土壤微生物多样性的科学内涵及其生态服务功能

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。

Relative Contributions of Spatial and Environmental Processes and Biotic Interactions in a Soil Collembolan Community

Understanding the underlying processes of how communities are structured remains a central question in community ecology. However, the mechanisms of the soil animal community are still unclear, especially for communities on a small scale. To evaluate the relative roles of biotic interactions and environmental and spatial processes in a soil collembolan community, a field experiment was carried out on a small scale(50 m) in the farmland ecosystem of the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. In August and October, 2011, we took 100 samples each month in a 50 m × 50 m plot using a spatially delimited sampling design. Variation partitioning was used to quantify the relative contributions of the spatial and environmental variables. A null model was selected to test for the non-randomness pattern of species co-occurrence and body size in assemblages of collembolans and to test whether the pattern observed was the result of environmental or biotic processes that structured the community on a small scale. The results showed that large variance was accounted for by spatial variables(18.99% in August and 21.83% in October, both were significant). There were relatively lower effects of environmental variation(3.56% in August and 1.45% in October, neither was significant), while the soil water content, soil p H and soybean height explained a significant portion of the variance that was observed in the spatial pattern of the collembolan community. Furthermore, the null model revealed more co-occurrence than expected by chance, suggesting that collembolan communities had a non-random co-occurrence pattern in both August and October. Additionally, environmental niche overlap and the body size ratio of co-occurrence showed that interspecific competition was not influential in collembolan community structuring. Considering all of the results together, the contributions of spatial and environmental processes were stronger than biotic interactions in the small-scale structuring of a soil collembolan community.

Morphological and Physiological Responses of Plants to Cadmium Toxicity: A Review

Cadmium(Cd) contamination has posed an increasing challenge to environmental quality and food security. In recent years,phytoremediation has been particularly scrutinized because it is cost-effective and environmentally friendly, especially the use of metal-hyperaccumulating plants to extract or mine heavy metals from polluted soils. Under Cd stress, responses of hyperaccumulator and non-hyperaccumulator plants differ in morphological responses and physiological processes such as photosynthesis and respiration,uptake, transport, and assimilation of minerals and nitrogen, and water uptake and transport, which contribute to their ability to accumulate and detoxify Cd. This review aims to provide a brief overview of the recent progresses in the differential responses of hyperaccumulator and non-accumulator plants to Cd toxicity in terms of growth and physiological processes. Such information might be useful in developing phytoremediation technology for contaminated soils.

Biochar for Sustainable Soil Health:A Review of Prospects and Concerns

Biochar as a soil amendment is confronted with the challenge that it must benefit soil health as it can be by no means separated from soils once it is added. The available literature even though sparse and mostly based on short-term studies has been encouraging and the trend obtained so far has raised many hopes. Biochar has been reported to positively impact an array of soil processes ranging from benefiting soil biology, controlling soil-borne pathogens, enhancing nitrogen fixation, improving soil physical and chemical properties,decreasing nitrate(NO-3) leaching and nitrous oxide(N2O) emission to remediation of contaminated soils. However, very little biochar is still utilized as soil amendment mainly because these benefits are yet to be quantified, and also the mechanisms by which the soil health is improved are poorly understood. Due to the infancy of research regarding this subject, there are still more questions than answers. The future research efforts must focus on carrying out long-term experiments and uncover the mechanisms underlying these processes so that key concerns surrounding the use of biochar are addressed before its large scale application is recommended.

Soil Carbon Dynamics Under Changing Climate A Research Transition from Absolute to Relative Roles of Inorganic Nitrogen Pools and Associated Microbial Processes:A Review

It is globally accepted that soil carbon （C） dynamics are at the core of interlinked environmental problems, deteriorating soil quality and changing climate. Its management remains a complex enigma for the scientific community due to its intricate relationship with soil nitrogen （N） availability and moisture-temperature interactions. This article reviews the management aspects of soil C dynamics in light of recent advances, particularly in relation to the availability of inorganic N pools and associated microbial processes under changing climate. Globally, drastic alterations in soil C dynamics under changing land use and management practices have been primarily attributed to the variation in soil N availability, resulting in a higher decomposition rate and a considerable decline in soil organic C （SOC） levels due to increased soil CO2 emissions, degraded soil quality, and increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations, leading to climate warming. Predicted climate warming is proposed to enhance SOC decomposition, which may further increase soil N availability, leading to higher soil CO2 effiux. However, a literature survey revealed that soil may also act as a potential C sink, if we could manage soil inorganic N pools and link microbial processes properly. Studies also indicated that the relative, rather than the absolute, availability of inorganic N pools might be of key importance under changing climate, as these N pools are variably affected by moisture-temperature interactions, and they have variable impacts on SOC turnover. Therefore, multi-factorial studies are required to understand how the relative availability of inorganic N pools and associated microbial processes may determine SOC dynamics for improved soil C management.