Soil Microbial Metabolism Research Articles

Extracellular enzyme stoichiometry reflects the metabolic C-and P-limitations along a grassland succession on the Loess Plateau in China

Soil extracellular enzyme stoichiometry (EES) reflects the biogeochemical balance between microbial metabolic requirements and environmental nutrient availability. Recent research suggests that EES well effect on soil microbial metabolic limitations (SMMLs), however, few field studies have explicitly tested this based on a herbaceous successional chronosequence. We used the EES models to identify the response of SMMLs, and investigated the potential implications of microbial nutritional limitations across the time series (herbaceous succession) and space (transformation interface soil [TIS] and underlying topsoil [UTS] layer) in the grassland restoration series. We show that soil microorganisms were generally limited by C, both in the TIS and UTS. Microbial C-limitation exhibited a unimodal direction, peaking in intermediate successional stages, however, P-limitation presented the opposite trend. During herbaceous succession, microbial P-limitation was more substantial than that in N-limitation. SMMLs gradually transferred from P- to N- and back to P-limitation at later successional stages in the TIS layer. Furthermore, we demonstrate that biotic factors, soil basic index, and soil nutrients explained 92.2 % of the variations in microbial C-limitation and 84.4 % of the variations in microbial P-limitation. Multi–interaction factors exhibited the most significant relative influences of 65.11 % (TIS) and 43 % (UTS) on the SMMLs. Microbial C-limitation was induced by the imbalance between C supply and microbial C demand, whereas the changes in microbial P-limitation were due to the changes in the competition for P between plants and microorganisms. Overall, our findings provide support for microbial C- and P-limitation in the process of herbaceous succession during the restoration. We also highlight the possibility of additive effects on soil SMMLs via interactions of vegetation composition, soil properties, and microbial nutritional demands, which might constrain soil microbial metabolism requirements despite greater living root and litter resource inputs.

Effects of Agricultural Organic Waste Incorporation on the Metabolic Capacity of Microbial Carbon Sources of Dissolved Organic Matter in Paddy Soil

A long-term fertilization experiment with a system of rice-wheat rotation was conducted in Chengdu Plain. Three fertilization treatments including conventional fertilization (T1), pig manure substituting for 50% nitrogen fertilizer (T2), and T2 plus straw (T3) were set up to study the characteristics of microbial carbon source utilization of soil and dissolved organic matter (DOM). The results showed that T3 improved the soil microbial carbon source metabolism in comparison with those of the T1 and T2 treatments; the average color change rate (AWCD) increased by 16% and 48%, respectively. Meanwhile, T3 improved the soil DOM microbial carbon source metabolism, and the AWCD value was 0.43. The highest Shannon, Simpson, and McIntosh indexes of soil and DOM were all found in the T3 treatment, and the Shannon, Simpson, and McIntosh indexes of DOM were 2.73, 0.91, and 3.75, respectively. The results of principal component analysis and enrichment analysis showed that the main carbon sources used by microorganisms of soil and DOM were different under different fertilization treatments. For DOM, the main carbon source used by microorganisms in the T1 and T2 treatments was sugar, whereas T3 increased the utilization of amino acids, carboxylic acids, polymers, and amines. The changes in soil pH and texture were the main factors that caused the difference in soil DOM microbial carbon source metabolism. In conclusion, the application of organic fertilizer (pig manure plus straw) significantly increased the microbial community diversity and carbon source metabolic capacity of soil and DOM and promoted the diversification of microbial carbon source preference.

Deep soil microbial carbon metabolic function is important but often neglected: a study on the Songnen Plain reed wetland, Northeast China

Soil microbial carbon metabolism is critical in wetland soil carbon cycling, and is also a research hotspot at present. However, most studies focus on the surface soil layer in the wetlands and the microorganisms associated with this layer. In this study, 0-75 cm soil profiles were collected from five widely separated reed wetlands in the Songnen Plain. which has a large number of middle-high latitude inland saline-sodic wetlands. The Biolog-ECO method was used to determine the carbon metabolic activity and functional diversity of soil microorganisms. The results showed that soil carbon metabolic activity decreased with increasing soil depth. The carbon metabolic activity of soil microorganisms in the 60-75 cm layer was approximately 57.41%-74.60% of that in the 0-15 cm layer. The soil microbial Shannon index and utilization rate of amines decreased with an increase in soil depth, while the Evenness index and utilization rate of polymers tended to increase with soil depth. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is the most important factor affecting microbial carbon source utilization preference, because microorganisms mainly obtain the carbon source from DOC. The result of the correlation analysis showed that the soil microbial carbon metabolic activity, Shannon index, and Evenness index significantly correlated with soil total carbon (TC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), DOC, total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) contents, and electrical conductivity (EC). This study emphasized the important role of microbial carbon metabolic function in deep soil.

Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry reveals stronger microbial carbon and nitrogen limitation in biochar amendment soils: A meta-analysis

Soil extracellular enzyme activities of microbes to acquire carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) exert great roles on soil C sequestration and N, P availability. However, a lack of biochar-induced changes of C, N and P acquisition enzyme activities hinders us from understanding if biochar application will lead to microbial C, N and P limitation based on ecoenzymatic stoichiometry. In this study, through ecoenzymatic stoichiometry, a meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate responses of microbial metabolic limitation to biochar amendment by collecting data of ecoenzymatic activities (EEAs) of the C, N and P acquisition from peer-reviewed papers. The results showed that biochar application increased activities of C, N acquisition enzymes significantly by 9.3 % and 15.1 % on average, respectively. But the influence on P acquisition enzymes activities (Acid, neutral or alkaline phosphatase, abbreviated wholly as PHOS) was not significant. Biochar increased ratio of C acquisition enzymes activities (EC) over P enzymes activities (EP) and ratio of N enzymes activities (EN) over EP, but decreased EC:EN, indicating an increased N limitation or a shift from P limitation to N limitation in microbial metabolism. Enzyme vector analysis showed that soil microbial metabolism was limited by C relative to nutrients (N and P) under biochar amendment according to the overall increased vector length (~1.5 %). Wood biochar caused the strongest microbial C limitation, followed by crop residue biochar as indicated by increased enzyme vector length of 3.6 % and 1.2 % on average, respectively. The stronger microbial C limitation was also found when initial soil total organic carbon (SOC) was <20 g·kg−1. Our results illustrated that available nitrogen and organic carbon should be provided to meet microbial stoichiometric requirements to improve plant productivity, especially in low fertile soils under biochar amendment.

Effect of nitrogen addition on the carbon metabolism of soil microorganisms in a Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland of the Sanjiang Plain, northeastern China

PurposeSoil microorganisms are important mediators of land ecosystem functions and stability. However, carbon sources in different amounts of nitrogen addition are known to affect the function of soil microbial communities. Thus, this study sought to evaluate the effects of nitrogen addition on the carbon utilization capacity of soil microorganisms in the Sanjiang Plain wetland, northeastern China.MethodsThree nitrogen treatments (CK, 0 kg N ha−1 a−1; N40, 40 kg N ha−1 a−1; and N80 kg N ha−1 a−1) were evaluated in the Honghe National Nature Reserve of the Sanjiang Plain. The carbon metabolism capacity of soil microorganisms in the C. angustifolia wetland was investigated after five consecutive year’s nitrogen addition treatment using the Bio-Eco technique.ResultsDifferent amounts of nitrogen addition conditions resulted in significant differences in pH, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and soil microbial alpha diversity. The average well-color development (AWCD) in the Bio-Eco Plate assay increased gradually with incubation time, and different nitrogen levels significantly affected these AWCD values (P < 0.05), with the N40 treatment exhibiting the highest value. Furthermore, the N80 treatment had significantly lower Shannon and Pielou diversity indices (P < 0.05). N40 significantly promoted carbohydrate, amino acid, and ester utilization rates by soil microorganisms, whereas N80 significantly inhibited carbohydrate, amino acid, alcohol, amine, and organic acids utilization. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the three treatments had remarkable differences in soil microbial community metabolism, and the cumulative variance contribution was 72.86%. In addition, RDA revealed that the N80 treatment was positively correlated with the TN, SMC, DON, and TOC but negatively correlated with DOC, NH4+, pH, and NO3−.ConclusionLong-term nitrogen addition leads to changes in soil microbial community structure and significantly alters the ability of soil microorganisms to utilize carbon sources in the Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland.

Extracellular Enzyme Stoichiometry Reveals Soil Microbial Carbon and Phosphorus Limitations in the Yimeng Mountain Area, China

Soil extracellular enzymes are considered key components in ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling, and analysing their stoichiometry is an effective way to reveal the resource limitations on soil microbial metabolism. In this study, the soil and litter of Quercus acutissima plots, Pinus thunbergii plots, Quercus acutissima–Pinus thunbergii mixed-plantation plots, herb plots, and shrub plots in the state-owned Dawa Forest Farm in the Yimeng Mountain area were studied. The total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents of litter and the physical and chemical properties of soil were analyzed, along with the activities of four extracellular enzymes related to the soil C, N, and P cycle: β-1,4-glucosidase (BG), β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG), L-leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), and acid phosphatase (AP). The extracellular enzyme stoichiometric model was used to study and compare the metabolic limitations of soil microorganisms in different plots, and the driving factors of microbial metabolic limitations were explored by redundancy and linear regression analyses. The results showed that the values of BG/(NAG + LAP) were all higher than 1, the values of (NAG + LAP)/AP all lower than 1, and the vector angles of the five plots all greater than 45°, which indicated that the soil microorganisms were relatively limited by C and P. Redundancy and linear regression analysis revealed that soil physical properties (e.g., soil moisture) and litter total C make greater contributions to soil extracellular enzymes and stoichiometry than the other investigated soil parameters, whereas soil chemical properties (e.g., soil organic C and available P) predominantly controlled vector properties. Therefore, microbial metabolism limitations are greatly regulated by soil physical and chemical properties and litter total C and N. Compared with the forest plots, the soil microbial C (1.67) and P (61.07°) limitations of herb plots were relatively higher, which means that the soil microbial communities of forest plots are more stable than those of herb plots in the Yimeng Mountain area. Forest plots were more conducive than other plots to the improvement of soil microbial ecology in this area. This study could be important for illuminating soil microbial metabolism and revealing soil nutrient cycling in the Yimeng Mountain area ecosystem of China.

Soil microbial metabolism on carbon and nitrogen transformation links the crop-residue contribution to soil organic carbon

The beneficial effect of crop residue amendment on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock and stability depends on the functional response of soil microbial communities. Here we synchronized microbial metagenomic analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and plant-15N labeling technologies to gain understanding of how microbial metabolic processes affect SOC accumulation in responses to differences in N supply from residues. Residue amendment brought increases in the assemblage of genes involved in C-degradation profiles from labile to recalcitrant C compounds as well as N mineralization. The N mineralization genes were correlated with the C and N accumulation in the particulate and mineral-associated C pools, and plant-derived aliphatic forms of SOC. Thus, the combined C and N metabolic potential of the microbial community transforms residue into persistent organic compounds, thereby increasing C and N sequestration in stable SOC pools. This study emphasizes potential microbially mediated mechanisms by which residue N affects C sequestration in soils.

Microbial metabolic limitation response to experimental warming along an altitudinal gradient in alpine grasslands, eastern Tibetan Plateau

Alpine grassland is an important carbon (C) pool in terrestrial ecosystems, and the response of microbial metabolism to warming along an altitudinal gradient is essential for soil C stabilization. However, the patterns and drivers of soil microbial metabolism in the alpine grassland at different altitudes under warming remain poorly understood. Here, according to soil enzymatic stoichiometry, we observed that microbial metabolism was limited by C and phosphorus (P) in the alpine grassland ecosystem, eastern Tibetan Plateau, and microbial C limitation increased with altitude from 3800 to 4200 m despite the topsoil (0–5 cm) or subsoil (5–10 cm). Experimental warming significantly decreased microbial C limitation in the topsoil, but not the subsoil. The significantly negative correlation between microbial C and P limitation in both topsoil and subsoil suggests that the alleviation of C limitation after warming may aggravate the microbial P limitation. Furthermore, the contents and ratio of nutrients and microbial biomass mainly affected microbial C and P limitation in the alpine grassland, respectively. Our results indicated that climate warming could modulate microbial metabolic limitation in alpine grassland soils and thus soil C sequestrationby regulating nutrient availability and microbial biomass. This study provides an insight into the microbial regulation of nutrient cycles global warming, which is helpful for ecosystem C cycling in alpine grassland.

Poplar agroforestry systems in eastern China enhance the spatiotemporal stability of soil microbial community structure and metabolism

AbstractAgroforestry systems provide soil microorganisms with a rich variety of carbon sources and a relatively stable living environment. However, the effects of agroforestry systems on the metabolic dynamics of soil microorganisms have not been well studied, especially in the subsoil. To assess the vertical and seasonal variations in soil microbial metabolic capacity as a consequence of various planting systems, five typical planting systems, including three poplar agroforestry systems, were investigated. The Biolog EcoPlate method was used to determine the vertical and seasonal variations in soil microbial metabolic capacity. The average well colour development, carbon source utilization ability, and microbial diversity index values were higher throughout the soil profile, and highly stable with seasonal changes in the poplar (Populus × euramericana “Nanlin 895”) + wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) + soybean (Glycine max) and poplar + potherb mustard (Brassica juncea var. multiceps) agroforestry systems. Furthermore, the influence of the planting systems and seasonal changes on the metabolic activity of soil microorganisms decreased with an increase in soil depth. Over‐stocking chickens in the forest reduced the metabolic activity of soil microorganisms. It was also found that plants influenced soil microbial metabolism through affecting the available carbon source types. Therefore, agroforestry systems improved the metabolic potential of the soil microbial community. Our results demonstrated that soil microbial communities are affected by the planting system and soil depth. The findings enhance our understanding of the functional diversity of soil microorganisms in agroforestry systems.

Changes in Soil Microbial Carbon-Degrading Enzymes and Their Relationships with Carbon Pool Components During the Restoration Process of Robinia pseudoacacia

To reveal the change in the characteristics of soil microbial C-degrading enzyme activities and the response to the components of C during the restoration process of Robinia pseudoacacia forests in the Loess Plateau, the components of the soil C pool, C-degrading enzyme activities, and microbial metabolic entropy of R. pseudoacacia in different restoration stages were studied, and the response relationship between C-degrading enzymes and soil C components was explored. The results showed that the microbial respiration (MR) first increased and then decreased with the restored years. We found that the microbial metabolic entropy (qCO2) decreased significantly with the restored years, but the microbial entropy (qMB) increased. Soil C-degrading enzymes increased significantly in the early-stage restoration of R. pseudoacacia; however, oxidizing enzymes (PO and PER) and cellobiohydrolase (CBH) decreased in the late stage of restoration. The soil organic C and recalcitrant organic C increased significantly with the restored years; however, there was no significant difference for the labile organic C. Correlation analysis and the partial least squares-path model (PLS-PM) showed that soil C-degrading enzymes and C components were significantly correlated with microbial respiration and entropy (qCO2 and qMB), respectively. The hydrolytic enzyme (BG+CBH) was significantly positively correlated with SOC, microbial biomass C, qMB, and recalcitrant and labile organic C. The oxidizing enzyme (PO+PER) was significantly positively correlated with the soil clay and qCO2. In addition, the recalcitrant organic C was the key driver of soil microbial metabolism affected by vegetation restoration. Overall, the ecosystem of R. pseudoacacia plantations would gradually stabilize with the increase in restored years and significantly increase the sequestration effect of soil C. These results will be helpful to understand the transformation rule and regulation mechanism of the soil C pool in vulnerable habitats and provide scientific basis for the restoration and management of vegetation in the Loess Plateau.

Soil phytoremediation reveals alteration in soil microbial metabolic activities along time gradient of cover crop mulching

The vitality and diversity of soil microbial metabolism are the core of soil function expression, cover crop is an environmentally friendly agricultural production practice; however, shifts in soil microbial metabolic activities along time gradient of cover crop remain unclear. Here, we used metagenomic and biological techniques to investigate soil microbial potential function and carbon (C) source utilization capacity in the time series of white clover (WC, Trifolium repens L.) for 6, 10, and 15 years in a typical semiarid apple orchard. Conventional tillage (CT) was taken as the control. This study demonstrated that living mulch 6 years of WC had little effect on soil microbial functions. However, after 10 and 15 years of crop cover, an enrichment of genes related to amino acid metabolism, carbon cycle, and nitrogen metabolism was observed in soil microorganisms. Furthermore, average well color development (AWCD) was increased in 10 and 15 years of cover crop, soil microbiome exhibited a stronger preference for carbohydrates, amino acids, and polymers as C sources. The results mainly provided insight into the variation character of microbial metabolic function under increasing duration of cover crop.

Soil ecoenzymatic stoichiometry reveals microbial phosphorus limitation after vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau, China

Exploring the limitations of soil microbial nutrient metabolism would help to understand the adaptability and response mechanisms of soil microbes in semi-arid ecosystems. Soil ecoenzymatic stoichiometry is conducive to quantifying the nutrient limitations of microorganisms. To quantify microbial nutrient limitation during plant restoration, we measured soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, and the activities of four enzymes (ꞵ-1,4-glucosidase, leucine aminopeptidase, ꞵ-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase, and alkaline phosphatase) in the soils of the northern Loess Plateau. Vegetation restoration patterns significantly affected soil properties, microbial biomass, enzymatic activity, and associated stoichiometry. Soil enzymatic activity increased significantly after vegetation restoration, especially in Robinia pseudoacacia plantations (RP). Correlation analysis showed that soil nutrients (C and N), moisture and pH were significantly correlated with ecoenzymatic activities and their stoichiometries. Vector-threshold element ratio (VT) model analysis revealed that microbial nutrient metabolism was limited by P, and soil microbial C limitation was significantly weakened after vegetation restoration, particularly in RP. Correlation analysis indicated that microbial nutrient limitations represented by the VT model were significantly correlated with soil moisture, nutrients, and associated stoichiometry. Therefore, the soil microbial community was mainly limited by P rather than N in vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau via the VT model, and this limitation was primarily associated with the variation in soil properties. In addition, the soil microbial C limitation was significantly negatively correlated with microbial nutrient (P or N) limitation, which illustrated that soil microbial nutrient metabolism has strong stoichiometric homeostasis.

Integrated microbiology and metabolomics analysis reveal responses of soil microorganisms and metabolic functions to phosphorus fertilizer on semiarid farm

Localized fertilization of phosphorus has potential benefits in achieving higher crop productivity and nutrient use efficiency, but the underlying biological mechanisms of interactions between soil microorganisms and related metabolic cycle remain largely to be recognized. Here, we combined microbiology with non-target metabolomics to explore how P fertilizer levels and fertilization patterns affect wheat soil microbial communities and metabolic functions based on high-throughput sequencing and UPLC-MS/MS platforms. The results showed P fertilizer decreased the diversity of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and fungal ITS genes, and it did significantly change both soil bacterial and fungal overall community structures and compositions. The P levels and patterns also interfered with complexity of soil bacterial and fungal symbiosis networks. Moreover, metabolomics analysis showed that P fertilizer significantly changed soil metabolite spectrum, and the differential metabolites were significantly enriched to 7 main metabolic pathways, such as arginine and proline metabolism, biosynthesis of plant hormones, amino acids, plant secondary metabolites, and alkaloids derived from ornithine. Additionally, microbes also were closely related to the accumulation of metabolites through correlation analysis. Our results indicated that localized appropriate phosphorus fertilizer plays an important role in regulating soil microbial metabolism, and their interactions in soil providing valuable information for understanding how the changed phosphorus management practices affect the complex biological processes and the adaption capacity of plants to environments.

Effect of dissolved solids released from biochar on soil microbial metabolism

Dissolved solids released from biochar could redistribute the metabolic flux of soil microorganisms.

地膜覆盖对旱作春玉米农田土壤微生物碳源代谢的影响

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 地膜覆盖对旱作春玉米农田土壤微生物碳源代谢的影响 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202107302071 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金国际合作与交流项目（31961143017）；国家重点研发计划政府间国际科技创新合作重点专项（2021YFE0101300）；国家自然科学基金项目（31871575，41601328） Effects of film mulching on soil microbial carbon source metabolism in dry-farmland Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:土壤微生物碳源代谢特征是评价土壤质量变化的重要指标。依托山西省东部晋中市寿阳县农业环境与作物高效用水科学观测试验站，采用Biolog-ECO微孔板技术探究覆膜（FM）与裸地不覆膜处理（LD）对旱作春玉米拔节期、灌浆期和收获期3个关键生育期不同土层深度下（0-10 cm、10-20 cm和20-30 cm）土壤微生物碳源代谢的影响。结果表明：1） FM措施可以显著增加土壤微生物对碳源的利用能力，显著提高了土壤微生物的优势度指数，但降低了土壤微生物的均匀度指数。2）在0-10 cm和10-20 cm土层，FM与LD处理土壤微生物碳源利用情况均表现为灌浆期较高，而20-30 cm土层，表现为收获期较高，差异均主要体现在碳水类、羧酸类、氨基酸类3大类碳源上。3）拔节期和灌浆期0-10 cm土层中FM处理的土壤微生物碳源利用能力显著高于LD处理；然而收获期0-10 cm土层中恰好相反，呈现出LD处理下土壤微生物碳源利用能力显著高于FM处理。4）此外，Pearson相关分析表明，FM处理土壤微生物对碳水类碳源和羧酸类碳源2大类碳源的利用能力主要与土壤有机碳（SOC）和全氮（TN）含量相关性较好，呈现出正相关关系；对氨基酸类碳源的利用能力主要与土壤含水量、pH、SOC、NH4+-N和NO3--N含量相关性较好。LD处理下，土壤微生物对碳水类、羧酸类和氨基酸类碳源的利用能力与土壤中TN含量的相关性较好，且呈现正相关关系。 Abstract:The metabolic characteristics of soil microbial carbon source are important indexes to evaluate the change of soil quality. Based on the scientific observation and experiment station of agricultural environment and efficient water use for crops in Shouyang County, Jinzhong City, eastern Shanxi Province, this study used Biolog-ECO microplate technology to explore the effects of film mulching (FM) and no film mulching (LD) on the carbon source metabolism of soil microorganisms in different soil depths (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm) in 3 key growth stages of dry-farming spring corn. The results show that:1) the FM measures can significantly increase the utilization ability of soil microorganisms to carbon sources, significantly improve the richness index of soil microorganisms, but reduce the evenness index of soil microorganisms. 2) In 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers, the utilization of microbial carbon sources in FM and LD treatments were higher in filling period, while in 20-30 cm soil layer, the harvest period was higher, and the differences were mainly reflected in 3 types of carbon sources:carbonaceous water, carboxylic acids and amino acids. 3) The utilization capacity of microbial carbon source in 0-10 cm soil layer of FM treatment was significantly higher than that of LD treatment at jointing stage and filling stage; However, in the 0-10 cm soil layer at harvest time, the oppositely is true, showing that the utilization capacity of soil microbial carbon source under LD treatment is significantly higher than that under FM treatment. 4) In addition, Pearson correlation analysis showed that under FM treatment in this study, the utilization ability of soil microorganisms to 2 kinds of carbon sources, namely, carbohydrate carbon source and carboxylic carbon source, had a good correlation with soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(TN) content, showing a positive correlation; The utilization ability of amino acid carbon sources is mainly related to soil water content, pH, SOC, NH4+-N and NO3--N content. Under LD treatment, the utilization ability of carbon sources such as carbonaceous water, carboxylic acids and amino acids by soil microorganisms had a good correlation with TN content in soil, and showing a positive correlation. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

The dynamics of soil microbial community structure and nitrogen metabolism influenced by agriculture practices and rainfall

Agriculture practices, such as fertilization and cultivation, inevitably modify the soil ecological environment by altering the soil microbial community structure and the nitrogen (N) metabolism processes. The influences of rainfall combined with agriculture practices on microbial community structure and soil N metabolism were not well understood. It is important to investigate the combined effects of rainfall and agriculture practices on the soil N metabolism in varied soil layers for better agriculture management. In this paper, the effects of fertilization, cultivation as well as rainfall on N metabolism related microorganisms and key functional genes at various depths in a vegetable field were investigated. Results showed that Soil microbial community structure of 30 cm depth is more sensitive to soil properties change. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB) was promoted (from 0.07% to 1.43%) after fertilization, and cultivation shifted the dominance of NFB from Ensifer to Bacillus in 20–30 cm soil layer. Denitrifier Pseudomonas in 20 cm (from 0.93 to 5.01%) and comammox Nitrospira in 30 cm (from 3.3% to 3.82%) were promoted after rainfall. Soil C/N is a major determinant of soil N metabolism-related microorganisms. Fertilization before rainfall and cultivation at 30 cm is recommended. The findings in this paper could provide the scientific basis for better agriculture management practices.

Changes in microbial metabolic C- and N- limitations in the rhizosphere and bulk soils along afforestation chronosequence in desertified ecosystems

The resource acquisition strategy of soil microorganisms can be reflected by soil extracellular enzyme activity (EEA). However, there are few reports on the application of extracellular enzyme stoichiometry (EES) method to study the difference in microbial metabolic nutrient limitation between rhizosphere and bulk soil. Here, we choose the rhizosphere and bulk soils of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica (P. sylvestris) plantations with five stand ages in the Mu Us sandy land, and analyzed the variation and differences of microbial metabolic limitation between rhizosphere and bulk soils with stand age by EES method. The results showed that the microbial metabolic C-limitation in the rhizosphere and bulk soil gradually increased with stand age. Almost all the vector angles were less than 45°, which indicated that the soil microbial metabolism was relatively limited by N rather than P. Furthermore, the microbial C- and N-limitation in rhizosphere soils were generally stronger than bulk soils. Soil physical properties (59.73%) explained most of the variations in soil EES based on the variation-partitioning analysis, followed by total nutrients (43.00%). The partial least squares path model suggested that the main driving factor for the variation of soil microbial metabolic C-limitation in the rhizosphere and bulk soils was physical properties, while the microbial N-limitation was for total nutrients. In general, the study emphasized the application of EES methods to assess the dynamic equilibrium between soil microbial resource acquisition and nutrient availability in desert ecosystems. These insights provide guidance for formulating afforestation strategies, such as nutrient management of sandy plantations.

Soil Microbial Resource Limitations and Community Assembly Along a Camellia oleifera Plantation Chronosequence.

Understanding soil microbial element limitation and its relation with the microbial community can help in elucidating the soil fertility status and improving nutrient management of planted forest ecosystems. The stand age of a planted forest determines the aboveground forest biomass and structure and underground microbial function and diversity. In this study, we investigated 30 plantations of Camellia oleifera distributed across the subtropical region of China that we classified into four stand ages (planted <9 years, 9–20 years, 21–60 years, and >60 years age). Enzymatic stoichiometry analysis showed that microbial metabolism in the forests was mainly limited by C and P. P limitation significantly decreased and C limitation slightly increased along the stand age gradient. The alpha diversity of the soil microbiota remained steady along stand age, while microbial communities gradually converged from scattered to clustered, which was accompanied by a decrease in network complexity. The soil bacterial community assembly shifted from stochastic to deterministic processes, which probably contributed to a decrease in soil pH along stand age. Our findings emphasize that the stand age regulated the soil microbial metabolism limitation and community assembly, which provides new insight into the improvement of C and P management in subtropical planted forest.

Mechanisms of Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation: Volatile Fatty Acids Reduce Viability of Athelia (Sclerotium) rolfsii Sclerotia in Acidic Soil Conditions and Have Limited Effects on Endemic Trichoderma spp.

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs), such as acetic and n-butyric acid, released during anaerobic decomposition of organic soil amendments during anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) likely play a role in soilborne plant pathogen inoculum suppression. However, research is limited on the direct effects of soil VFA exposure on fungal plant pathogen inoculum, effects on pathogen antagonists such as Trichoderma spp., and the role of soil microbial VFA metabolism on reducing exposure effects. The present study addresses these limitations through a series of studies evaluating the effects of VFA (acetic or n-butyric acid), VFA concentration (4, 8, or 16 mmol/kg soil), soil sterilization by autoclaving, and soil amendment on the viability of Athelia rolfsii (Sclerotium rolfsii) sclerotia post VFA exposure, and soil populations of Trichoderma spp. HCl and water-only controls were included. After 4-days exposure in an acidic, anaerobic environment, sclerotial viability, and colonization by culturable fungi or bacteria were assessed with standard procedures. Greenhouse experiments were similarly conducted to evaluate endemic soil populations of Trichoderma spp. following soil exposure to VFAs and Trichoderma spp. populations assessed with standard soil dilution plating onto semi-selective medium. Sclerotial germination was generally reduced by soil exposure to acetic (35.1% germination) or n-butyric (21.9% germination) acids compared to water (74.3% germination) and HCl (62.7% germination). Germination was reduced as VFA concentration increased from 4 to 8 and 16 mmol/kg (39.5, 29.1, and 16.9%, respectively). In amended soils, there was no difference in sclerotial germination compared to non-amended soils, but in the greenhouse experiment there was a Trichoderma spp. population increase of over 300% in amended soil [3.4 × 106 colony forming units (CFU)/g soil] compared to the non-amended soil (9.6 × 105 CFU/g soil). Soil autoclaving had no effect on sclerotial germination at low VFA concentrations, but sclerotial germination was reduced at higher VFA concentrations compared to non-autoclaved soil. Our results suggest that VFAs contribute to sclerotial mortality in strongly acidic soil environments, and mortality is influenced by VFA components and environment. Antifungal activity is less for acetic acid than for n-butyric, and less in non-sterile soil environments more typical of field conditions than in sterile laboratory conditions.

Responses of microbial function, biomass and heterotrophic respiration, and organic carbon in fir plantation soil to successive nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from forest ecosystems originate largely from soil respiration, and microbial heterotrophic respiration plays a critical role in determining organic carbon (C) stock. This study investigated the impacts of successive nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization after 9years on soil organic C stock; CO2 emission; and microbial biomass, community, and function in a Chinese fir plantation. The annual fertilization rates were (1) CK, control without N or P fertilization; (2) N50, 50kgNha-1; (3) N100, 100kgNha-1; (4) P50, 50kgP ha-1; (5) N50P50, 50kgNha-1 + 50kgPha-1; and (6) N100P50, 100kgNha-1 + 50kgPha-1. The N100P50 treatment had the highest cumulative soil CO2 emissions, but the CK treatment had the lowest cumulative soil CO2 emissions among all treatments. The declines of soil organic C (SOC) after successive 9-year fertilization were in the order of 100kgNha-1year-1 > 50kgNha-1year-1 > CK. Compared to the CK treatment, successive N fertilization significantly changed soil microbial communities at different application rates and increased the relative gene abundances of glycoside hydrolases, glycosyl transferases, carbohydrate-binding modules, and polysaccharide lyases at 100kgNha-1year-1. Relative to P fertilization alone (50kgPha-1year-1), combined N and P fertilization significantly altered the soil microbial community structure and favored more active soil microbial metabolism. Microbial community and metabolism changes caused by N fertilization could have enhanced CO2 emission from heterotrophic respiration and eventually led to the decrease in organic C stock in the forest plantation soil. KEY POINTS: • N fertilization, alone or with P, favored more active microbial metabolism genes. • 100kgNha-1 fertilization significantly changed microbial community and function. • N fertilization led to a "domino effect" on the decrease of soil C stock.