土壤微生物多样性的科学内涵及其生态服务功能

SCIENTIFIC CONNOTATION AND ECOLOGICAL SERVICE FUNCTION OF SOIL MICROBIAL DIVERSITY

土壤微生物多样性是指土壤生态系统中所有的微生物种类、它们拥有的基因以及这些微生物与环境之间相互作用的多样化程度,当前研究主要集中在物种多样性、遗传多样性、结构多样性及功能多样性等4个方面。土壤微生物多样性作为全球性研究迄今仅有10余年时间,但已呈现对象广、内容多、水平宽、方法新等特点,特别是分子生物学技术在很大程度上决定并体现了其研究水平和发展进程。然而,如何进一步改进土壤微生物的培养技能、加强土壤宏基因组学分析与应用、耦合土壤微生物多样性与生态功能、揭示土壤微域结构的影响机制是土壤微生物多样性研究的4个关键科学问题。当然,土壤微生物多样性的生态系统服务功能是其根本价值所在,主要包括有机物分解、物质循环和生态安全调控等3个方面。今后,土壤微生物多样性研究应紧紧围绕其与土壤生物过程、生态服务功能三者之间的联系,着重建立土壤微生物多样性的研究指标和方法体系,进而阐明人类生产活动影响土壤微生物多样性及其生态服务功能的土壤生物过程。

Soil microbial diversity is an indicator of species and genes of microbes in the soil ecosystem and their competitive interactions with the environment. The current study in this field is focused mainly on species diversity, genetic diversity, structural diversity and functional diversity. Although the study on soil microbial diversity as a global topic has been carried on for ten remaining years, it has displayed features like huge variety of objects, magnitude of contents, broadness in level and novelty in method. However, molecular biological technologies lead and reflect progresses of the research and development of soil microbial ecology. Nowadays, how to improve soil microorganism culturing methods, how to intensify analysis and application of soil metagenomics, how to link soil microbial diversity with service function, and how to expose effect of microhabitat structure on soil microbial diversity, are the four key scientific issues. The basic value of the ecological service functions of soil microbial diversity, of course, lies in decomposing organic matter, recycling nutrients and regulating ecological safety. The study of soil microbial diversity in the years to come should center on its rela- tionship with biological processes and ecological service functions, and establishment of an index system and a methodological system for the study on soil microbial diversity, and elucidation of biological processes of the effect of human activities on soil microbial diversity and its ecological service functions.