Soil Microbial Activity During Secondary Vegetation Succession in Semiarid Abandoned Lands of Loess Plateau

To show the vegetation succession interaction with soil properties, microbial biomass, basal respiration, and enzyme activities in different soil layers （0-60 cm） were determined in six lands, i.e., 2-, 7-, 11-, 20-, and 43-year-old abandoned lands and one native grassland, in a semiarid hilly area of the Loess Plateau. The results indicated that the successional time and soil depths affected soil microbiological parameters significantly. In 20-cm soil layer, microbial biomass carbon （MBC）, microbial biomass nitrogen （MBN）, MBC/MBN, MBC to soil organic carbon ratio （MBC/SOC）, and soil basal respiration tended to increase with successional stages but decrease with soil depths. In contrast, metabolic quotient （qCO2） tended to decrease with successional stages but increase with soil depths. In addition, the activities of urease, catalase, neutral phosphatase, β-fructofuranosidase, and earboxymethyl cellulose （CMC） enzyme increased with successional stages and soil depths. They were significantly positively correlated with microbial biomass and SOC （P 〈 0.5）, whereas no obvious trend was observed for the polyphenoloxidase activity. The results indicated that natural vegetation succession could improve soil quality and promote ecosystem restoration, but it needed a long time under local climate conditions.

Soil Microbial Population Dynamics along a Chronosequence of Moist Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest Succession in Southwestern China

Little is known about whether soil microbial population dynamics are correlated with forest succession.To test the hypotheses that(1) soil microbial composition changes over successional stages,and(2) soil microbial diversity is positively correlated with plant species diversity,we determined the soil microbial populations,community composition,and microflora diversity in evergreen broad-leaved forests along a chronosequence of vegetation succession from 5 to 300 years in southwestern China.The soil microbial community was mainly composed of bacteria(87.1-98.7% of the total microorganisms and 10 genera identified),fungi(0.3-4.0%,7 genera),and actinomycetes(2.1-9.1%,8 species and 1 genus).There were significant differences in soil microbial populations among different successional stages and within the four seasons.The seasonal variations of the soil microbial community may be associated with the seasonal changes in environmental conditions.The changes in soil microbial diversity(Shannon-Wiener index) with successional time followed one-humped,convex curves peaked at-100 years since restoration,which is identical with the trends of the aboveground plant diversity.Higher plant diversity resulting in enhanced nutrient flow and root exudation may contribute to positive relationships between the soil microbial diversity and plant diversity.Hence,decreases in soil microbial diversity in the late-successional stages appear to be related to the net loss in species richness that occurs after 100 years since restoration.Our findings confirm the intermediate disturbance hypothesis that suggests diversity peaks at midsuccessional stages.

Relationship Between Microbial Community and Soil Properties During Natural Succession of Abandoned Agricultural Land

The changes of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) and microbial community in the topsoil of the abandoned agricultural land on the semi-arid Loess Plateau in China during the natural succession were evaluated to understand the relationship between microbial community and soil properties. MBC and MBN were measured using fumigation extraction, and microbial community was analyzed by the method of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). The contents of organic C, total N, MBC, MBN, total FAME, fungal FAME, bacterial FAME and Gram-negative bacterial FAME at the natural succession sites were higher than those of the agricultural land, but lower than those of the natural vegetation sites. The MBC, MBN and total FAME were closely correlated with organic C and total N. Furthermore, organic C and total N were found to be positively correlated with fungal FAME, bacterial FAME, fungal/bacterial and Gram-negative bacterial FAME. Natural succession would be useful for improving soil microbial properties and might be an important alternative for sustaining soil quality on the semi-arid Loess Plateau in China.

Bracken-induced increase in soil P availability, along with its high P acquisition efficiency, enables it to invade P-deficient meadows

Changes in soil chemistry after invasion by bracken(Pteridium aquilinum)have been studied in heathlands,but comparable studies in meadows are lacking.We investigated if bracken invasion into P-deficient meadows alters the soil nutrient-resource pool,as well as the mechanisms behind it linked to soil processes and bracken nutrition.Furthermore,we investigated how community composition responds to differences in soil chemistry before and after the invasion.Soil and plant material sampling,along with vegetation survey,were performed during bracken peak biomass.Data analyses included analysis of variance and canonical correspondence analysis(CCA).Bracken invasion increased soil P availability,soil organic C concentration,as well as C:N,C:S and N:S ratios,while decreasing Fe and Co concentrations.Bracken pinnae were rich in P,and its rhizomes were rich in K,whereas N:P of pinnae and rhizomes was low.CCA showed contrasting abundance patterns of frequent meadow species related to P and K availability.Holcus lanatus exhibited competitive advantage under extremely low P availability.Increase in P availability under bracken may have occurred through promoting the leaching of Fe and Al.By increasing P availability for its growth and increasing N limitation for other species,bracken can gain a competitive advantage from the soil resource-niche perspective.Its ability to increase soil P availability,along with the physiological mechanisms behind its high P acquisition efficiency,seem to differentiate bracken from other species of competitive ecological strategy,which are mainly confined to nutrient-rich environments.This enabled bracken to invade P-deficient meadows.