Abstract
BackgroundLand use change significantly alters soil organic carbon content and the microbial community. Therefore, in the present study, the effect of changing cropland to grassland on structural and functional soil microbial diversity was evaluated. The specific aims were (i) to identify the most prominent members of the fungal communities and their relevant ecological guild groups; (ii) to assess changes in the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea; (iii) to determine the relationships between microbial diversity and selected physical and chemical properties.MethodsWe investigated microbial diversity and activity indicators, bulk density and the water-holding capacity of sandy soil under both cropland and 25-year-old grassland (formerly cropland) in Trzebieszów, in the Podlasie Region, Poland. Microbial diversity was assessed by: the relative abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea, fungal community composition and functional diversity. Microbial activity was assessed by soil enzyme (dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase) and respiration tests.ResultsIt was shown that compared to cropland, grassland has a higher soil organic carbon content, microbial biomass, basal respiration, rate of enzyme activity, richness and diversity of the microbial community, water holding capacity and the structure of the fungal and ammonia-oxidizing archaea communities was also altered. The implications of these results for soil quality and soil health are also discussed. The results suggest that grassland can have a significant phytosanitary capacity with regard to ecosystem services, due to the prominent presence of beneficial and antagonistic microbes. Moreover, the results also suggest that grassland use may improve the status of soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics, thereby increasing the relative abundance of fungi and ammonia-oxidizing archaea.
Highlights
Soil is the fundamental resource of an agricultural ecosystem (Wang et al, 2016)
The results of our study demonstrated that soil organic carbon (SOC) was associated with water holding capacity (WHC), soil enzymes (DA, BA) and microbial biomass (MBC)
Our study showed that grassland compared to cropland had a significantly higher organic carbon content, microbial biomass, basal respiration, enzyme activities, fungal diversity, richness and diversity of the soil fungal community and water holding capacity
Summary
Soil is the fundamental resource of an agricultural ecosystem (Wang et al, 2016). Different land uses significantly alter the soil organic carbon stock and structure, which in turn influences soil properties, functions and the composition of the soil microbiome (Delelegn et al, 2017; Szoboszlay et al, 2017). During the last few decades, the conversion of grassland and pasture to cultivated croplands has occurred in many regions of the world (Claassen, Carriazo & Ueda, 2010; Wright & Wimberly, 2013). Results: It was shown that compared to cropland, grassland has a higher soil organic carbon content, microbial biomass, basal respiration, rate of enzyme activity, richness and diversity of the microbial community, water holding capacity and the structure of the fungal and ammonia-oxidizing archaea communities was altered. The implications of these results for soil quality and soil health are discussed. The results suggest that grassland use may improve the status of soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics, thereby increasing the relative abundance of fungi and ammonia-oxidizing archaea
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