continued unchanged (H₂SO₄+HNO₃ in rain to pH 4 and pH 3), but in subarea 2 only H₂SO₄ was applied. The plots were sampled in 1992. The acid application affected humus chemistry by lowering the pH, cation exchange capacity, and base saturation (due to a decrease in Ca and Mg) in the treatment with H₂SO₄+HNO₃ to pH 4 (total proton load over 8 years 2.92 kmol ha^-1), whereas the microbial variables were not affected at this proton load, and only the respiration rate decreased by 20% in the strongest simulated acid rain treatment (total proton load 14.9 kmol ha^-1). The different ratios of H₂SO₄+HNO₃ in subareas 1 and 2 did not affect the results.     

Seasonal effects of liming,irrigation, and acid precipitation on microbial biomass N in a spruce (Picea abies L.) forest soil

Summary Seasonal effects of liming, irrigation, and acid precipitation on microbial biomass N and some physicochemical properties of different topsoil horizons in a spruce forest (Picea abies L.) were measured throughout one growing season. The highest biomass N was recorded in autumn and spring in the upper soil horizons, while the lowest values were obtained in summer and in deeper horizons. The clearest differences between the different soil treatments were apparent in autumn and in the upper horizons. Liming increased the microbial biomass N from 1.7% of the total N content to 6.8% (Olf₁ layer) and from 1% to 2% of the total N content in the Of₂ layer. The main inorganic-N fraction in the deeper horizons was NO _inf3 ^sup- . An increase in cation exchange capacity was observed down to the Oh layer, while soil pH was only slightly higher in the Olf₁ and Of₂ layers after liming. The effects of irrigation were less marked. The microbial biomass N increased from 1.7% of total N to 4.8% in the Olf₁ layer and from 1% to 2% of total N in the Of₂ layer. In the Olf₁ layer an increase in C mineralization was observed. Acid precipitation decreased the microbial biomass N in the upper horizons from 4.8% of total N to 1.8% in the Olf₁ layer and from 2% to 0.5% in the Of₂ layer. No significant changes in soil pH were observed, but the decrease in cation exchange capacity may result in a decrease in the proton buffering capacity in the near future.     

Effect of tillage and rotation on organic carbon forms of chernozemic soils in Saskatchewan

The effects of selected tillage and rotation systems on soil organic carbon and its fractions were studied on Chernozemic soils in south‐western and east‐central Saskatchewan. After practicing a no‐till fallow unfertilized‐wheat rotation for 7 years on an Orthic Brown Chernozem in south‐western Saskatchewan, total soil organic carbon (TOC) in the 0 – 5 cm and 5 – 10 cm layers was slightly lower than the tillage fallow‐unfertilized wheat comparable treatment. However, light fraction of organic carbon (LFOC) was similar in the two treatments. Comparison of the tillage fallow‐unfertilized wheat to a treatment involving conversion to a fertilized continuous cropping system for 10 years showed TOC increased slightly in the two depths and LFOC increased by 24 % and 29 % in the 0 – 5 cm and 5 – 10 cm layer, respectively, of the continuous cropping treatment. Microbial biomass carbon (MB‐C) was increased significantly at the 5 – 10 cm depth. After conversion of fallow‐wheat to alfalfa as perennial forage for 10 years, TOC increased by 80 % and 27 %, LFOC by 245 % and 286 %, and HFOC by 63 % and 20 % at 0 – 5 cm and 5 – 10 cm depths, respectively, compared to the tilled cereal‐fallow system. Meanwhile, water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) was not affected but MB‐C increased significantly. In an Orthic Black Chernozem in east‐central Saskatchewan, the depletion and restoration of organic carbon was observed when native sod was changed into cropland and then back to grassland. For example, the TOC of cropland under cereal‐fallow rotation for 62 years decreased by 42 % and 33 % at 0 – 5 cm and 5 – 10 cm depths, respectively, compared to native sod. The LFOC decreased by 79 % and 74 % in the layers, and reductions in WSOC and MB‐C were even greater. After cropland was re‐seeded to grassland for 12 years, the concentration of total organic carbon was increased by 16 % and 22 % while the mass of organic carbon was the same as the cropland in the two layers. The LFOC and MB‐C amounts in the grass seed‐down were double that of the cropped land, but the amounts of TOC, LFOC, and MB‐C in grass seed‐down were still significantly lower than the native sod.     

Effects of conventional tillage on biochemical properties of soils

Modification of soil environment by different farming practices can significantly affect crop growth. Tillage causes soil disturbance, altering the vertical distribution of soil organic matter and plant nutrient supplies in the soil surface, and it may affect the enzyme activity and microbial biomass which are responsible for transformation and cycling of organic matter and plant nutrients. In this study, the influence of three conventional tillage systems (shallow plowing, deep plowing and scarification) at different depths on the distribution and activity of enzymes, microbial biomass and nucleic acids in a cropped soil was investigated. Analysis of variance for depth and tillage showed the influence of the different tillage practices on the activity of some enzymes and on the nucleic acids. Glucosidase, galactosidase, nitrate reductase and dehydrogenase activity were significantly affected by the three tillage modalities. Activity in the upper layer (0–20 cm) was higher in the plots tilled by shallow plowing and scarification than in those tilled by deep plowing. Positive relationships were observed between the soil enzymes themselves, with the exception of urease and pyrophosphatase activity. Moreover, significant correlations were found between DNA and β-galactosidase, and between RNA and β-glucosidase, β-galactosidase, alkaline phosphatase and phosphodiesterase. α-Glucosidase, β-galactosidase, alkaline phosphatase and phosphodiesterase were highly correlated with biomass C determined by the fumigation-extraction method. Received: 27 June 1996     

Effects of elevated CO2 concentration on rhizodeposition from Lolium perenne grown on soil exposed to 9 years of CO2 enrichment

The effects of enriched CO₂ atmosphere on partitioning of recently assimilated carbon were investigated in a plant-soil-microorganism system in which Lolium perenne seedlings were planted into cores inserted into the resident soil within a sward that had been treated with elevated CO₂ for 9 consecutive years, under two N fertilisation levels (Swiss FACE experiment). The planted cores were excavated from the ambient (35 Pa pCO₂) and enriched (60 Pa pCO₂) rings at two dates, in spring and autumn, during the growing season. The cores were brought back to the laboratory for ¹⁴C labelling of shoots in order to trace the transfer of recently assimilated C both within the plant and to the soil and microbial biomass. At the spring sampling, high N supply stimulated shoot and total dry matter production. Consistently, high N enhanced the allocation of recently fixed C to shoots, and reduced it to belowground compartments. Elevated CO₂ had no consequences for DM or the pattern of C allocation. At the autumn sampling, at high N plot, yield of L. perenne was stimulated by elevated CO₂. Consistently, ¹⁴C was preferentially allocated aboveground and, consequently belowground recent C allocation was depressed and rhizodeposition reduced. At both experimental periods, total soil C content was similar in all treatments, providing no evidence for soil carbon sequestration in the Swiss Free Air CO₂ Enrichment experiment (FACE) after 9 years of enrichment. Recently assimilated C and soil C were mineralised faster in soils from enriched rings, suggesting a CO₂-induced shift in the microbial biomass characteristics (structure, diversity, activity) and/or in the quality of the root-released organic compounds.     

Microbial biomass dynamics during the decomposition of leaf litter of poplar and eucalyptus in a sandy loam

Soil microbiological properties during decomposition of leaf litter of poplar (Populus deltoides) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus tereticornis) were studied under laboratory conditions. Microbial biomass C and ninhydrin-N were measured at different intervals up to 90 days following incorporation of poplar and eucalyptus leaves separately @ 20 and 100t ha^-1. In general, the net increase in total biomass C or ninhydrin N following amendment was larger in the soils which received poplar leaves than in the soils that received eucalyptus leaves. The amounts of biomass C, at day 90, in the soils which received eucalyptus leaves @ 20 and 100 t ha^-1 was about half and one-third, respectively, that of the soils that received poplar leaves at the same rates. Similarly, the field soils naturally receiving eucalyptus leaf litter contained about half the amounts of biomass C or ninhydrin N of the soils that received poplar leaf litter. In contrast, the amounts of organic C and total N were more in soils which received eucalyptus leaves both in the laboratory experiment and under field conditions than in the soils that received poplar leaves, indicating that the decomposition of eucalyptus leaves in soils was slower than that of poplar leaves. The ratio of biomass C/soil organic C in soils receiving eucalyptus leaves was about 2–4 times lower than those in soils with no admendment or soils receiving poplar leaves. These results, therefore, suggest that the allelochemicals released into soil during decomposition of eucalyptus leaves had a toxic effect on soil microorganisms and may thus affect the nutrient cycling and hence soil fertility.     

Microbial mineralization of atrazine and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in riparian pasture and forest soils

Microbial biomass and mineralization of atrazine [2-chloro-4(ethylamino)-6(isopropylamino)s-triazine] and 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorphenoxyacetic acid) were examined in the top 10 cm of riparian pasture soils and in the litter layer and top 10 cm of mineral soils of riparian forest ecosystems. The riparian forest litter had higher levels of active and total fungal biomass than forest or pasture mineral soils in winter, spring, and fall. Active bacterial biomass was higher in forest litter than in forest and pasture mineral soils in spring and autumn, and higher in forest mineral soils than in pasture soils in summer. Total bacterial biomass was higher in forest mineral soils than in pasture soils during all seasons. In spring, it was also higher in forest litter than in pasture soils. Atrazie and 2,4-D mineralization in pasture soils was exceeded by that in forest litter in spring and autumn and by that in forest mineral soils in summer and autumn. There was no correlation between either active or total fungal and bacterial biomass with pesticide degradation.