Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Comparison of temperature effects on soil respiration and bacterial and fungal growth rates

Pietikäinen, Janna LU ; Pettersson, M and Bååth, Erland LU (2005) In FEMS Microbiology Ecology 52(1). p.49-58
Abstract
Temperature is an important factor regulating microbial activity and shaping the soil microbial community. Little is known, however, on how temperature affects the most important groups of the soil microorganisms, the bacteria and the fungi, in situ. We have therefore measured the instantaneous total activity (respiration rate), bacterial activity (growth rate as thymidine incorporation rate) and fungal activity (growth rate as acetate-in-ergosterol incorporation rate) in soil at different temperatures (0-45 degrees C). Two soils were compared: one was an agricultural soil low in organic matter and with high pH, and the other was a forest humus soil with high organic matter content and low pH. Fungal and bacterial growth rates had optimum... (More)
Temperature is an important factor regulating microbial activity and shaping the soil microbial community. Little is known, however, on how temperature affects the most important groups of the soil microorganisms, the bacteria and the fungi, in situ. We have therefore measured the instantaneous total activity (respiration rate), bacterial activity (growth rate as thymidine incorporation rate) and fungal activity (growth rate as acetate-in-ergosterol incorporation rate) in soil at different temperatures (0-45 degrees C). Two soils were compared: one was an agricultural soil low in organic matter and with high pH, and the other was a forest humus soil with high organic matter content and low pH. Fungal and bacterial growth rates had optimum temperatures around 25-30 degrees C, while at higher temperatures lower values were found. This decrease was more drastic for fungi than for bacteria, resulting in an increase in the ratio of bacterial to fungal growth rate at higher temperatures. A tendency towards the opposite effect was observed at low temperatures, indicating that fungi were more adapted to low-temperature conditions than bacteria. The temperature dependence of all three activities was well modelled by the square root (Ratkowsky) model below the optimum temperature for fungal and bacterial growth. The respiration rate increased over almost the whole temperature range, showing the highest value at around 45 degrees C. Thus, at temperatures above 30 degrees C there was an uncoupling between the instantaneous respiration rate and bacterial and fungal activity. At these high temperatures, the respiration rate closely followed the Arrhenius temperature relationship. 2004 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
FEMS Microbiology Ecology
volume
52
issue
1
pages
49 - 58
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000227599500006
  • pmid:16329892
  • scopus:13844320176
ISSN
1574-6941
DOI
10.1016/j.femsec.2004.10.002
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
13e7ffd9-cff2-44c4-b129-a9680207437e (old id 146847)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:41:04
date last changed
2022-04-22 23:29:01
@article{13e7ffd9-cff2-44c4-b129-a9680207437e,
  abstract     = {{Temperature is an important factor regulating microbial activity and shaping the soil microbial community. Little is known, however, on how temperature affects the most important groups of the soil microorganisms, the bacteria and the fungi, in situ. We have therefore measured the instantaneous total activity (respiration rate), bacterial activity (growth rate as thymidine incorporation rate) and fungal activity (growth rate as acetate-in-ergosterol incorporation rate) in soil at different temperatures (0-45 degrees C). Two soils were compared: one was an agricultural soil low in organic matter and with high pH, and the other was a forest humus soil with high organic matter content and low pH. Fungal and bacterial growth rates had optimum temperatures around 25-30 degrees C, while at higher temperatures lower values were found. This decrease was more drastic for fungi than for bacteria, resulting in an increase in the ratio of bacterial to fungal growth rate at higher temperatures. A tendency towards the opposite effect was observed at low temperatures, indicating that fungi were more adapted to low-temperature conditions than bacteria. The temperature dependence of all three activities was well modelled by the square root (Ratkowsky) model below the optimum temperature for fungal and bacterial growth. The respiration rate increased over almost the whole temperature range, showing the highest value at around 45 degrees C. Thus, at temperatures above 30 degrees C there was an uncoupling between the instantaneous respiration rate and bacterial and fungal activity. At these high temperatures, the respiration rate closely followed the Arrhenius temperature relationship. 2004 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Pietikäinen, Janna and Pettersson, M and Bååth, Erland}},
  issn         = {{1574-6941}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{49--58}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{FEMS Microbiology Ecology}},
  title        = {{Comparison of temperature effects on soil respiration and bacterial and fungal growth rates}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.femsec.2004.10.002}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.femsec.2004.10.002}},
  volume       = {{52}},
  year         = {{2005}},
}