Seasonal variation in soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in an artificial sand-binding vegetation area in Shapotou, northern China

In this study, seasonal variation characteristics of surface soil microbial biomass carbon （MBC） and soil microbial biomass nitrogen （MBN） of an artificial vegetation area located in Shapotou for different time periods were studied using the chloroform fumigation method, and the results were compared with those of near-natural vegetation areas and mobile dunes. Results showed that the MBC and MBN levels in the 0-5 cm soil layer were higher in autumn than in summer and spring. As the prolongation of vegetation restoration raised the MBC and MBN levels in summer and autumn, no clear variation was found in spring. However, the MBC and MBN in 5-20 cm had no obvious seasonal variation. During summer and autumn, the variation trend of MBC and MBN in the vertical direction was shown to be 0-5 〉 5-10 〉 10-20 cm in the vegetation area, while for mobile dunes, the MBC and MBN levels increased as the depth increased. The natural vegetation area was shown to possess the highest MBC and MBN levels, and yet mobile dunes have the lowest MBC and MBN levels. MBC and MBN levels in artificial sand-binding vegetation increased with the prolongation of vegetation restoration, indicating that the succession of sand-binding vegetation will result in the ac- cumulation of soil carbon and nitrogen, as well as the restoration of soil fertility.

Influence of Salt Content on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon

Soil salinization has become a global issue. Saline and alkaline arable land was taken as research object in this paper and four salt gradients were set(S1: 0.1%; S2:0. 5%; S3:0.9%; S4:1.3%). Through the addition of different substrates( CK: no addition of substrate; N: addition of nitrogen source; C: addition of glucose,C + N: addition of glucose and nitrogen source) to soil,it analyzed the influence of salt content on the soil microbial biomass carbon( SMBC) for the purpose of surveying the response mechanism of soil carbon turnover to salt stress. Results indicated that after addition of different substrates,the SMBC in high salt content(S3 and S4) is obviously lower than that in low salt content( S1 and S2). The decline rate of S3 and S4 is 5. 4% and 14. 2% for no addition of substrate; the decline rate is 9.0% and 24.0% for addition of nitrogen source; the decline rate is 11.5% and 28.0% for addition of carbon source; the decline rate is 19.5% and 39.5% for addition of carbon source + nitrogen source. Compared with no addition of substrates,addition of nitrogen source could not increase the SMBC. Addition of carbon source and carbon + nitrogen can significantly increase the SMBC,and the increase in low salt content soil( 80.0%- 81.0% and 58.0%- 59.0%) is obviously higher than high salt content soil( 52.0%- 69.0%and 34.0%- 50.0%). Generally,when the soil salt content is low( 0.5%),the influence of different substrate treatment is little on the SMBC,and increasing the soil salt content can obviously reduce the SMBC.

Effects of Different Land Cover Types on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon and Nitrogen in the Lower Reaches of Niyang River

[Objectives]To comprehensively and deeply explore the effects of different land cover types in the lower reaches of Niyang River on soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen,and to provide a scientific basis for the rational use and sustainable management of land resources in this area.[Methods]Taking the 3 types of land cover(cultivated land,grass land and forest land)in the lower reaches of Niyang River in Tibet as the research object,the contents,distribution characteristics and relationships of soil organic carbon,organic nitrogen,microbial biomass carbon,microbial biomass nitrogen and readily oxidizable organic carbon,and their relationships were studied in 0-10,10-20,20-40,40-60,and 60-100 cm soil depth.[Results]The soil organic carbon content of forest land was higher than that of grass land and cultivated land;the vertical change trend of soil organic carbon content decreased with the increase of depth(P<0.05),and it was mainly concentrated in the soil with a depth of 0-20 cm.The soil organic carbon content was significantly different among forest land,grass land and cultivated land(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between cultivated land and grass land(P>0.05).The soil organic nitrogen content was significantly different among cultivated land,grass land,and forest land(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between grass land and forest land(P>0.05).The readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in forest land were higher than that in cultivated land and grass land.The change trend of soil readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen was similar to the change of soil organic carbon content,showing a significant positive correlation.In addition to being subject to land cover,soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content were also subject to the interaction of factors such as soil temperature,humidity,pH and vegetation types.[Conclusions]Changes in land cover significantly affect soil organic carbon and nitrogen,readily oxidizable organic carbon,microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content.

Study on the Surface Soil Micro-biomass Carbon of Kinds of Vegetation Types in Dagu Estuary Wetland

A field experiment was carried out to explore surface soil mircro-biomass carbon （MBC）. The results showed that the difference of soil MBC was significant among three vegetation types in five sample spots in July. The order of surface soil MBC was： Aquaculture pond reed （sample 2）〉 reed of river bank （sample 5）〉 sea- plant（sample 5）〉 river flat（sample 4）〉 The alkaline（sample 1）. There is a very sig- nificant correlation among the soil MBC, the water content of soil and the content of organic matter. Among wetland plants, reed is kind of plant content of high ground biomass and below-ground biomass,especially the MBC planted in wetland is high- er, which shows that compared with common plants, reed is more conducive to the accumulation of soil MBC and has an important effect to wetland protecting and re- covery of function of ecosystem.

Changes of Labile Organic Carbon Fractions in Soils Under Different Rotation Systems

Soil labile (biologically active) organic carbon fractions under different crop rotation systems in Jiangsu Province, China, were investigated after 10 years of rotation. The rotation systems, including green manurerice-rice (GmRR), wheat-rice-rice (WRR), wheat-rice (WR) and wheat/corn intercrop-rice (WCR) rotations,were established on paddy soils using a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in the soils under different systems were greater in the GmRR and WRR than in the WR and WCR rotation systems because the soils under triple cropping often received more crop residues than the soils under double cropping. Both the WSOC and the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) contents in the soils of the GmRR rotation system were significantly greater than those in the other crop rotation systems, which was due to the return of green manure to the fields of the GmRR rotation system. The results of a 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) analysis indicated that the structural characteristics of soil WSOC were similar under the four crop rotation systems with carbohydrates and long-chain aliphatics being the major components. Correlation analysis showed that the content of the WSOC was positively correlated with that of the MBC (P ＜0.01),and all had significantly positive correlations with TOC and TN. The coefficients of variation (CVs) for WSOC and WSOC/TOC were greater than the other indices (e.g, MBC, TOC and TN), suggesting that WSOC in the soils was more sensitive to these rotation systems. The results above indicated that the soil amended with green manure could not only increase the usable C source for soil microorganisms, but could also enhance soil organic matter content; hence, rotation with green manure would be a good strategy for sustainable agriculture.

Changes in Organic Carbon Index of Grey Desert Soil in Northwest China After Long-Term Fertilization

Soil organic carbon （SOC）, soil microbial biomass carbon （SMBC） and SMBC quotient （SMBC/SOC, qSMBC） are key indexes of soil biological fertility because of the relationship to soil nutrition supply capacity. Yet it remains unknown how these three indexes change, which limits our understanding about how soil respond to different fertilization practices. Based on a 22-yr （1990-2011） long-term fertilization experiment in northwest China, we investigated the dynamics of SMBC and qSMBC during the growing period of winter wheat, the relationships between the SMBC, qSMBC, soil organic carbon （SOC） concentrations, the carbon input and grain yield of wheat as well. Fertilization treatments were 1） nonfertilization （control）; 2） chemical nitrogen plus phosphate plus potassium （NPK）; 3） NPK plus animal manure （NPKM）; 4） double NPKM （hNPKM） and 5） NPK plus straw （NPKS）. Results showed that the SMBC and qSMBC were significantly different among returning, jointing, flowering and harvest stages of wheat under long-term fertilization. And the largest values were observed in the flowering stage. Values for SMBC and qSMBC ranged from 37.5 to 106.0 mg kg1 and 0.41 to 0.61%, respectively. The mean value rank of SMBC during the whole growing period of wheat was hNPKM〉NPK_M〉NPKS〉CK〉NPK. But there were no statistically significant differences between hNPKM and NPKM, or between CK and NPK. The order for qSMBC was NPKS〉NPKM〉CK〉hNPKM〉NPK. These results indicated that NPKS significantly increased the ratio of SMBC to SOC, i.e., qSMBC, compared with NPK fertilizer or other two NPKM fertilizations. Significant linear relationships were observed between the annual carbon input and SOC （P〈0.01） or SMBC （P〈0.05）, and between the relative grain yield of wheat and the SOC content as well （P〈0.05）. But the qSMBC was not correlated with the annual carbon input. It is thus obvious that the combination of manure, straw with mineral fertilizer may be benefit to increase SOC and improve soil quality than using only mineral fertilizer.

Changes in the activities of key enzymes and the abundance of functional genes involved in nitrogen transformation in rice rhizosphere soil under different aerated conditions

Soil microorganisms play important roles in nitrogen transformation. The aim of this study was to characterize changes in the activity of nitrogen transformation enzymes and the abundance of nitrogen function genes in rhizosphere soil aerated using three different methods(continuous flooding(CF), continuous flooding and aeration(CFA), and alternate wetting and drying(AWD)). The abundances of amoA ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB), nirS, nirK, and nifH genes, and the activities of urease, protease, ammonia oxidase, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase were measured at the tillering(S1), heading(S2), and ripening(S3) stages. We analyzed the relationships of the aforementioned microbial activity indices, in addition to soil microbial biomass carbon(MBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen(MBN), with the concentration of soil nitrate and ammonium nitrogen. The abundance of nitrogen function genes and the activities of nitrogen invertase in rice rhizosphere soil were higher at S2 compared with S1 and S3 in all treatments. AWD and CFA increased the abundance of amoA and nifH genes, and the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase, and decreased the abundance of nirS and nirK genes and the activities of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase, with the effect of AWD being particularly strong. During the entire growth period, the mean abundances of the AOA amoA, AOB amoA, and nifH genes were 2.9, 5.8, and 3.0 higher in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively, and the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase were 1.1, 0.5, and 0.7 higher in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively. The abundances of the nirS and nirK genes, and the activities of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase were 73.6, 84.8, 10.3 and 36.5% lower in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively. The abundances of the AOA amoA, AOB amoA, and nifH genes were significantly and positively correlated with the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase, and the abundances of the nirS and nirK genes were significantly positively correlated with the activities of nitrate reductase. All the above indicators were positively correlated with soil MBC and MBN. In sum, microbial activity related to nitrogen transformation in rice rhizosphere soil was highest at S2. Aeration can effectively increase the activity of most nitrogen-converting microorganisms and MBN, and thus promote soil nitrogen transformation.

Effects of Caragana microphylla plantations on organic carbon sequestration in total and labile soil organic carbon fractions in the Horqin Sandy Land, northern China

Afforestation is conducive to soil carbon（C） sequestration in semi-arid regions. However, little is known about the effects of afforestation on sequestrations of total and labile soil organic carbon（SOC） fractions in semi-arid sandy lands. In the present study, we examined the effects of Caragana microphylla Lam. plantations with different ages（12-and 25-year-old） on sequestrations of total SOC as well as labile SOC fractions such as light fraction organic carbon（LFOC） and microbial biomass carbon（MBC）. The analyzed samples were taken from soil depths of 0–5 and 5–15 cm under two shrub-related scenarios： under shrubs and between shrubs with moving sand dunes as control sites in the Horqin Sandy Land of northern China. The results showed that the concentrations and storages of total SOC at soil depths of 0–5 and 5–15 cm were higher in 12-and 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations than in moving sand dunes（i.e., control sites）, with the highest value observed under shrubs in 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations. Furthermore, the concentrations and storages of LFOC and MBC showed similar patterns with those of total SOC at the same soil depth. The 12-year-old C. microphylla plantations had higher percentages of LFOC concentration to SOC concentration and MBC concentration to SOC concentration than the 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations and moving sand dunes at both soil depths. A significant positive correlation existed among SOC, LFOC, and MBC, implying that restoring the total and labile SOC fractions is possible by afforestation with C. microphylla shrubs in the Horqin Sandy Land. At soil depth of 0–15 cm, the accumulation rate of total SOC under shrubs was higher in young C. microphylla plantations（18.53 g C/（m^2·a）; 0–12 years） than in old C. microphylla plantations（16.24 g C/（m^2·a）; 12–25 years）, and the accumulation rates of LFOC and MBC under shrubs and between shrubs were also higher in young C. microphylla plantations than in old C. microphylla plantations. It can be concluded that the establishment of C. microphylla in the Horqin Sandy Land may be a good mitigation strategy for SOC sequestration in the surface soils.

Effects of Forest Types and Environmental Factors on Soil Microbial Biomass in a Coastal Sand Dune of Subtropical China

Coastal sand dune ecosystems generally have infertile soil with low water-holding capacity and high salinity. However, many plant species have adapted to the harsh sand environment along the southeastern coast of China. Studying the microbial biomass in such an ecosystem can improve our understanding of the roles that microbes play in soil fertility and nutrient cycling. We investigated the differences in soil microbial biomass carbon(MBC) and nitrogen(MBN) contents and their seasonal dynamics in five forest types(a secondary forest and plantations of Casuarinas, Pine, Acacia, and Eucalyptus). The results indicated that the seasonal variations of soil MBC and MBN contents in all five forest stands were higher in spring and winter, but lower in summer and autumn. The MBC content was lower in the Casuarinas plantation than in the other plantations in the same soil layer. However, no significant differences were observed in MBN contents among the different forest types. The MBC and MBN concentrations were positively correlated with soil moisture, but negatively correlated with soil temperature. The MBC and MBN contents also decreased with increasing soil depth. Across all soil layers, secondary forest had the highest MBC and MBN concentrations. Our study also showed that the MBC and MBN contents were positively affected by total soil carbon(TC), pH, and litter N content, but were negatively impacted by soil bulk density and litter C content. Moreover, the MBN content was positively correlated with root N content. In summary, environmental factors and the differences in litter and fine roots, soil nutrient contents, as well as the soil physical and chemical properties caused by different tree species collectively affected the concentrations of the soil MBC and MBN.