scholarly journals Biochar affects the structure rather than the total biomass of microbial communities in temperate soils

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Anders ◽  
Andrea Watzinger ◽  
Franziska Rempt ◽  
Barbara Kitzler ◽  
Bernhard Wimmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Greenhouse Experiment ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Temperate Soils

Biochar application is a promising strategy for sequestering carbon in agricultural soils and for improving degraded soils. Nonetheless, contradictory and unsettled issues remain. This study investigates whether biochar influences the soil microbial biomass and community structure using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. We monitored the effects of four different types of biochar on the soil microbial communities in three temperate soils of Austria over several months. A greenhouse experiment and two field experiments were conducted. The biochar application did not significantly increase or decrease the microbial biomass. Only the addition of vineyard pruning biochar pyrolysed at 400°C caused microbial biomass to increase in the greenhouse experiment. The biochar treatments however caused shifts in microbial communities (visualized by principal component analysis). We concluded that the shifts in the microbial community structure are an indirect rather than a direct effect and depend on soil conditions and nutrient status.

scholarly journals Soil microbial communities following bush removal in a Namibian savanna

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1393-1418
Author(s):  
J. S. Buyer ◽  
A. Schmidt-Küntzel ◽  
M. Nghikembua ◽  
J. E. Maul ◽  
L. Marker
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Polymorphism Analysis ◽  
Soil Microbial

Abstract. Savanna ecosystems are subject to desertification and bush encroachment, which reduce the carrying capacity for wildlife and livestock. Bush thinning is a management approach that can, at least temporarily, restore grasslands and raise the grazing value of the land. In this study we examined the soil microbial communities under bush and grass in Namibia. We analyzed the soil through a chronosequence where bush was thinned at 9, 5, or 3 years before sampling. Soil microbial biomass, the biomass of specific taxonomic groups, and overall microbial community structure was determined by phospholipid fatty acid analysis, while the community structure of Bacteria, Archaea, and fungi was determined by multiplex terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Soil under bush had higher pH, C, N, and microbial biomass than under grass, and the microbial community structure was also altered under bush compared to grass. A major disturbance to the ecosystem, bush thinning, resulted in an altered microbial community structure compared to control plots, but the magnitude of this perturbation gradually declined with time. Community structure was primarily driven by pH, C, and N, while vegetation type, bush thinning, and time since bush thinning were of secondary importance.

scholarly journals Soil microbial communities following bush removal in a Namibian savanna

SOIL ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Buyer ◽  
Anne Schmidt-Küntzel ◽  
Matti Nghikembua ◽  
Jude E. Maul ◽  
Laurie Marker
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Polymorphism Analysis ◽  
Soil Microbial

Abstract. Savanna ecosystems are subject to desertification and bush encroachment, which reduce the carrying capacity for wildlife and livestock. Bush thinning is a management approach that can, at least temporarily, restore grasslands and raise the grazing value of the land. In this study we examined the soil microbial communities under bush and grass in Namibia. We analyzed the soil through a chronosequence where bush was thinned at 9, 5, or 3 years before sampling. Soil microbial biomass, the biomass of specific taxonomic groups, and overall microbial community structure was determined by phospholipid fatty acid analysis, while the community structure of Bacteria, Archaea, and fungi was determined by multiplex terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Soil under bush had higher pH, C, N, and microbial biomass than under grass, and the microbial community structure was also altered under bush compared to grass. A major disturbance to the ecosystem, bush thinning, resulted in an altered microbial community structure compared to control plots, but the magnitude of this perturbation gradually declined with time. Community structure was primarily driven by pH, C, and N, while vegetation type, bush thinning, and time since bush thinning were of secondary importance.

Soil microbial biomass and diversity after herbicide application

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 677-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Z. Lupwayi ◽  
K. N. Harker ◽  
G. W. Clayton ◽  
T. K. Turkington ◽  
W. A. Rice ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Bacterial Diversity ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Greenhouse Experiment ◽  
Glufosinate Ammonium ◽  
Chernozemic Soil ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Microbial C

Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of herbicides on soil microbial C (microbial biomass), bacterial diversity and community structure. In the first greenhouse experiment, 12 herbicides were applied at recommended rates to a Gray Luvisolic soil contained in trays. Soil samples were collected 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 wk after treatment and analysed for microbial C and bacterial diversity. The second greenhouse experiment was similar to the first, but only 6 of the 12 herbicides were applied to a Gray Luvisolic and Black Chernozemic soil. The same six herbicides were applied to the Gray Luvisolic soil at a field site near Fort Vermilion, Alberta, and to the Black Chernozemic soil at Lacombe, Alberta, in 2000. In the first greenhouse experiment, metribuzin, imazamox/imazethapyr, triasulfuron and metsulfuron methyl reduced microbial C compared with glufosinate ammonium and sethoxydim. In the second greenhouse experiment, microbial diversity as determined by Shannon index was lower after application of metribuzin, imazamox/imazethapyr and glufosinate ammonium than after application of glyphosate, but none of the herbicides altered microbial diversity relative to the control treatment. In the field experiments, herbicides had no effect on microbial C or diversity. In all experiments, examination of microbial community structure revealed herbicide-induced shifts in microbial composition even when diversity indices among treatments were not different. It was concluded that herbicides applied once at recommended rates did not have significant or consistent effects on microbial C or diversity. Key words: Environmental sustainability, substrate utilization, biological soil quality, community-level physiological profiles (CLPP)

scholarly journals Soil microbial communities in the face of changing farming practices: A case study in an agricultural landscape in France

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252216
Author(s):  
Laurie Dunn ◽  
Christophe Lang ◽  
Nicolas Marilleau ◽  
Sébastien Terrat ◽  
Luc Biju-Duval ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Soil Microorganisms ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Bacterial Richness ◽  
Over Time

According to biogeography studies, the abundance and richness of soil microorganisms vary across multiple spatial scales according to soil properties and farming practices. However, soil microorganisms also exhibit poorly understood temporal variations. This study aimed at better understanding how soil microbial communities respond to changes in farming practices at a landscape scale over time. A regular grid of 269 sites was set up across a 1,200 ha farming landscape, and soil samples were characterized for their molecular microbial biomass and bacterial richness at two dates (2011 and 2016). A mapping approach highlighted that spatial microbial patterns were stable over time, while abundance and richness levels were modified. The drivers of these changes were investigated though a PLS-PM (partial least square path-modeling) approach. Soil properties were stable over time, but farming practices changed. Molecular microbial biomass was mainly driven by soil resources, whereas bacterial richness depended on both farming practices and ecological parameters. Previous-crop and management effects and a temporal dependence of the microbial community on the historical farming management were also highlighted.

scholarly journals Intercropping with Potato-Onion Enhanced the Soil Microbial Diversity of Tomato

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 834
Author(s):  
Naihui Li ◽  
Danmei Gao ◽  
Xingang Zhou ◽  
Shaocan Chen ◽  
Chunxia Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Bacterial Community ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Tomato Seedling ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Potato Onion

Intercropping can achieve sustainable agricultural development by increasing plant diversity. In this study, we investigated the effects of tomato monoculture and tomato/potato-onion intercropping systems on tomato seedling growth and changes of soil microbial communities in greenhouse conditions. Results showed that the intercropping with potato-onion increased tomato seedling biomass. Compared with monoculture system, the alpha diversity of soil bacterial and fungal communities, beta diversity and abundance of bacterial community were increased in the intercropping system. Nevertheless, the beta-diversity and abundance of fungal community had no difference between the intercropping and monoculture systems. The relative abundances of some taxa (i.e., Acidobacteria-Subgroup-6, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Pseudomonas) and several OTUs with the potential to promote plant growth were increased, while the relative abundances of some potential plant pathogens (i.e., Cladosporium) were decreased in the intercropping system. Redundancy analysis indicated that bacterial community structure was significantly influenced by soil organic carbon and pH, the fungal community structure was related to changes in soil organic carbon and available phosphorus. Overall, our results suggested that the tomato/potato-onion intercropping system altered soil microbial communities and improved the soil environment, which may be the main factor in promoting tomato growth.

scholarly journals Effects of Wildfire and Harvest Disturbances on Forest Soil Bacterial Communities

2007 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 216-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy R. Smith ◽  
Barbara E. Kishchuk ◽  
William W. Mohn
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Bacterial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Microbial Biomass Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Microbial

ABSTRACT Wildfires and harvesting are important disturbances to forest ecosystems, but their effects on soil microbial communities are not well characterized and have not previously been compared directly. This study was conducted at sites with similar soil, climatic, and other properties in a spruce-dominated boreal forest near Chisholm, Alberta, Canada. Soil microbial communities were assessed following four treatments: control, harvest, burn, and burn plus timber salvage (burn-salvage). Burn treatments were at sites affected by a large wildfire in May 2001, and the communities were sampled 1 year after the fire. Microbial biomass carbon decreased 18%, 74%, and 53% in the harvest, burn, and burn-salvage treatments, respectively. Microbial biomass nitrogen decreased 25% in the harvest treatment, but increased in the burn treatments, probably because of microbial assimilation of the increased amounts of available NH4 + and NO3 − due to burning. Bacterial community composition was analyzed by nonparametric ordination of molecular fingerprint data of 119 samples from both ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA) and rRNA gene denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. On the basis of multiresponse permutation procedures, community composition was significantly different among all treatments, with the greatest differences between the two burned treatments versus the two unburned treatments. The sequencing of DNA bands from RISA fingerprints revealed distinct distributions of bacterial divisions among the treatments. Gamma- and Alphaproteobacteria were highly characteristic of the unburned treatments, while Betaproteobacteria and members of Bacillus were highly characteristic of the burned treatments. Wildfire had distinct and more pronounced effects on the soil microbial community than did harvesting.

scholarly journals The impact of stand age and fertilization on the soil microbiome of Miscanthus × giganteus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanying Ma ◽  
Fernando Igne Rocha ◽  
Jaejin Lee ◽  
Jinlyung Choi ◽  
Mauricio Tejera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
N Fertilizer ◽  
Soil Microbiome ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Miscanthus Giganteus

Yield of the perennial grass Miscanthus × giganteus has shown an inconsistent and unpredictable response to nitrogen (N) fertilizer, yet fertilization underpins the crop’s environmental and economic sustainability. The interactions among soil microbial communities, N availability, and M. × giganteus and management may explain changes in plant productivity. In this study, soil samples from different stand ages of M. × giganteus in a replicated chronosequence field trial were used to investigate the effects of stand age and N fertilizer rates on microbial community structure. We hypothesized that there is a definable M. × giganteus soil microbiome and that this community varies significantly with stand age and fertilization. Our results showed that the main phyla in soil microbial communities, regardless of plant age, are similar but microbial community structures are significantly different. The variation in observed microbial communities generally decreases in older stand ages. The amount of N fertilizer applied also affected the microbial community structure associated with different aged M. × giganteus. Specifically, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria) and Acidobacteria (Subgroup Gp1) increased shortly after fertilization and were more associated with younger M. × giganteus. Further, our results show a significant relationship between bacterial alpha diversity and fertilization rates and that this response is also impacted by stand age. Overall, our results emphasize linkages between microbial community structure, plant age, and fertilization in M. × giganteus.

scholarly journals Development of soil microbial communities for promoting sustainability in agriculture and a global carbon fix

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Johnson ◽  
Joe Ellington ◽  
Wesley Eaton
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Total System ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Respiration Rates ◽  
Agriculture Management

The goals of this research were to explore alternative agriculture management practices in both greenhouse and field trials that do not require the use of synthetic and/or inorganic nutrient amendments but instead would emulate mechanisms operating in natural ecosystems, between plant and Soil Microbial Communities (SMC), for plant nutrient acquisition and growth. Greenhouse plant-growth trials, implementing a progression of soil conditions with increasing soil carbon (C) (C= 0.14% to 5.3%) and associated SMC population with increasing Fungal to Bacterial ratios (F:B) ( from 0.04 to 3.68), promoted a) increased C partitioning into plant shoot and plant fruit partitions (m=4.41, r2=0.99), b) significant quantities of plant photosynthate, 49%-97% of Total System New C (CTSN), partitioned towards increasing soil C c) four times reduction in soil C respiration (CR) as F:B ratios increased, starting with 44% of initial treatment soil C content respired in bacterial-dominant soils (low F:B), to 11% of soil C content respired in higher fertility fungal-dominant soils (Power Regression, r2=0.90; p=0.003). Plant growth trials in fields managed for increased soil C content and enhanced SMC population and structure (increased F:B) demonstrated: a) dry aboveground biomass production rates (g m-2) of ~1,980 g in soils initiating SMC enhancement (soil C=0.87, F:B= 0.80) with observed potentials of 8,450 g in advanced soils (soil C=7.6%, F:B=4.3) b) a 25-times increase in active soil fungal biomass and a ~7.5 times increase in F:B over a 19 month application period to enhance SMC and c) reduced soil C respiration rates, from 1.25 g C m-2 day-1 in low fertility soils (soil C= 0.6%, F:B= 0.25) with only a doubling of respiration rates to 2.5 g C m-2 day-1 in a high-fertility soil with an enhanced SMC (F:B= 4.3) and >7 times more soil C content (soil C= 7.6%). Enhancing SMC population and F:B structure in a 4.5 year agricultural field study promoted annual average capture and storage of 10.27 metric tons soil C ha-1 year -1 while increasing soil macro-, meso- and micro-nutrient availability offering a robust, cost-effective carbon sequestration mechanism within a more productive and long-term sustainable agriculture management approach.

scholarly journals Ester Linked Fatty Acid (ELFA) method should be used with caution for interpretating soil microbial communities and their relationships with environmental variables in forest soils

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251501
Author(s):  
Wenjuan Yu ◽  
Huanhuan Gao ◽  
Hongzhang Kang
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Forest Soils ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Forest Sites

As an alternative for phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, a simpler ester linked fatty acid (ELFA) analysis has been developed to characterize soil microbial communities. However, few studies have compared the two methods in forest soils where the contribution of nonmicrobial sources may be larger than that of microbial sources. Moreover, it remains unclear whether the two methods yield similar relationships of microbial biomass and composition with environmental variables. Here, we compared PLFA and ELFA methods with respect to microbial biomass and composition and their relationships with environmental variables in six oriental oak (Quercus variabilis) forest sites along a 1500-km latitudinal gradient in East China. We found that both methods had a low sample-to-sample variability and successfully separated overall community composition of sites. However, total, bacterial, and fungal biomass, the fungal-to-bacterial ratio, and the gram-positive to gram-negative bacteria ratio were not significantly or strongly correlated between the two methods. The relationships of these microbial properties with environmental variables (pH, precipitation, and clay) greatly differed between the two methods. Our study indicates that despite its simplicity, the ELFA method may not be as feasible as the PLFA method for investigating microbial biomass and composition and for identifying their dominant environmental drivers, at least in forest soils.

scholarly journals Management and Soil Conditions Influence Common Scab Severity on Potato Tubers Via Indirect Effects on Soil Microbial Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 1049-1055
Author(s):  
Emily W. Lankau ◽  
Dianne Xue ◽  
Rachel Christensen ◽  
Amanda J. Gevens ◽  
Richard A. Lankau
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Common Scab ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Potato Market ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Soil Bacterial

Common scab, caused by Streptomyces scabies and related species, is a potato tuber blemish disease that causes reductions in marketable yield worldwide. Evidence of suppression of common scab by indigenous soil microbial populations has been found in several studies. However, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how common scab severity relates functionally to potato varieties, farming systems, soil physical and chemical properties, and soil microbial communities. These factors may affect disease directly or indirectly by affecting one of the other variables. We performed a survey of 30 sampling locations across 12 fields in Wisconsin and used structural equation modeling to disentangle the direct effects of potato market classes, farm management (conventional versus organic), and soil physiochemical properties on common scab severity from their indirect effects mediated through soil bacterial and fungal communities. We found that, although potato market classes affected disease severity directly, the effects of farm management and soil physiochemistry were best explained as indirect, mediated by their impacts on soil bacterial communities. This suggests that evaluating the consequences of specific management practices for soil microbial communities may be useful for understanding disease pressure across fields.

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