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Carbon and Nitrogen Amendments Lead to Differential Growth of Bacterial and Fungal Communities in a High-pH Soil

KAMBLE, Pramod N. LU and BÅÅTH, Erland LU (2018) In Pedosphere 28(2). p.255-260
Abstract

Microbial growth in soil is mostly limited by lack of carbon (C). However, adding fresh, C-rich litter can induce nitrogen (N) limitation. We studied the effect of alleviating C and N limitation in high-pH (> 8) soils, soils expected to favor bacterial over fungal growth. Nitrogen limitation was induced by incubating soils amended with C-rich substrate (starch or straw) for 4 weeks. Limiting nutrients and the effects of alleviating limitation were then studied by adding C (as glucose) or N (as NH4NO3) and measuring microbial growth and respiration after 4 d. In non-amended, C-limited soils, adding C but not N increased both microbial respiration and bacterial growth. In N-limited, substrate-amended soils, adding... (More)

Microbial growth in soil is mostly limited by lack of carbon (C). However, adding fresh, C-rich litter can induce nitrogen (N) limitation. We studied the effect of alleviating C and N limitation in high-pH (> 8) soils, soils expected to favor bacterial over fungal growth. Nitrogen limitation was induced by incubating soils amended with C-rich substrate (starch or straw) for 4 weeks. Limiting nutrients and the effects of alleviating limitation were then studied by adding C (as glucose) or N (as NH4NO3) and measuring microbial growth and respiration after 4 d. In non-amended, C-limited soils, adding C but not N increased both microbial respiration and bacterial growth. In N-limited, substrate-amended soils, adding C increased respiration, whereas adding N increased both microbial respiration and growth. Inducing N limitation by amending with straw was most easily detected in increased fungal growth after the addition of N, whereas with starch, only bacterial growth responded to alleviating N limitation. Compared to earlier results using a low-pH soil, the effect of substrate used to induce N limitation was more important than pH for inducing bacterial or fungal growth after alleviating N limitation. Furthermore, we found no evidence that alleviating N limitation resulted in decreased respiration concomitant with increased microbial growth in soil, suggesting no drastic changes in C use efficiency.

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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
acetate incorporation into ergosterol, carbon use efficiency, leucine incorporation, limiting nutrient, microbial growth, microbial respiration, N limitation
in
Pedosphere
volume
28
issue
2
pages
6 pages
publisher
Institute of Soil Science
external identifiers
  • scopus:85046809560
ISSN
1002-0160
DOI
10.1016/S1002-0160(18)60014-1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f64d3afe-775d-4ed7-b00c-d85910d8a690
date added to LUP
2018-05-24 15:41:49
date last changed
2022-03-17 07:42:04
@article{f64d3afe-775d-4ed7-b00c-d85910d8a690,
  abstract     = {{<p>Microbial growth in soil is mostly limited by lack of carbon (C). However, adding fresh, C-rich litter can induce nitrogen (N) limitation. We studied the effect of alleviating C and N limitation in high-pH (&gt; 8) soils, soils expected to favor bacterial over fungal growth. Nitrogen limitation was induced by incubating soils amended with C-rich substrate (starch or straw) for 4 weeks. Limiting nutrients and the effects of alleviating limitation were then studied by adding C (as glucose) or N (as NH<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>3</sub>) and measuring microbial growth and respiration after 4 d. In non-amended, C-limited soils, adding C but not N increased both microbial respiration and bacterial growth. In N-limited, substrate-amended soils, adding C increased respiration, whereas adding N increased both microbial respiration and growth. Inducing N limitation by amending with straw was most easily detected in increased fungal growth after the addition of N, whereas with starch, only bacterial growth responded to alleviating N limitation. Compared to earlier results using a low-pH soil, the effect of substrate used to induce N limitation was more important than pH for inducing bacterial or fungal growth after alleviating N limitation. Furthermore, we found no evidence that alleviating N limitation resulted in decreased respiration concomitant with increased microbial growth in soil, suggesting no drastic changes in C use efficiency.</p>}},
  author       = {{KAMBLE, Pramod N. and BÅÅTH, Erland}},
  issn         = {{1002-0160}},
  keywords     = {{acetate incorporation into ergosterol; carbon use efficiency; leucine incorporation; limiting nutrient; microbial growth; microbial respiration; N limitation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{255--260}},
  publisher    = {{Institute of Soil Science}},
  series       = {{Pedosphere}},
  title        = {{Carbon and Nitrogen Amendments Lead to Differential Growth of Bacterial and Fungal Communities in a High-pH Soil}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(18)60014-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/S1002-0160(18)60014-1}},
  volume       = {{28}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}