Response of soil microbial biomass, activities, and community structure at a pine stand in northeastern Germany 5 years after thinning

A thinned and an unthinned treatment were compared in a 62-year-old pine stand located in northeastern Germany (Brandenburg, Ost-Prignitz, Revier Beerenbusch) (year of thinning: 1999, degree of canopy opening: 0.4). Samples of the organic layer (O) and the mineral horizon (Aeh) of an acid brown earth were collected along a transect at each treatment in November 2003 and April 2004. Substrate induced respiration, basal respiration, and a suite of enzymes involved in the degradation of lignocellulose (endocellulase, exocellulase, β-glucosidase, endoxylanase, exoxylanase, phenoloxidase, peroxidase) were assayed. Microbial community structure and relative biomass of bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi were assayed by phospholipid fatty acid analysis. Five years after thinning, microbial biomass, basal respiration, and enzyme activities in both soil layers did not differ significantly between thinned and unthinned treatments. However, the analysis of soil microbial community structure revealed a significant difference between the thinned and unthinned treatment at both sampling dates. Thus, it was concluded that thinning had not yet resulted in any response in soil microbial activities at the site under study, but since early evidence of change in the microbial community was detected, long-term monitoring and additional studies on mineralization activities are required.

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Microbial biomass and community structure changes along a soil development chronosequence near Lake Wellman, southern Victoria Land

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102011000873 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 154-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jackie Aislabie ◽

James Bockheim ◽

Malcolm Mcleod ◽

David Hunter ◽

Bryan Stevenson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Biomass ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Microbial Community Structure ◽

Soil Development ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽

Soil Microbial

AbstractFour pedons on each of four drift sheets in the Lake Wellman area of the Darwin Mountains were sampled for chemical and microbial analyses. The four drifts, Hatherton, Britannia, Danum, and Isca, ranged from early Holocene (10 ka) to mid-Quaternary (c. 900 ka). The soil properties of weathering stage, salt stage, and depths of staining, visible salts, ghosts, and coherence increase with drift age. The landforms contain primarily high-centred polygons with windblown snow in the troughs. The soils are dominantly complexes of Typic Haplorthels and Typic Haploturbels. The soils were dry and alkaline with low levels of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Electrical conductivity was high accompanied by high levels of water soluble anions and cations (especially calcium and sulphate in older soils). Soil microbial biomass, measured as phospholipid fatty acids, and numbers of culturable heterotrophic microbes, were low, with highest levels detected in less developed soils from the Hatherton drift. The microbial community structure of the Hatherton soil also differed from that of the Britannia, Danum and Isca soils. Ordination revealed the soil microbial community structure was influenced by soil development and organic carbon.

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Assessing effects of forest management on microbial community structure in a central European beech forest

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x06-154 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 36 (10) ◽

pp. 2595-2604 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Susan J Grayston ◽

Heinz Rennenberg

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Biomass ◽

Microbial Community Structure ◽

European Beech ◽

Beech Forest ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

And Function

This study aimed to characterize the effects of forest management on soil microbial community structure and function in a European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest. We used community level physiological profiles, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles, microbial biomass, culturing, and respiration approaches to quantify soil microbial community structure and activity at two sites in a naturally regenerated beech forest subjected to intermediate and heavy thinning and control (unthinned) in southern Germany. PLFA showed that the northeast-facing (NE) site contained significantly greater bacterial and fungal biomass than the southwest-facing (SW) site. Heavy thinning (tree basal area reduction from 27 to 10 m2·ha–1) significantly reduced microbial biomass in the NE site, measured using fumigation–extraction, but both bacterial and fungal biomass increased with thinning on the SW site. Soil microbial activity was significantly higher in the control plots of the NE compared with the SW site and was significantly reduced by heavy thinning, again only on the NE site. Our findings are consistent with our initial hypotheses that contrasting N uptake by beech on these two sites after thinning may relate to differences in the soil microbial biomass, population structure and function on the two sites.

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Microbial regulation of soil carbon properties under nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7343 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7343

Author(s):

Ran Wu ◽

Xiaoqin Cheng ◽

Wensong Zhou ◽

Hairong Han

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Biomass ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Microbial Community Structure ◽

Soil Microbial Community ◽

Soil Microbial Communities ◽

Nitrogen Addition ◽

Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽

Soil Microbial

Background Soil microbial communities and their associated enzyme activities play key roles in carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil microbial communities are sensitive to resource availability, but the mechanisms of microbial regulation have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we tested the mechanistic relationships between microbial responses and multiple interacting resources. Methods We examined soil carbon properties, soil microbial community structure and carbon-related functions under nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal (litter removal (NL), root trench and litter removal (NRL)) in a pure Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in northern China. Results We found that nitrogen addition affected the soil microbial community structure, and that microbial biomass increased significantly once 100 kg ha−1 a−1 of nitrogen was added. The interactions between nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal significantly affected soil bacteria and their enzymatic activities (oxidases). The NL treatment enhanced soil microbial biomass under nitrogen addition. We also found that the biomass of gram-negative bacteria and saprotrophic fungi directly affected the soil microbial functions related to carbon turnover. The biomass of gram-negative bacteria and peroxidase activity were key factors controlling soil carbon dynamics. The interactions between nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal strengthened the correlation between the hydrolases and soil carbon. Conclusions This study showed that nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal could alter soil enzyme activities and further affect soil carbon turnover via microbial regulation. The increase in soil microbial biomass and the microbial regulation of soil carbon both need to be considered when developing effective sustainable forest management practices for northern China. Moreover, further studies are also needed to exactly understand how the complex interaction between the plant and below-ground processes affects the soil microbial community structure.

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