Microbial biomass dynamics in recently air-dried and rewetted soils compared to others stored air-dry for up to 103 years

Nobili, Maria De; Contin, Marco; Brookes, Philip C.

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.04.044

Cited by 72 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…It has long been recognized that rewetting a dry soil causes a pulse of respiration -the 'Birch Effect' (Birch, 1958). More than twice as much CO 2 -C was evolved from the long-term stored soils than from the freshly sampled ones (De Nobili et al, 2006 et al (2013) studied CO 2 production during sequential dry/wet cycles at laboratory incubation. Following rewetting, the very dry and moderately dry soils produced a shortterm C mineralization flush that was, on average, 30% and 15% greater, respectively, than in wet (field capacity) soils.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Long Storage and Soil Type on the Actual Denitrification and Denitrification Capacity to N2O Formation

Włodarczyk¹,

Szarlip²,

Kozieł³

et al. 2014

International Agrophysics

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A b s t r a c t. The actual denitrification to N 2 O and denitrification capacity to N 2 O after flooding of different soil samples stored for over 25 years in air-dry conditions and fresh, air dried samples were compared in our study. Zero N 2 O release was observed from the stored soils but the fresh soil samples had very low actual denitrification to N 2 O. NO 3 -addition significantly increased the amount of N 2 O (denitrification capacity to N 2 O) released after flooding, which depended on the length of storage and type of soils and was much higher in stored soils. Prolonged exposure of the soils to drought conditions caused a greater decrease in the Eh value compared with the fresh soil. The total cumulative release of N 2 O from the stored and fresh soils was correlated with the reduced NO 3 -and organic C content in soils enriched with NO 3 -. Some soils showed the capability of N 2 O consumption. CO 2 release depended on the length of storage and type of soils under flooding after prolonged drought. On average, CO 2 release was higher from the stored rather than fresh soils. The organic C content in the stored soils was generally lower than in the fresh soils, probably due to the storage effect. The cumulative CO 2 release from the stored soils was well correlated with the organic C while no correlation was observed for the fresh soil samples.K e y w o r d s: actual denitrification to N 2 O, denitrification capacity to N 2 O, long-and very short-storage time, soil respiration, archived soil INTRODUCTIONBiological activity in soil can be represented by several different parameters such as respiration, enzyme activity, ammonification, nitrification, denitrification, and emission of gaseous metabolites as well as oxidation-reduction processes (Bieganowski et al., 2013;W³odarczyk et al., 2011).Soils are subjected to temporal variations in temperature and moisture that can cause changes in physicochemical properties. Soil dry/wet cycles result from natural variations in soil moisture driven by environmental and biophysical processes such as precipitation, evapotranspiration, and drainage. Management factors such as irrigation, tillage and land cover (ie. vegetation type) can moderate or accentuate the amplitude of these natural cycles (Oliveira et al., 2005).Under in situ conditions, denitrification rates depend on oxygen availability, soil moisture, soil type, pH, NO 3 -concentration, but also on the availability of labile carbon compounds in soil (Burford and Bremner, 1975; Senbayram et al., 2009). Nitrate (NO 3 -) is a key node in the network of the assimilatory and respiratory nitrogen pathways. For bacteria, it is both a nitrogen source and an electron acceptor (Hayatsu et al., 2008). In agriculture and wastewater treatment, NO 3 -respiration by microorganisms is an important process in respect to economics, greenhouse gas emission, and public health. Several microbial processes compete for NO

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Long Storage and Soil Type on the Actual Denitrification and Denitrification Capacity to N2O Formation

Włodarczyk¹,

Szarlip²,

Kozieł³

et al. 2014

International Agrophysics

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“…Resistance and resilience of soil microbial biomass to the frequent and diffuse phenomena of soil drying and rewetting is another example of its peculiar functioning. According to De Nobili et al (2006), varying amounts of ATP can be extracted from recently air-dried soil samples, ranging from about 4.0 to 0.20 nmol ATP g -1 soil, corresponding to about 10 to 35% of the initial soil ATP concentration before drying (Figure 2a). Proportionately much more ATP remains in soils rich in organic C. Two days after rewetting, soil ATP recovers to between 60-80% of the original amount (Figure 2b).…”

Section: Resistance and Resilience Of Soil Microbial Biomass To Dryinmentioning

confidence: 99%

The complexity of soil biological sustainability

Nobili¹,

Brookes²,

Sánchez-Monedero³

et al. 2016

Acta Hortic.

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Additions of organic amendments to soil not only compensate for decreased soil C, but also contribute to energy requirements for conserving biological activity levels. The soil microbial biomass displays some highly conserved, and possibly unique, characteristics that do not permit a classic interpretation of microbial metabolic parameter data. The resilience of soil microbial biomass and the role of soil organic matter in sustaining microbial biomass under practically zero C inputs were assessed in two long term incubation experiments using soils from the Broadbalk experiment at Rothamsted (UK). Soils with low organic C contents, showed the greatest decline in biomass C during the first 30 d of incubation. The ATP concentration of this rapidly declining microbial biomass did not change during the prolonged incubation period, confirming this peculiar character of the soil microbial biomass. Specific respiration rate did not depend upon substrate availability, being higher in soils that had received the lowest C inputs. Qualitative and quantitative changes observed in humic fractions suggest that humified soil organic matter is a much more dynamic soil fraction than is normally considered and provides a utilizable energy reserve for soil microorganisms. Carbon levels can be successfully restored in soils through practices such as incorporation of crop residues, re-vegetation and application of manures, biosolids and composts. Some amendments, such as olive mill waste compost, promote incorporation of altered lignin structures, N-containing compounds and carbohydrates into humic acids. The mineral-bound fraction of humic C also increases, after their addition, and contributes to the accumulation of the most inert soil C pools.

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“…The reason seems to be related with the fact that a new environment (temperature, humidity, etc.) is created when soil samples are collected and stored (Mondini et al, 2002;De Nobili et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Aeration or drying is a very common practice for soil storage although is it not recommended when making biochemical and microbiological studies since drying destroys an important part of the microbial population (Mondini et al, 2002;De Nobili et al, 2006). Moreover, air drying alters soil metabolism considerably being the decrease in soil microbial biomass much less marked in soils dried at 10°C, than those dried at 25°C (Shen et al, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the soil storage method on soil enzymatic activities

et al. 2011

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Soil storage method may alter enzymatic activity being storage conditions of the soil samples prior to analysis decisive for the results. Studies made on freshly collected soils are generally preferred. However it is always not possible due to practical reasons since for example sampling is often restricted to short period of the year or because a great quantity of microbiological analyses must be made on time and by few people. On this context, soil storage methods are needed, being cold at 4°C the most widely used although sometimes alternative storage methods are also utilized. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of two alternative storage methods of soil samples (freezing at -20°C and air drying conservation methods) in comparison to cold at 4°C on the enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, phosphatase, β-glucosidase and urease soil enzymes). Samples of two forest ecosystems (pine and holm oak forest stand) were taken in two different season of the year (winter and spring 2009). Results showed that enzymatic activities differed when freezing or air drying conservation methods were used in comparison with cold soil samples. Generally, alternative soil storage methods presented lower enzymatic activity than cold at 4°C. However, these changes depend on season and sampling location.Key words: soil enzyme; soil storage technique; soil conservation; enzymatic analysis. Resumen Influencia de los métodos de conservación en las actividades enzimáticas de suelos forestales mediterráneosEl método de conservación del suelo utilizado puede alterar la actividad enzimática, siendo decisivas para los resultados, las condiciones de conservación previas a los análisis. Para los estudios es preferible realizar los aná-lisis en muestras frescas y recién cogidas. Sin embargo, esto no es siempre posible por razones prácticas ya que las muestras se tienen que recoger en un corto periodo del año o porque los análisis los debe hacer poca gente y siempre en un determinado tiempo. En este contexto, se necesita un método de conservación, siendo el mantenimiento en el frigorífico a 4°C el método más usado, aunque existen otros métodos alternativos. El objetivo de este trabajo es el de evaluar el efecto de dos métodos alternativos de conservación (congelado a -20°C y secado a temperatura ambiente) sobre las actividades enzimáticas (deshidrogenasa, fosfatasa, β-glucosidasa y ureasa), en comparación con el mantenido en el frigorífico a 4°C. Las muestras se obtuvieron de dos zonas forestales diferentes (pinar y encinar) y en dos épocas distintas (primavera y verano de 2009). Los resultados mostraron diferencias en las actividades enzimáticas cuando se usó el congelado o secado al aire de las muestras de suelo en comparación con el mantenimiento en el frigorífico. De forma general, los métodos de conservación alternativos mostraron una menor actividad enzimática en las muestras de suelo analizadas. Sin embargo, estos cambios dependen de la época del año y la zona de muestreo.Palabras clave: enzima del suelo; técnica de alm...

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Microbial biomass dynamics in recently air-dried and rewetted soils compared to others stored air-dry for up to 103 years

Cited by 72 publications

References 37 publications

Effect of Long Storage and Soil Type on the Actual Denitrification and Denitrification Capacity to N2O Formation

Effect of Long Storage and Soil Type on the Actual Denitrification and Denitrification Capacity to N2O Formation

The complexity of soil biological sustainability

Influence of the soil storage method on soil enzymatic activities

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