Restoration of forests poses a major challenge globally, particularly in the tropics, as the forests in these regions are more vulnerable to land-use change. We studied land-use change from natural forest(NF) to degra...Restoration of forests poses a major challenge globally, particularly in the tropics, as the forests in these regions are more vulnerable to land-use change. We studied land-use change from natural forest(NF) to degraded forest(DF), and subsequently to either Jatropha curcas plantation(JP) or agroecosystem(AG), in the dry tropics of Uttar Pradesh, India, with respect to its impacts on soil microbial community composition as indicated by phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) biomarkers and soil organic carbon(SOC) content. The trend of bacterial PLFAs across all land-use types was in the order: NF > JP > DF> AG. In NF, there was dominance of gram-negative bacterial(G^-) PLFAs over the corresponding gram-positive bacterial(G^+) PLFAs. The levels of G^- PLFAs in AG and JP differed significantly from those in DF, whereas those of G^+ PLFAs were relatively similar in these three land-use types. Fungal PLFAs,however, followed a different trend: NF > JP > DF = AG. Total PLFAs, fungal/bacterial(F/B) PLFA ratio, and SOC content followed trends similar to that of bacterial PLFAs. Across all land-use types, there were strong positive relationships between SOC content and G-, bacterial, fungal, and total microbial PLFAs and F/B PLFA ratio. Compared with bacterial PLFAs, fungal PLFAs appeared to be more responsive to land-use change. The F/B PLFA ratio, fungal PLFAs, and bacterial PLFAs explained 91%, 94%,and 73% of the variability in SOC content, respectively. The higher F/B PLFA ratio in JP favored more soil C storage, leading to faster ecosystem recovery compared to either AG or DF. The F/B PLFA ratio could be used as an early indicator of ecosystem recovery in response to disturbance, particularly in relation to land-use change.展开更多
This study investigated the influence of broadleaf and conifer vegetation on soil microbial communities in a distinct vertical distribution belt in Northeast China.Soil samples were taken at 0-5,5-10 and 10-20 cm dept...This study investigated the influence of broadleaf and conifer vegetation on soil microbial communities in a distinct vertical distribution belt in Northeast China.Soil samples were taken at 0-5,5-10 and 10-20 cm depths from four vegetation types at different altitudes,which were characterized by poplar(Populus davidiana)(1250-1300 m),poplar(P.davidiana) mixed with birch(Betula platyphylla)(1370-1550 m),birch(B.platyphylla)(1550-1720 m),and larch(Larix principis-rupprechtii)(1840-1890 m).Microbial biomass and community structure were determined using the fumigation-extraction method and phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) analysis,and soil fungal community level physiological profiles(CLPP) were characterized using Biolog FF Microplates.It was found that soil properties,especially soil organic carbon and water content,contributed significantly to the variations in soil microbes.With increasing soil depth,the soil microbial biomass,fungal biomass,and fungal catabolic ability diminished;however,the ratio of fungi to bacteria increased.The fungal ratio was higher under larch forests compared to that under poplar,birch,and their mixed forests,although the soil microbial biomass was lower.The direct contribution of vegetation types to the soil microbial community variation was 12%.If the indirect contribution through soil organic carbon was included,variations in the vegetation type had substantial influences on soil microbial composition and diversity.展开更多
Invasion of an exotic C4 plant Spartina alterniflora has been shown to increase soil organic carbon （SOC） concentrations in native C3 plant-dominated coastal wetlands of China. However, little is known about the eff...Invasion of an exotic C4 plant Spartina alterniflora has been shown to increase soil organic carbon （SOC） concentrations in native C3 plant-dominated coastal wetlands of China. However, little is known about the effects of S. alterniflora invasion on SOC concentrations and fractions in tidal marshes dominated by native C4 plants. In this study, a field experiment was conducted in a tidal marsh dominated by the native C4 plant Cyperus malaccensis in the Minjiang River estuary, China. Concentrations of SOC and liable SOC fractions, dissolved organic carbon （DOG）, microbial biomass carbon （MBC）, and easily oxidizable carbon （EOC）, were measured in the top 50-cm soils of the C. malaccensis community, as well as those of three S. alterniflova communities with an invasion duration of 0-4 years （SA-4）, 4-8 years （SA-8）, and 8-12 years （SA-12）, respectively. Results showed that both SOC stocks in the 50-cm soils and mean SOC concentrations in the surface soils （0-10 cm） of the C. malaccensis community increased with the duration of S. alterniflora invasion, whereas SOC concentrations in the 10-50-cm soils decreased slightly during the initial period of S. alterniflora invasion, before increasing again. The pattern of changes in labile SOC fractions （DOC, MBC, and EOC） with invasion duration was generally similar to that of SOC, while the ratios of labile SOC fractions to total SOC （DOC：SOC, MBC：SOC, and EOC：SOC） decreased significantly with the duration of S. alterniflora invasion. The findings of this study suggest that invasion of the exotic C4 plant S. alternifora into a marsh dominated by the native C4 plant C. malaecensis would enhance SOC sequestration owing to the greater amount of biomass and lower proportion of labile SOC fractions present in the S. alterniflora communities.展开更多
Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), a small fraction of soil organic matter, has a rapid turnover rate and is a reservoir of labile nutrients. The water-extractable carbon pools provide a fairly good estimate of labile C ...Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), a small fraction of soil organic matter, has a rapid turnover rate and is a reservoir of labile nutrients. The water-extractable carbon pools provide a fairly good estimate of labile C present in soil and can be easily quantified. Changes in soil MBC and water-extractable organic carbon pools were studied in a 14-year long-term experiment in plots of rice-wheat rotation irrigated with canal water (CW), sodic water (SW, 10-12.5 mmol c L-1 residual sodium carbonate), and SW amended with gypsum with or without application of organic amendments including farmyard manure (FYM), green manure (GM), and wheat straw (WS). Irrigation with SW increased soil exchangeable sodium percentage by more than 13 times compared to irrigation with CW. Sodic water irrigation significantly decreased hot water-extractable organic carbon (HWOC) from 330 to 286 mg kg-1 soil and cold water-extractable organic carbon (CWOC) from 53 to 22 mg kg-1 soil in the top 0-7.5 cm soil layer. In the lower soil layer (7.5-15 cm), reduction in HWOC was not significant. Application of gypsum alone resulted in a decrease in HWOC in the SW plots, whereas an increase was recorded in the SW plots with application of both gypsum and organic amendments in both the soil layers. Nevertheless, application of gypsum and organic amendments increased the mean CWOC as compared with application of gypsum alone. CWOC was significantly correlated with MBC but did not truly reflect the changes in MBC in the treatments with gypsum and organic amendments applied. For the treatments without organic amendments, HWOC was negatively correlated with MBC (r = 0.57*) in the 0-7.5 cm soil layer, whereas for the treatments with organic amendments, both were positively correlated. Irrigation with SW significantly reduced the rice yield by 3 t ha-1 and the yield of rice and wheat by 5 t ha-1 as compared to irrigation with canal water. Application of amendments significantly increased rice and wheat yields. Both the rice yield and the yield of rice and wheat were significantly correlated with MBC (r = 0.49**-0.56**, n = 60). HWOC did not exhibit any relation with the crop yields under the treatments without organic amendments; however, CWOC showed a positive but weak correlation with the crop yields. Therefore, we found that under sodic water irrigation, HWOC or CWOC in the soils was not related to MBC.展开更多
Bioavailability is a key parameter in assessing contaminant transfer to biota. However, the input patterns and soil use types may impact the metal bioavailability. Several soil parameters were measured including chemi...Bioavailability is a key parameter in assessing contaminant transfer to biota. However, the input patterns and soil use types may impact the metal bioavailability. Several soil parameters were measured including chemical properties, such as pH, organic C, and Cu solution/solid speciation, and biological properties, such as soil microbial biomass C （SMBC）, seed germination, and root elongation, to evaluate the bioavailability of Cu contaminated soils from three different sources, i.e., non-ferrous metal mining, Cu-based fungicides, and Cu-smelting. The results revealed that free Cu2＋ ion in soil solution and the ratios of Cu fractions to total Cu content in the solid phase could not be used to predict total Cu content in soils. The indexes of seed germination and root elongation appeared not to be good biomonitors of Cu contamination in soils, which were more sensitive to soil pH and soil organic carbon （SOC）. Relationships between SMBC and soil Cu forms or the ratio of SMBC/SOC and soil Cu forms showed that free Cu2＋ ion and humie acid-complexed Cu could significantly inhibit soil microbial activities. Our findings suggested that both metal chemical forms and biological bioassays should be considered as a complementary technique rather than an alternative to evaluate the metal bioavailability from different pollution sources.展开更多
Investigating the effects of residue chemical composition on soil labile organic carbon （LOC） will improve our understanding of soil carbon sequestration. The effects of maize residue chemical composition and soil w...Investigating the effects of residue chemical composition on soil labile organic carbon （LOC） will improve our understanding of soil carbon sequestration. The effects of maize residue chemical composition and soil water content on soil LOC fractions and microbial properties were investigated in a laboratory incubation experiment. Maize shoot and root residues were incorporated into soil at 40% and 70% field capacity. The soils were incubated at 20 ℃ for 150 d and destructive sampling was conducted after 15, 75, and 150 d. Respiration, dissolved organic carbon （DOC）, hot-water extractable organic carbon （HEOC）, and microbial biomass carbon （MBC） were recorded, along with cellulase and β-glucosidase activities and community-level physiological profiles. The results showed that the cumulative respiration was lower in root-amended soils than in shoot-amended soils, indicating that root amendment may be beneficial to C retention in soil. No significant differences in the contents of DOG, HEOC and MBC, enzyme activities, and microbial functional diversity were observed between shoot- and root-amended soils. The high soil water content treatment significantly increased the cumulative respiration, DOC and HEOC contents, and enzyme activities compared to the low soil water content treatment. However, the soil water content treatments had little influence on the MBC content and microbial functional diversity. There were significantly positive correlations between LOC fractions and soil microbial properties. These results indicated that the chemical composition of maize residues had little influence on the DOC, HEOC, and MBC contents, enzyme activities, and microbial functional diversity, while soil water content could significantly influence DOC and HEOC contents and enzyme activities.展开更多
基金The University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India, provided financial support in the form of a University CRET and CAS Fellowship to Mr. Chandra Mohan Kumar (No.Bot/2012-2013/CAS-JRF/262)
文摘Restoration of forests poses a major challenge globally, particularly in the tropics, as the forests in these regions are more vulnerable to land-use change. We studied land-use change from natural forest(NF) to degraded forest(DF), and subsequently to either Jatropha curcas plantation(JP) or agroecosystem(AG), in the dry tropics of Uttar Pradesh, India, with respect to its impacts on soil microbial community composition as indicated by phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) biomarkers and soil organic carbon(SOC) content. The trend of bacterial PLFAs across all land-use types was in the order: NF > JP > DF> AG. In NF, there was dominance of gram-negative bacterial(G^-) PLFAs over the corresponding gram-positive bacterial(G^+) PLFAs. The levels of G^- PLFAs in AG and JP differed significantly from those in DF, whereas those of G^+ PLFAs were relatively similar in these three land-use types. Fungal PLFAs,however, followed a different trend: NF > JP > DF = AG. Total PLFAs, fungal/bacterial(F/B) PLFA ratio, and SOC content followed trends similar to that of bacterial PLFAs. Across all land-use types, there were strong positive relationships between SOC content and G-, bacterial, fungal, and total microbial PLFAs and F/B PLFA ratio. Compared with bacterial PLFAs, fungal PLFAs appeared to be more responsive to land-use change. The F/B PLFA ratio, fungal PLFAs, and bacterial PLFAs explained 91%, 94%,and 73% of the variability in SOC content, respectively. The higher F/B PLFA ratio in JP favored more soil C storage, leading to faster ecosystem recovery compared to either AG or DF. The F/B PLFA ratio could be used as an early indicator of ecosystem recovery in response to disturbance, particularly in relation to land-use change.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30700639,31170581)
文摘This study investigated the influence of broadleaf and conifer vegetation on soil microbial communities in a distinct vertical distribution belt in Northeast China.Soil samples were taken at 0-5,5-10 and 10-20 cm depths from four vegetation types at different altitudes,which were characterized by poplar(Populus davidiana)(1250-1300 m),poplar(P.davidiana) mixed with birch(Betula platyphylla)(1370-1550 m),birch(B.platyphylla)(1550-1720 m),and larch(Larix principis-rupprechtii)(1840-1890 m).Microbial biomass and community structure were determined using the fumigation-extraction method and phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) analysis,and soil fungal community level physiological profiles(CLPP) were characterized using Biolog FF Microplates.It was found that soil properties,especially soil organic carbon and water content,contributed significantly to the variations in soil microbes.With increasing soil depth,the soil microbial biomass,fungal biomass,and fungal catabolic ability diminished;however,the ratio of fungi to bacteria increased.The fungal ratio was higher under larch forests compared to that under poplar,birch,and their mixed forests,although the soil microbial biomass was lower.The direct contribution of vegetation types to the soil microbial community variation was 12%.If the indirect contribution through soil organic carbon was included,variations in the vegetation type had substantial influences on soil microbial composition and diversity.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31000262 and 41671088)the Program for Innovative Research Team at Fujian Normal University,China(No.IRTL1205)+1 种基金the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(No.CUHK458913)the Chinese University of Hong Kong Direct Grant(No.4052119)
文摘Invasion of an exotic C4 plant Spartina alterniflora has been shown to increase soil organic carbon （SOC） concentrations in native C3 plant-dominated coastal wetlands of China. However, little is known about the effects of S. alterniflora invasion on SOC concentrations and fractions in tidal marshes dominated by native C4 plants. In this study, a field experiment was conducted in a tidal marsh dominated by the native C4 plant Cyperus malaccensis in the Minjiang River estuary, China. Concentrations of SOC and liable SOC fractions, dissolved organic carbon （DOG）, microbial biomass carbon （MBC）, and easily oxidizable carbon （EOC）, were measured in the top 50-cm soils of the C. malaccensis community, as well as those of three S. alterniflova communities with an invasion duration of 0-4 years （SA-4）, 4-8 years （SA-8）, and 8-12 years （SA-12）, respectively. Results showed that both SOC stocks in the 50-cm soils and mean SOC concentrations in the surface soils （0-10 cm） of the C. malaccensis community increased with the duration of S. alterniflora invasion, whereas SOC concentrations in the 10-50-cm soils decreased slightly during the initial period of S. alterniflora invasion, before increasing again. The pattern of changes in labile SOC fractions （DOC, MBC, and EOC） with invasion duration was generally similar to that of SOC, while the ratios of labile SOC fractions to total SOC （DOC：SOC, MBC：SOC, and EOC：SOC） decreased significantly with the duration of S. alterniflora invasion. The findings of this study suggest that invasion of the exotic C4 plant S. alternifora into a marsh dominated by the native C4 plant C. malaecensis would enhance SOC sequestration owing to the greater amount of biomass and lower proportion of labile SOC fractions present in the S. alterniflora communities.
基金supported by Punjab Agricultural University, India
文摘Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), a small fraction of soil organic matter, has a rapid turnover rate and is a reservoir of labile nutrients. The water-extractable carbon pools provide a fairly good estimate of labile C present in soil and can be easily quantified. Changes in soil MBC and water-extractable organic carbon pools were studied in a 14-year long-term experiment in plots of rice-wheat rotation irrigated with canal water (CW), sodic water (SW, 10-12.5 mmol c L-1 residual sodium carbonate), and SW amended with gypsum with or without application of organic amendments including farmyard manure (FYM), green manure (GM), and wheat straw (WS). Irrigation with SW increased soil exchangeable sodium percentage by more than 13 times compared to irrigation with CW. Sodic water irrigation significantly decreased hot water-extractable organic carbon (HWOC) from 330 to 286 mg kg-1 soil and cold water-extractable organic carbon (CWOC) from 53 to 22 mg kg-1 soil in the top 0-7.5 cm soil layer. In the lower soil layer (7.5-15 cm), reduction in HWOC was not significant. Application of gypsum alone resulted in a decrease in HWOC in the SW plots, whereas an increase was recorded in the SW plots with application of both gypsum and organic amendments in both the soil layers. Nevertheless, application of gypsum and organic amendments increased the mean CWOC as compared with application of gypsum alone. CWOC was significantly correlated with MBC but did not truly reflect the changes in MBC in the treatments with gypsum and organic amendments applied. For the treatments without organic amendments, HWOC was negatively correlated with MBC (r = 0.57*) in the 0-7.5 cm soil layer, whereas for the treatments with organic amendments, both were positively correlated. Irrigation with SW significantly reduced the rice yield by 3 t ha-1 and the yield of rice and wheat by 5 t ha-1 as compared to irrigation with canal water. Application of amendments significantly increased rice and wheat yields. Both the rice yield and the yield of rice and wheat were significantly correlated with MBC (r = 0.49**-0.56**, n = 60). HWOC did not exhibit any relation with the crop yields under the treatments without organic amendments; however, CWOC showed a positive but weak correlation with the crop yields. Therefore, we found that under sodic water irrigation, HWOC or CWOC in the soils was not related to MBC.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41101305)
文摘Bioavailability is a key parameter in assessing contaminant transfer to biota. However, the input patterns and soil use types may impact the metal bioavailability. Several soil parameters were measured including chemical properties, such as pH, organic C, and Cu solution/solid speciation, and biological properties, such as soil microbial biomass C （SMBC）, seed germination, and root elongation, to evaluate the bioavailability of Cu contaminated soils from three different sources, i.e., non-ferrous metal mining, Cu-based fungicides, and Cu-smelting. The results revealed that free Cu2＋ ion in soil solution and the ratios of Cu fractions to total Cu content in the solid phase could not be used to predict total Cu content in soils. The indexes of seed germination and root elongation appeared not to be good biomonitors of Cu contamination in soils, which were more sensitive to soil pH and soil organic carbon （SOC）. Relationships between SMBC and soil Cu forms or the ratio of SMBC/SOC and soil Cu forms showed that free Cu2＋ ion and humie acid-complexed Cu could significantly inhibit soil microbial activities. Our findings suggested that both metal chemical forms and biological bioassays should be considered as a complementary technique rather than an alternative to evaluate the metal bioavailability from different pollution sources.
基金supported by the National Key Research Program of China(Nos.2016YFD0200107and 2016YFD0300802)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41271311)+1 种基金the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System(No.CARS-03)the Science and Technology Service Network Initiative of Chinese Academy of Sciences(Nos.KFJ-SW-STS-142-03 and KFJ-EW-STS-083-2)
文摘Investigating the effects of residue chemical composition on soil labile organic carbon （LOC） will improve our understanding of soil carbon sequestration. The effects of maize residue chemical composition and soil water content on soil LOC fractions and microbial properties were investigated in a laboratory incubation experiment. Maize shoot and root residues were incorporated into soil at 40% and 70% field capacity. The soils were incubated at 20 ℃ for 150 d and destructive sampling was conducted after 15, 75, and 150 d. Respiration, dissolved organic carbon （DOC）, hot-water extractable organic carbon （HEOC）, and microbial biomass carbon （MBC） were recorded, along with cellulase and β-glucosidase activities and community-level physiological profiles. The results showed that the cumulative respiration was lower in root-amended soils than in shoot-amended soils, indicating that root amendment may be beneficial to C retention in soil. No significant differences in the contents of DOG, HEOC and MBC, enzyme activities, and microbial functional diversity were observed between shoot- and root-amended soils. The high soil water content treatment significantly increased the cumulative respiration, DOC and HEOC contents, and enzyme activities compared to the low soil water content treatment. However, the soil water content treatments had little influence on the MBC content and microbial functional diversity. There were significantly positive correlations between LOC fractions and soil microbial properties. These results indicated that the chemical composition of maize residues had little influence on the DOC, HEOC, and MBC contents, enzyme activities, and microbial functional diversity, while soil water content could significantly influence DOC and HEOC contents and enzyme activities.
