Spatial variability of soil fungal and bacterial abundance: Consequences for carbon turnover along a transition from a forested to clear-cut site

Churchland, Carolyn; Grayston, Susan J.; Bengtson, Per

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.03.015

Cited by 38 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…This finding agrees with previous studies showing that DOC is the primary energy source for microorganisms and affects their activity in the soil [25,27]. Churchland et al [17] also reported that even in disturbed sites, DOC was the main source of C that influenced the composition of the microbial community and soil respiration rates up to ten meters from a forested to clear-cut site. Another study found that the addition of N changed the amount and biodegradability of soil DOC through stimulating microbial metabolic activity and preferentially utilizing organic acids based on Biolog analyses [51].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Linkages between the soil organic matter fractions and the microbial metabolic functional diversity within a broad-leaved Korean pine forest

Tian

McCormack

Wang

et al. 2015

European Journal of Soil Biology

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a b s t r a c tPatterns in the spatial distribution of soil microorganisms and the factors that determine them provide important information about the mechanisms regulating diversity and function of terrestrial ecosystems. The spatial heterogeneity of metabolic functional diversity of soil microorganisms was studied across a 30 Â 40 m plot and at two soil depths (0e10 cm and 10e20 cm) in a natural, mixed broad-leaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) forest soil in the Changbai Mountains. In addition, we assessed the importance of the quantity and quality (indicated by labile soil organic matter fractions) of soil organic matter in smallscale structuring of soil microbial metabolic functional diversity. Microbial metabolic functional diversity was characterized based on the Biolog profile. The results showed that metabolic activity exhibited moderate spatial dependence, while functional diversity had a much stronger spatial dependence. All soil organic matter fractions including total soil organic matter, dissolved organic matter, particulate organic matter explained 15e27% of the variance in microbial functional diversity in the two soil layers. Among all soil organic matter fractions, the labile dissolved organic carbon accounted for the largest amount of variation. Overall, the significant relationship between soil microorganisms and organic matter fractions allows for better understanding the ecological functions governing C cycling and microbial communities in forest ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Linkages between the soil organic matter fractions and the microbial metabolic functional diversity within a broad-leaved Korean pine forest

Tian

McCormack

Wang

et al. 2015

European Journal of Soil Biology

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“…This suggests that in treatments with a reduction in SOC quality (i.e., a lower relative abundance of high-quality C), less C was mineralized without any change in the quality of the C used. This result is consistent with results from previous assessments, which have found similar d 13 C in respired CO 2 in spite of d 13 C differences in substrates respired (Fernandez et al 2003, Churchland et al 2013, and undistinguishable d 13 C in CO 2 produced from different DIRT treatments in short term assessments of fresh soil (Crow et al 2006). Thus we see evidence for a selective microbial use of high-quality components of the SOC, with a resulting respiration dominated by the abundance of high-quality C remaining, as suggested by the stable d 13 C (Fig.…”

Section: Soc Use By Fungal and Bacterial Decomposerssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Thus, after a cycle of microbial use, the C released back to the soil environment as a result of microbial turnover has become enriched in d 13 C (Abraham et al 1998, Cifuentes andSalata 2001). Since microbial derived C is of lower quality compared to plant-derived C (Å gren et al 1996, Schiff et al 1997, Cotrufo et al 2013, the gradual enrichment in d 13 C signal in SOC that develops with each microbial use cycle coincides with a gradual reduction in SOC quality (Churchland et al 2013). Although it is theoretically possible that this relationship can be offset by changes in the composition of compounds that make up the SOC (e.g., an enrichment of lignin) due to compound specific differences in d 13 C signals, the pattern has been found to be robust within and between soils and to overshadow compound specific differences (Sollins et al 2009, Gunina andKuzyakov 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the hypothesis that fungal‐to‐bacterial dominance characterizes turnover of soil organic matter and nutrients

Rousk

Frey

2015

Ecological Monographs

145

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Resolving fungal and bacterial groups within the microbial decomposer community is thought to capture disparate life strategies for soil microbial decomposers, associating bacteria with an r‐selected strategy for carbon (C) and nutrient use, and fungi with a K‐selected strategy. Additionally, food‐web model‐based work has established a widely held belief that the bacterial decomposer pathway in soil supports high turnover rates of easily available substrates, while the slower fungal‐dominated decomposition pathway supports the decomposition of more complex organic material, thus characterizing the biogeochemistry of the ecosystem. We used a field experiment, the Detritus Input and Removal Treatments, or DIRT, experiment (Harvard Forest Long‐Term Ecological Research Site, USA) where litter and root inputs (control, no litter, double litter, or no tree roots) have been experimentally manipulated during 23 years, generating differences in soil C quality. We hypothesized (1) that δ13C enrichment would decrease with higher soil C quality and that a higher C quality would favor bacterial decomposers, (2) that the C mineralized in fungal‐dominated treatments would be of lower quality and also depleted in δ13C relative to bacterial‐dominated high‐quality soil C treatments, and (3) that higher C mineralization along with higher gross N mineralization rates would occur in bacterial‐dominated treatments compared with more fungal‐dominated treatments. The DIRT treatments resulted in a gradient of soil C quality, as shown by up to 4.5‐fold differences between the respiration per soil C between treatments. High‐quality C benefited fungal dominance, in direct contrast with our hypothesis. Further, there was no difference between the δ13CO2 produced by a fungal compared with a bacterial‐dominated decomposer community. There were differences in C and N mineralization between DIRT treatments, but these were not related to the relative dominance of fungal and bacterial decomposers. Thus we find no support for the hypothesized differences between detrital food webs dominated by bacteria compared to those dominated by fungi. Rather, an association between high‐quality soil C and fungi emerges from our results. Consequently there is a need to revise our basic understanding for microbial communities and the processes they regulate in soil.

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“…The differences in the d 13 C derived from the weighted mean of all PLFA attributed to the groups (e.g. bacteria, Gram negative bacteria, Gram positive bacteria, fungi) is also provided in each case from the data provided in this study and Churchland et al (2013). References for this Kramer and Gleixner (2006) 6.4…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…C3/C4 crop change experiments; Kramer and Gleixner 2006; or free-air in situ CO 2 enrichment (FACE) experiments; Billings and Ziegler 2008;Streit et al 2014). Consequently, few studies have investigated the natural variations of d 13 C PLFA to assess potential variation in microbial d 13 C (Baum et al 2009;Cusack et al 2011;Churchland et al 2013). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinct fungal and bacterial δ13C signatures as potential drivers of increasing δ13C of soil organic matter with depth

et al. 2015

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Spatial variability of soil fungal and bacterial abundance: Consequences for carbon turnover along a transition from a forested to clear-cut site

Cited by 38 publications

References 60 publications

Linkages between the soil organic matter fractions and the microbial metabolic functional diversity within a broad-leaved Korean pine forest

Linkages between the soil organic matter fractions and the microbial metabolic functional diversity within a broad-leaved Korean pine forest

Revisiting the hypothesis that fungal‐to‐bacterial dominance characterizes turnover of soil organic matter and nutrients

Distinct fungal and bacterial δ13C signatures as potential drivers of increasing δ13C of soil organic matter with depth

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