Oxygen availability,rather than ammonia,plays an important role in niche differentiation between comammox Nitrospira and canonical ammonia oxidizers in a neutral purple paddy soil

Dear Editor,Nitrification,the only process linking the oxidation and reduction of N in natural ecosystems,plays a vital role in maintaining global N equilibrium.Ammonia oxidation is the first and rate-limiting step of aerobic nitrification and is performed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB).

Soil Enzyme Activities and Organic Matter Composition Affected by 26 Years of Continuous Cropping

The study was to determine the long-term effects of subtropical monoculture and rotational cropping systems and fertilization on soil enzyme activities and soil C, N, and P levels. Cropping systems included continuous sorghum(Sorghum bicolor L.), cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.), corn(Zea mays L.), and cotton/sorghum rotations after 26 years of treatment imposition. Soil under continuous sorghum and continuous corn had 15% and 11%, respectively, greater C concentrations than soil under continuous cotton.Organic C was 10% higher at 0–7.5 cm than at 7.5–15 cm. Total N followed similar trends with soil depth as organic C. Continuous sorghum had 19% higher total N than other crop species and rotations. With fertilization, continuous cotton had the highest total P at 0–7.5 cm and sorghum had the highest at 7.5–15 cm. Soil total P was 14% higher at 0–7.5 than at 7.5–15 cm, and fertilization increased 15% total P compared to unfertilized soil. Arylsulfatase, alkaline phosphatase, and β-d-glucosidase activity were the highest for sorghum and the lowest for cotton. Rotation increased enzyme activities compared to continuous cotton but not for continuous sorghum. Of all crop species and rotations, continuous cotton generally showed the lowest levels of organic matter and enzyme activities after 26 years. Fertilization significantly increased the yields for all cropping systems, but rotation had no significant effect on either sorghum or cotton lint yield compared to each crop grown in monoculture. Long-term cropping did not increase soil organic matter levels beyond short-term gains, indicating the difficulty in promoting C sequestration in subtropical soils.

Redox-driven shifts in soil microbial community structure in the drawdown zone after construction of the Three Gorges Dam

Soil redox is a critical environmental factor shaping the microbial community structure and ultimately alters the nutrient cycling.However,the response of soil microbial community structure to prolonged or repeated redox fluctuations is not yet clear.To study the dynamic effects of prolonged redox disturbances to the soil microbial community structure,soil samples experiencing 8,5 and 0 alternating oxic-anoxic cycles within approximately 6 months each year were collected and the microbial community structure were evaluated using phospholipid fatty acid analysis(PLFA)profiles.Prolonged redox disturbances had significant effects on soil physiochemical properties and soil microbial community structure.The relative abundance of straight chain saturated PLFAs,cyclopropyl,and terminal-and mid-branched chain saturated PLFAs increased due to prolonged redox disturbances,but there was a consistent decrease in linear monounsaturated PLFAs and polyunsaturated PLFAs in the fluctuating zone.Prolonged redox disturbances had a negative impact on the total PLFA content(a proxy for biomass).Both the fluctuating zone(8-cycle and 5-cycle plots)and the never flooded zone(0-cycle plots)were dominated by Gram-positive bacteria and a low content of fungi,actinomycetes and protozoa.The fungi and protozoa abundance decreased significantly with an increase in the occurrence of alternating flooding-dry events,suggesting that the prolonged redox disturbance leads to high stress on the fungi and protozoa populations.Moreover,total organic matter(TOC)and C:N ratio,environmental factors that can be influenced by recurring redox fluctuations,also influenced the microbial community structure.