Soil microbial properties under different vegetation types on Mountain Han
Wang M, Qu L Y, Ma K M, et al. Soil microbial properties under different vegetation types on Mountain Han. Sci China Life Sci
Soil microbial properties under different vegetation types on Mountain Han
WANG Miao 0 1
QU LaiYe 1
MA KeMing 1
YUAN Xiu 1
0 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100039 , China
1 State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100085 , China
This study investigated the influence of broadleaf and conifer vegetation on soil microbial communities in a distinct vertical distribution belt in Northeast China. Soil samples were taken at 0-5, 5-10 and 10-20 cm depths from four vegetation types at different altitudes, which were characterized by poplar (Populus davidiana) (1250-1300 m), poplar (P. davidiana) mixed with birch (Betula platyphylla) (1370-1550 m), birch (B. platyphylla) (1550-1720 m), and larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii) (1840-1890 m). Microbial biomass and community structure were determined using the fumigation-extraction method and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, and soil fungal community level physiological profiles (CLPP) were characterized using Biolog FF Microplates. It was found that soil properties, especially soil organic carbon and water content, contributed significantly to the variations in soil microbes. With increasing soil depth, the soil microbial biomass, fungal biomass, and fungal catabolic ability diminished; however, the ratio of fungi to bacteria increased. The fungal ratio was higher under larch forests compared to that under poplar, birch, and their mixed forests, although the soil microbial biomass was lower. The direct contribution of vegetation types to the soil microbial community variation was 12%. If the indirect contribution through soil organic carbon was included, variations in the vegetation type had substantial influences on soil microbial composition and diversity.
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The microbial community mediates decomposition
processes, regulates nutrient cycling, and influences soil
functional diversity, and it potentially represents a mechanistic
link between plant and ecosystem functions [1,2]. Currently,
there is considerable interest in understanding the driving
forces of the relationship between the soil microbial
community and plant community [3]. The effects of
aboveground plants on microbial parameters, including microbial
community structure and function, i.e., catabolic capacity,
have been studied [2,4,5]. However, the results of the
studies are insufficient. Some studies [2,6] found a significant
effect of plant diversity on soil microbial biomass and
community structure while others did not find any
discernible effect of plant diversity on these microbial properties
[4,5]. Since plants have broad variations in their natural
history and physiology [7], it is likely that differences in
plant species create distinctive soil environments and biotic
communities [8]. For example, broadleaf and conifer
vegetation differ in their biochemical composition. Changes in plant
species could alter the production and the composition of
organic compounds in detritus, and thus alter the composition
and function of heterotrophic microbial communities [2,9].
© The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Previous studies suggest that the differences in
heterotrophic microbial community structure and function in
forest soil are mainly linked with the quality of soil organic
matter [10–12]. The usability and biochemical composition
of litterfall from dominant species affect soil organic matter
to a large extent [13,14]. Zak et al. [15] indicated that
microbial biomass and labile organic matter pools changed
predictably across broad gradients of aboveground net
primary production (NPP), supporting the idea that microbial
growth in soil was constrained by C availability. Vegetation
community composition, which is influenced by
environmental forces, influence soil organisms in underground
communities through litterfall and exudates [16].
Furthermore, biotic and environmental forces, which drive the
activity, structure, and diversity of soil microbial communities,
are controlled by many factors including plant species [17]
and edaphic conditions [18,19]. Staddon et al. [20] studied
the differences in soil microbes along a climate gradient,
and suggested that microbial community structure [21] and
catabolic diversity [22] were related to the change in
temperature and moisture along the altitudinal gradient. Factors
which represent nutrition utility such as C/N ratio [19] and
available nitrogen [12], are regarded as the main
determinants of soil microbial community structure. White et al.
[23] maintained that pH was the most important factor
impacting soil microbial community function in coniferous
forests. There is a strong relationship between pH and
abundance of soil PLFAs [18,24,25]. The coherent
variability of (...truncated)