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Comparison of fertility and seasonal effects on grassland microbial communities

Birgander, Johanna LU ; Rousk, Johannes LU and Olsson, Pål Axel LU (2014) In Soil Biology & Biochemistry 76. p.80-89
Abstract
The activity of saprotrophic fungi and bacteria, and the balance between them, can affect decomposition. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are also important for the nutrient and energy transfer in soil. Microbial community composition and activity are believed to have seasonal patterns, and are known to be highly influenced by environmental factors such as pH and nutrient conditions. To evaluate the importance of season for the variation in microbial decomposer community in a context of well-known environmental factor variation, we studied microbial growth, biomass and community structure along a fertility gradient (pH 5.9-8.1; NH4-N 3-19 mu g g(-1) soil, f.w.) in a sandy grassland during one year. The microbial community structure... (More)
The activity of saprotrophic fungi and bacteria, and the balance between them, can affect decomposition. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are also important for the nutrient and energy transfer in soil. Microbial community composition and activity are believed to have seasonal patterns, and are known to be highly influenced by environmental factors such as pH and nutrient conditions. To evaluate the importance of season for the variation in microbial decomposer community in a context of well-known environmental factor variation, we studied microbial growth, biomass and community structure along a fertility gradient (pH 5.9-8.1; NH4-N 3-19 mu g g(-1) soil, f.w.) in a sandy grassland during one year. The microbial community structure (phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) composition) and biomass (PLFA and neutral lipid fatty acid (NLFA) signatures) as well as fungal (acetate incorporation in ergosterol) and bacterial (leucine incorporation) growth rates were investigated at eight seasonal time points during one year. The environmental factors pH and NH4 concentrations explained a larger share of the variation in the microbial community structure. Together they explained 37% of the variation, while season (proxied by temperature) only explained 6% of the variation in PLFA composition. Bacterial and fungal biomass were both highest in early spring, while AM fungal biomass peaked in early summer. Bacterial growth rate, on the other hand, was highest during the autumn, while fungal growth rate showed no clear seasonal pattern. In conclusion, the influence of seasonal variation on microbial communities proved to be relatively small compared to that which could be assigned to pH and NH4 in the studied ranges. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
PLFA/NLFA, Microbial community composition, Bacterial growth, Fungal, growth, Temperate grassland soil, Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
in
Soil Biology & Biochemistry
volume
76
pages
80 - 89
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000339695900010
  • scopus:84901395243
ISSN
0038-0717
DOI
10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.007
project
Effect of environmental factors on fungal and bacterial growth in soil
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
623cf08c-aee3-42da-8394-da9dfac20a1d (old id 4665676)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:03:12
date last changed
2022-04-21 19:28:55
@article{623cf08c-aee3-42da-8394-da9dfac20a1d,
  abstract     = {{The activity of saprotrophic fungi and bacteria, and the balance between them, can affect decomposition. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are also important for the nutrient and energy transfer in soil. Microbial community composition and activity are believed to have seasonal patterns, and are known to be highly influenced by environmental factors such as pH and nutrient conditions. To evaluate the importance of season for the variation in microbial decomposer community in a context of well-known environmental factor variation, we studied microbial growth, biomass and community structure along a fertility gradient (pH 5.9-8.1; NH4-N 3-19 mu g g(-1) soil, f.w.) in a sandy grassland during one year. The microbial community structure (phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) composition) and biomass (PLFA and neutral lipid fatty acid (NLFA) signatures) as well as fungal (acetate incorporation in ergosterol) and bacterial (leucine incorporation) growth rates were investigated at eight seasonal time points during one year. The environmental factors pH and NH4 concentrations explained a larger share of the variation in the microbial community structure. Together they explained 37% of the variation, while season (proxied by temperature) only explained 6% of the variation in PLFA composition. Bacterial and fungal biomass were both highest in early spring, while AM fungal biomass peaked in early summer. Bacterial growth rate, on the other hand, was highest during the autumn, while fungal growth rate showed no clear seasonal pattern. In conclusion, the influence of seasonal variation on microbial communities proved to be relatively small compared to that which could be assigned to pH and NH4 in the studied ranges. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Birgander, Johanna and Rousk, Johannes and Olsson, Pål Axel}},
  issn         = {{0038-0717}},
  keywords     = {{PLFA/NLFA; Microbial community composition; Bacterial growth; Fungal; growth; Temperate grassland soil; Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{80--89}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Soil Biology & Biochemistry}},
  title        = {{Comparison of fertility and seasonal effects on grassland microbial communities}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.007}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.05.007}},
  volume       = {{76}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}