Characterization of contamination, source and degradation of petroleum between upland and paddy fields based on geochemical characteristics and phospholipid fatty acids

To evaluate contamination caused by petroleum, surface soil samples were collected from both upland and paddy fields along the irrigation canals in the Hunpu wastewater irrigation region in northeast China. N-alkanes, terpanes, steranes, and phospholipid fatty acids （PLFA） in the surface soil samples were analyzed. The aliphatic hydrocarbon concentration was highest in the samples obtained from the upland field near an operational oil well; it was lowest at I-3P where wastewater irrigation promoted the downward movement of hydrocarbons. The Hunpu region was found contaminated by heavy petroleum from oxic lacustrine fresh water or marine deltaic source rocks. Geochemical parameters also indicated significantly heavier contamination and degradation in the upland fields compared with the paddy fields. Principal component analysis based on PLFA showed various microbial communities between petroleum contaminated upland and paddy fields. Gram-negative bacteria indicated by 15：0, 3OH 12：0, and 16：1（9） were significantly higher in the paddy fields, whereas Gram-positive bacteria indicated by i16：0 and 18：1（9）c were significantly higher in the upland fields （p 〈 0.05）. These PLFAs were related to petroleum contamination. Poly-unsaturated PLFA （18：2ω6, 9; indicative of hydrocarbon- degrading bacteria and fungi） was also significantly elevated in the upland fields. This paper recommends more sensitive indicators of contamination and degradation of petroleum in soil. The results also provide guidelines on soil pollution control and remediation in the Hunpu region and other similar regions.

Phospholipid Fatty Acid Profiles of Chinese Red Soils with Varying Fertility Levels and Land Use Histories

Analysis of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) was used to estimate the microbial community structures of eight Chinese red soils with different fertility levels and land use histories. The total amounts of PLFAs in the soils were significantly correlated with soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, microbial biomass C and basal respiration, indicating that total PLFA was closely related to fertility and sustainability in these highly weathered soils. Soils for the eroded wasteland were rich in Gram-positive species. When the eroded soils were planted with citrus trees, the soil microbial population had changed little in 4 years but took up to 8-12 years before it reached a significantly different population. Multivariate analysis of PLFAs demonstrated that land use history and plant cover type had a significant impact on microbial community structure. However, the difference of soil microbial community structure in the paddy field compared to other land uses was not larger than expected in this experiment.

Effect of copper on phospholipid fatty acid composition of microbial communities in two red soils

The phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） composition was analyzed in two red soils experimentally contaminated with copper at different concentrations. The total amounts ofphospholipid fatty acids （PLFAs） in both red soils were significantly correlated with soil microbial biomass C and N, which decreased consistently with increasing levels of copper. The relative quantities of the PLFAs 17：0 （10 Me）, i16：0, il 5：0 and 16：1w5c, decreased with increasing heavy metal concentration, while those of cyl7：0, which is an indicator of gram-negative bacteria, increased. The Shannon index calculated from the PLFA data indicated that Cu addition in the red soils decreased the population diversity of soil microbial communities. Multivariate analysis of PLFA data demonstrated that high levels of Cu application had a significant impact on microbial community structure and there is a threshold metal concentration for PLFA composition. Comparatively higher toxic effect on microbial biomass and community structure were found in the red sandy soil than those in the red clayey soil. The differential effect of Cu addition on microbial communities in the two soils may be due to differences in soil texture and cation exchange capacity.

Using Phospholipid FattyAcid Technique toAnalysis the Rhizosphere Specific Microbial Community of Seven Hybrid Rice Cultivars

To analyze the intrinsic relationship between rhizosphere microbial community structure and variety of rice, the microbial community structures in rhizosphere of different hybrid rice cultivars were determined with phospholipid fatty acids （PLFA） analysis. Three series of new-breeding hybrid rice cultivars in China were tested in the experiment, Ilyouming 86 （II-32A/Minghui 86）, Ilyouhang 1 （II-32A/Hang 1）, and Ilyouhang 2 （II-32A/Hang 2） with H-32A as female parent, XinyouHK02 （XinA/HK02） and YiyouHK02 （YXA/HK02） with HK02 as male parent, Chuanyou 167 （ChuanxiangA/MR167） and 44you167 （Hunan44A/MR167） with MR167 as male parent. The results showed that the microbial community in rhizosphere of the hybrid rice comprised bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and protozoa, according to the 40 PLFA biomarkers detected. Bacteria were more abundant than fungi and actinomycetes in rhizosphere of the hybrid rice tested. Both sulfate-reducing and methane-oxidizing bacteria were found to exist in the hybrid rice rhizosphere. It was also found that the characteristics of PLFA biomarkers had correlation with the biological traits of rice. The cluster analysis suggested that microbial community structure and activity in rhizosphere were associated with genetic background of the rice cultivar.

Revisiting soil fungal biomarkers and conversion factors:Interspecific variability in phospholipid fatty acids,ergosterol and rDNA copy numbers

Refined conversion factors for soil fungal biomarkers are proposed.High interspecific variability is present in all fungal biomarkers.A modeling approach supports the validity of biomarker estimates in diverse soils.ITS1 copies vary strongly,but are fungal-specific with least phylogenetic bias.A combination of fungal biomarkers will reveal soil fungal physiology and activity.The abundances of fungi and bacteria in soil are used as simple predictors for carbon dynamics,and represent widely available microbial traits.Soil biomarkers serve as quantitative estimates of these microbial groups,though not quantifying microbial biomass per se.The accurate conversion to microbial carbon pools,and an understanding of its comparability among soils is therefore needed.We refined conversion factors for classical fungal biomarkers,and evaluated the application of quantitative PCR(qPCR,rDNA copies)as a biomarker for soil fungi.Based on biomarker contents in pure fungal cultures of 30 isolates tested here,combined with comparable published datasets,we propose average conversion factors of 95.3 g fungal C g^(−1) ergosterol,32.0 mg fungal Cμmol−1 PLFA 18:2ω6,9 and 0.264 pg fungal C ITS1 DNA copy−1.As expected,interspecific variability was most pronounced in rDNA copies,though qPCR results showed the least phylogenetic bias.A modeling approach based on exemplary agricultural soils further supported the hypothesis that high diversity in soil buffers against biomarker variability,whereas also phylogenetic biases impact the accuracy of comparisons in biomarker estimates.Our analyses suggest that qPCR results cover the fungal community in soil best,though with a variability only partly offset in highly diverse soils.PLFA 18:2ω6,9 and ergosterol represent accurate biomarkers to quantify Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.To conclude,the ecological interpretation and coverage of biomarker data prior to their application in global models is important,where the combination of different biomarkers may be most insightful.

Application of organic manure as a potential strategy to alleviate the limitation of microbial resources in soybean rhizospheric and bulk soils

The development and vigor of soil microorganisms in terrestrial ecosystems are frequently constrained by the limited availability of essential elements such as carbon(C),nitrogen(N),and phosphorus(P).In this study,we investigated the impact of long-term application of varying levels of organic manure,low(7.5 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1)),moderate(15.0 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1)),and high(22.5 Mg ha^(−1)yr^(−1)),on the stoichiometry of enzymes and the structures of the microbial communities in soybean rhizospheric and bulk soils.The main goal of this research was to examine how soil microbial resource limitations in the rhizosphere respond to different long-term fertilization strategies.The soil enzymatic activities were quantified,and the structure of the microbial community was assessed by analyzing phospholipid fatty acid profiles.When compared to the bulk soil,the rhizospheric soil had significant increases in microbial biomass carbon(MBC),nitrogen(MBN),and phosphorus(MBP),with MBC increasing by 54.19 to 72.86%,MBN by 47.30 to 48.17%,and MBP by 17.37 to 208.47%.Compared with the unfertilized control(CK),the total microbial biomasses of the rhizospheric(increased by 22.80 to 90.82%)and bulk soils(increased by 10.57 to 60.54%)both exhibited increases with the application of organic manure,and the rhizospheric biomass was higher than that of bulk soil.Compared with bulk soil,the activities of C-,N-and P-acquiring enzymes of rhizospheric soil increased by 22.49,14.88,and 29.45%under high levels of organic manure,respectively.Analyses of vector length,vector angle,and scatter plots revealed that both rhizospheric and bulk soils exhibited limitations in terms of both carbon(C)and phosphorus(P)availability.The results of partial least-squares path modelling indicated that the rhizospheric soil exhibited a more pronounced response to the rate of manure application than the bulk soil.The varying reactions of rhizospheric and bulk soils to the extended application of organic manure underscore the crucial function of the rhizosphere in mitigating limitations related to microbial resources,particularly in the context of different organic manure application rates.

Effect of Mirabilis jalapa (Linn.) Growth on Microbial Community in Bioremediation of Petroleum-contaminated Saline-alkali Soil

Microbial biomass and species in the rhizosphere soil of Mirabilis jalapa（Linn.）（the saline-alkali soil contaminated by total petroleum hydrocarbon（TPH））were studied with the technology of phospholipid fatty acids（PLFAs） analysis,to explore the effects of Mirabilis jalapa（Linn.） growth on the structure characteristics of microbial communities and degradation of TPH in the petroleum-contaminated salinealkali soil.The result showed that compared with the CK soil without Mirabilis jalapa（Linn.）,the kind change rates of PLFAs were 71.4%,69.2% and 33.3% in spring,summer and autumn,respectively,and the degradation of TPH increased by 47.6%,28.3%,and 18.9% in the rhizosphere soil in spring,summer and autumn,respectively.Correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between the degradation of TPH and the soil microbial communities：77.8% of the microbial PLFAs showed positive correlation（the correlation coefficient r﹥0） with the degradation of TPH,and 55.6% of the PLFAs had high positive correlation with the degradation of TPH with a correlation coefficient r ≥0.8.In addition,the relative contents of SAT and MONO had high correlation with the degradation of TPH in the CK soil,and the correlation coefficients were 0.92 and 0.60,respectively;but in the rhizosphere soil,42.1% of the PLFAs had positive correlation with it,and only21.1% had high positive correlation with the degradation of TPH,the relative contents of TBSAT,MONO and CYCLO had moderate or low positive correlation with the degradation of TPH,and the correlation coefficients were 0.56,0.50 and 0.07 respectively.It was shown that the growth of mirabilis jalapa（Linn.） highly affected the microbial community structure and TPH degradation speed in the rhizosphere soil,providing a theoretical basis for the research on phytoremediation of petroleumcontaminated saline-alkali soil.

Soil N transformation and microbial community structure as affected by adding biochar to a paddy soil of subtropical China

We have had little understanding on the effects of different types and quantities of biochar amendment on soil N transformation process and the microbial properties. In this study, various biochars were produced from straw residues and wood chips, and then added separately to a paddy soil at rates of 0.5, 1 and 2% （w/w）. The effects of biochar application on soil net N mineralization and nitrification processes, chemical and microbial properties were examined in the laboratory experiment. After 135 d of incubation, addition of straw biochars increased soil pH to larger extent than wood biochars. The biochar-amended soils had 37.7, 7.3 and 227.6% more soil organic carbon （SOC）, available P and K contents, respectively, than the control soil. The rates of net N mineralization and nitrification increased significantly as biochars quantity rose, and straw biochars had greater effect on N transformation rate than wood biochars. Soil microbial biomass carbon increased by 14.8, 45.5 and 62.5% relative to the control when 0.5, 1 and 2% biochars （both straw- and wood-derived biochars）, respectively, were added. Moreover, biochars amendments significantly enhanced the concentrations of phospholipid fatty acids （PLFAs）, as the general bacteria abundance increased by 161.0% on average. Multivariate analysis suggested that the three rice straw biochar （RB） application levels induced different changes in soil microbial community structure, but there was no significant difference between RB and masson pine biochar （MB） until the application rate reached 2%. Our results showed that biochars amendment can increase soil nutrient content, affect the N transformation process, and alter soil microbial properties, all of which are biochar type and quantity dependent. Therefore, addition of biochars to soil may be an appropriate way to disposal waste and improve soil quality, while the biochar type and addition rate should be taken into consideration before its large-scale application in agro-ecosystem.

Characteristics of soil microbial community functional and structure diversity with coverage of Solidago Canadensis L

The relationship between Solidago canadensis L. invasion and soil microbial community diversity including functional and structure diversities was studied across the invasive gradients varying from 0 to 40%, 80%, and 100% coverage of Solidago canadensis L. using sole carbon source utilization profiles analyses, principle component analysis （PCA） and phospholipid fatty acids （PLFA） profiles analyses. The results show the characteristics of soil microbial community functional and structure diversity in invaded soils strongly changed by Solidago canadensis L. invasion. Solidago canadensis L. invasion tended to result in higher substrate richness, and functional diversity. As compared to the native and ecotones, average utilization of specific substrate guilds of soil microbe was the highest in Solidago canadensis L. monoculture. Soil microbial functional diversity in Solidago canadensis L. monoculture was distinctly separated from the native area and the ecotones. Aerobic bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes population significantly increased but anaerobic bacteria decreased in the soil with Solidago canadensis L. monoculture. The ratio of cyl9：0 to 18：1 co7 gradually declined but mono/sat and fung/bact PLFAs increased when Solidago canadensis L. became more dominant. The microbial community composition clearly separated the native soil from the invaded soils by PCA analysis, especially 18： lco7c, 16： lco7t, 16： lco5c and 18：2co6, 9 were present in higher concentrations for exotic soil. In conclusion, Solidago canadensis L. invasion could create better soil conditions by improving soil microbial community structure and functional diversity, which in turn was more conducive to the growth ofSolidago canadensis L.

Review of Research Methods on Biodiversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi （AMF） are essential functional microbiology in natural ecosystems. It is very important to research community composition and di- versity of AMF for achieving sustainable development of ecosystems. The paper described several methods of researching the diversity of AMF, especially for molecular techniques, reviewed the application status of these methods in AMF research, and pointed out that the effective combination of morphological and molecular methods could better reveal the biodiversity and ecological functions of AMF in natural ecosystems.

Changes in microbial community composition in the leaf litter of successional communities after volcanic eruptions of Mount Usu, northern Japan

Changes in the fungal and bacterial biomass and community structure in litter after the volcanic eruptions of Mount Usu, northern Japan were investigated using a chronosequence approach, which is widely used for analyzing vegetation succession. The vegetation changed from bare ground （10 years after the eruptions） with little plant cover and poor soil to monotonic grassland dominated by Polygonum sachalinense with undeveloped soil （33 years） and then to deciduous broad-leaved forest dominated by Populus maximowiczii with diverse species composition and well-developed soil （100 years）. At three chronosequential sites, we evaluated the compositions of phospholipid fatty acids （PLFAs）, carbon （C） and nitrogen （N） contents and the isotope ratios of C （δ13C） and N （δ15N） in the litter of two dominant species, Polygonum sachalinense and Populus maximowiezii. The C/N ratio, δ13C and δ15N in the litter of these two species were higher in the forest than that in the bare ground and grassland. The PLFAs gradually increased from the bare ground to the forest, showing that microbial biomass increased with the development of the soil and/or vegetation. The fungi-to-bacteria ratio of PLFA was constant at 5.3 ± 1.4 in all three sites, suggesting that fungi were predominant. A canonical correspondence analysis suggested that the PLFA comoosition was related to the successional ages and the developing soil properties （P 〈 0.05, ANOSIM）. The chrono- sequential analysis effectively detected the successional changes in both microbial and plant communities.

Analysis of spatiotemporal variations in the characteristics of soil microbial communities in Castanopsis fargesii forests

Castanopsis fargesii is a good afforestation plants and various microorganisms play important roles in mediating the growth and ecological functions of this species.In this study,we evaluated changes in microbial communities in soil samples from C.fargesii forests.The phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA)biomarker method was used to obtain bacteria,fungi,actinomycetes,gram-positive bacteria(G?),gram-negative bacteria(G-),aerobic bacteria,and anaerobic bacteria to investigate spatiotemporal changes in microbial communities during the growing season.The results show that soil microorganisms were mainly concentrated in the upper 20-cm layer,demonstrating an obvious surface aggregation(P<0.05).Large amounts of litter and heavy rainfall during the early growing season resulted in the highest PLFA contents for various microorganisms,whereas relatively low and stable levels were observed during other times.The dominant species during each period were bacteria.G+ or aerobic bacteria were the main bacterial populations,providing insights into the overall trends of soil bacterial PLFA contents.Due to the relative accumulation of refractory substances during the later stages of litter decomposition,the effects of fungi increased significantly.Overall,our findings demonstrate that the main factors influencing microbial communities were litter,rainfall,and soil field capacity.

Decomposition of labile and recalcitrant coniferous litter fractions affected by temperature during the growing season

Temperate coniferous forest soils are considered important sinks of soil organic carbon(C).Fresh C inputs may,however,affect soil microbial activity,leading to increased organic matter decomposition and carbon dioxide production.Litter consists of labile and recalcitrant fractions which are thought to be utilized by distinct microbial communities and at different rates during the growing season.In this study,we incubated the whole litter(LC+RC),the labile(LC)and the recalcitrant(RC)fractions with the coniferous soil at two temperatures representing spring/autumn(10℃)and summer(20℃)for one month.Soil respiration and microbial community composition were regularly determined using phospholipid fatty acids as biomarkers.The LC fraction greatly increased soil respiration at the beginning of the incubation period but this effect was rather short-term.The effect of the RC fraction persisted longer and,together with the LC+RC fraction,respiration increased during the whole incubation period.Decomposition of the RC fraction was more strongly affected by higher temperatures than decomposition of the more labile fractions(LC and LC+RC).However,when we consider the relative increase in soil respiration compared to the dH2 O treatment,respiration increased more at a lower temperature,suggesting that available C is more important for microbial metabolism at lower temperatures.Although C was added only once in our study,no changes in microbial community composition were detected,possibly because the microbial community is adapted to relatively low amounts of additional C such as the amounts naturally found in litter.

Naphthalene exerts non-target effects on the abundance of active fungi by stimulating basidiomycete abundance

As an arthropod biocide,naphthalene has been used in studies of the ecological functions of soil fauna for decades.However,its potential non-target effects on soil microorganisms may affect soil mineralization and litter decomposition processes.Therefore,we conducted an experiment with naphthalene adding to soil surface at a rate of 100 g·m-2 per month to examine the potential non-target effects of this treatment on soil fungal phospholipid fatty acids(PLFAs),18 S rDNA gene copy numbers and community diversity in a subalpine forest of western Sichuan,China.The results showed that naphthalene addition significantly increased fungal PLFAs but did not significantly alter fungal gene copy numbers.A total of 16 phyla,62 genera and 147 Operational taxonomic units(OTUs)were identified through Illumina Mi Seq sequencing analysis.Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were the most abundant phyla in both the control and naphthalene addition plots.Naphthalene addition did not affect the diversity or structure of the soil fungal community,but the increase in some genera of Basidiomycota might contribute to the increase in fungal PLFAs in the naphthalene addition plots.These results suggest that naphthalene exerts non-target effects on the active fungal abundance by stimulating the abundance of specific taxa in subalpine forest soils.The non-target effects of naphthalene on the fungal community should be taken into consideration when it is used to exclude soil fauna.

Effects of Different Chinese Hickory Husk Returning Modes on Soil Nutrition and Microbial Community in Acid Forest Soil

Chinese hickory(Carya cathayensis Sarg.)is an important economic forest in Southeastern China.A large amount of hickory husk waste is generated every year but with a low proportion of returning.Meanwhile,intensive management has resulted in soil degradation of Chinese hickory plantations.This study aims to investigate the effects of three Chinese hickory husk returning modes on soil amendment,including soil acidity,soil nutrition,and microbial community.The field experiment carried out four treatments:control(CK),hickory husk mulching(HM),hickory husk biochar(BC),and hickory husk organic fertilizer(OF).The phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA)biomarker method was employed to determine the soil microbial community.After one year of treatment,the results showed that:(i)HM and BC significantly increased soil pH by 0.33 and 1.71 units,respectively;(ii)HM,BC and OF treatments significantly increased the soil organic carbon,alkaline nitrogen,available phosphorous,and available potassium.The OF treatment demonstrated the most significant improvement in the soil nutrient;(iii)The soil microbial biomass significantly increased in the HM,BC and OF treatments,and all microbial groups showed an increasing trend.HM treatment increased the fungal/bacterial ratio(F/B).The OF treatment significantly decreased the Shannon-Wiener diversity(H’)and evenness index(J)of the microbial community(P<0.05).Considering the treatments effects,costs,and ease of operation,our recommended returning modes of Chinese hickory husk are mulching and organic fertilizer produced by composting with manure.

Effects of vegetation type on soil microbial community structure and catabolic diversity assessed by polyphasic methods in North China

Soil microbes play a major role in ecological processes and are closely associated with the aboveground plant community. In order to understand the effects of vegetation type on the characteristics of soil microbial communities, the soil microbial communities were assessed by plate counts, phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） and Biolog microplate techniques in five plant communities, i.e., soybean field （SF）, artificial turf （AT）, artificial shrub （AS）, natural shrub （NS）, and maize field （MF） in Jinan, Shandong Province, North China. The results showed that plant diversity had little discernible effect on microbial biomass but a positive impact on the evenness of utilized substrates in Biolog microplate. Legumes could significantly enhance the number of cultural microorganisms, microbial biomass, and community catabolic diversity. Except for SF dominated by legumes, the biomass of fungi and the catabolic diversity of microbial community were higher in less disturbed soil beneath NS than in frequently disturbed soils beneath the other vegetation types. These results confirmed that high number of plant species, legumes, and natural vegetation types tend to support soil microbial communities with higher function. The present study also found a significant correlation between the number of cultured bacteria and catabolic diversity of the bacterial community. Different research methods led to varied results in this study. The combination of several approaches is recommended for accurately describing the characteristics of microbial communities in many respects.

Effect of cypermethrin insecticide on the microbial community in cucumber phyllosphere

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is one of the most widely used vegetable in the world,and different pesticides have been extensively used for controlling the insects and disease pathogens of this plant.However,little is known about how the pesticides affect the microbial community in cucumber phyllosphere.This study was the first attempt to assess the impact of pyrethroid insecticide cyperemethrin on the microbial communities of cucumber phyllosphere using biochemical and genetic approaches.Phospholipid fatty ac...

Biochemical and microbial properties of rhizospheres under maize/ peanut intercropping

Maize/peanut intercropping system shows the significant yield advantage. Soil microbes play major roles in soil nutrient cycling and were affected by intercropping plants. This experiment was carried out to evaluate the changing of rhizosphere microbial community composition, and the relationship between microbial community and soil enzymatic activities, soil nutrients in maize/peanut intercropping system under the following three treatments： maize （Zea mays L.） and peanut （Arachis hypogaea L.） were intercropped without any separation （NS）, by half separation （HS） using a nylon net （50 μm） and complete separation （CS） by using a plastic sheet, respectively. The soil microbial communities were assessed by phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA）. We found that soil available nutrients （available nitrogen （Avail N） and available phosphorus （Avail P）） and enzymatic activities （soil urase and phosphomonoesterase） in both crops were improved in NS and HS treatments as compared to CS. Both bacterial and fungal biomasses in both crops were increased in NS followed by HS. Furthermore, Gram-positive bacteria （G＋） in maize soils were significant higher in NS and HS than CS, while the Gram-negative （G-） was significant higher in peanut soil. The ratio of normal saturated to monounsaturated PLFAs was significantly higher in rhizosphere of peanut under CS treatment than in any other treatments, which is an indicator of nutrient stress. Redundancy analysis and cluster analysis of PLFA showed rhizospheric microbial community of NS and HS of both plants tended to be consistent. The urase and Avail N were higher in NS and HS of both plants and positively correlated with bacteria, fungi （F） and total PLFAs, while negatively correlated with G＋/G- and NS/MS. The findings suggest that belowground interactions in maize/peanut intercropping system play important roles in changing the soil microbial composition and the dominant microbial species, which was closely related with the improving of soil available nutrients （N and P） and enzymatic activities.

Interactions of water and nitrogen addition on soil microbial community composition and functional diversity depending on the inter-annual precipitation in a Chinese steppe

Water and nitrogen are primary limiting factors in semiarid grassland ecosystems. Our knowledge is still poor regarding the interactive effects of water and N addition on soil microbial communities, although this information is crucial to reveal the mechanisms of the terrestrial ecosystem response to global changes. We addressed this problem by conducting a field experiment with a 15% surplus of the average rainfall under three levels of N addition（50, 100, and 200 kg N ha–1 yr–1） in two consecutive years in Inner Mongolia, China. Microbial community composition and functional diversity were analyzed based on phospholipid fatty acids（PLFA） and BIOLOG techniques, respectively. The results showed that water addition did not affect the soil microbial community composition, but much more yearly precipitation generally decreased the PLFA concentration, which implied a fast response of soil microbes to changes of water condition. Soil fungi was depressed only by N addition at the high level（200 kg N ha–1 yr–1） and without hydrologic leaching, while Gram-negative bacteria was suppressed probably by plant competition at high level N addition but with hydrologic leaching. The study found unilateral positive/negative interactions between water and N addition in affecting soil microbial community, however, climate condition（precipitation） could be a significant factor in disturbing the interactions. This study highlighted that：（1） The sustained effect of pulsed water addition was minimal on the soil microbial community composition but significant on the microbial community functional diversity and（2） the complex interaction between water and N addition on soil microbial community related to the inter-annual variation of the climate and plant response.

Microbial Community Structure of Casing Soil During Mushroom Growth

The culturable bacterial population and phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） profile of casing soil were investigated at different mushroom （Agaricus bisporus） cropping stages. The change in soil bacterial PLFAs was always accompanied by a change in the soil eulturable bacterial population in the first flush. Comparatively higher culturable bacterial population and bacterial PLFAs were found in the casing soil at the primordia formation stage of the first flush. There was a significant increase in the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs during mushroom growth. Multivariate analysis of PLFA data demonstrated that the mushroom cropping stage could considerably affect the microbial community structure of the casing soil. The bacterial population increased significantly from casing soil application to the primordia formation stage of the first flush. Casing soil application resulted in an increase in the ratio of gram-negative bacterial PLFAs to gram-positive bacterial PLFAs, suggesting that some gram-negative bacteria might play an important role in mushroom sporophore initiation.