Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The effect of temperature and moisture on lag phase length of bacterial growth in soil after substrate addition

Nicola, Lidia and Bååth, Erland LU (2019) In Soil Biology and Biochemistry 137(Oct.).
Abstract

Microorganisms in soil are commonly limited by available substrate, and removing the limitation will increase activity and growth, with predictable dynamics in growth. The initial phase with a lag period (λ) will usually be followed by exponential growth (also called log phase, with growth rate μ). These two growth phases may be differently affected by environmental conditions, like temperature and moisture. Using glucose addition as a model of a sudden increase in labile C, we studied the effect of temperature (0 °C–30 °C) and soil moisture (10%–35%) on bacterial growth dynamics (estimated using leucine incorporation). Decreasing temperature resulted in decreased μ and increased λ. The latter increased from a minimum around 6 h at 25... (More)

Microorganisms in soil are commonly limited by available substrate, and removing the limitation will increase activity and growth, with predictable dynamics in growth. The initial phase with a lag period (λ) will usually be followed by exponential growth (also called log phase, with growth rate μ). These two growth phases may be differently affected by environmental conditions, like temperature and moisture. Using glucose addition as a model of a sudden increase in labile C, we studied the effect of temperature (0 °C–30 °C) and soil moisture (10%–35%) on bacterial growth dynamics (estimated using leucine incorporation). Decreasing temperature resulted in decreased μ and increased λ. The latter increased from a minimum around 6 h at 25 °C to >100 h at 0 °C. The square root of μ increased linearly with temperature below Topt according to the Ratkowsky equation, with an apparent Tmin of −11 °C. The square root of 1/λ also increased linearly with temperature (the inverse Ratkowsky equation), with a Tmin of −10 °C. Thus, there was a close correlation between μ and 1/λ, suggesting that the length of λ at different temperatures was entirely determined by the rate of growth after adding glucose. Increasing soil moisture increased μ and decreased λ (at 20 °C), with the latter decreasing from 14 to 21 h at 15% moisture to 8–14 h at 35% moisture. No exponential growth was found within 71 h at 10% moisture. μ after glucose addition was more affected by moisture than λ. The effects of moisture on 1/λ could therefore not be explained solely by changes in μ. Temperature effects on μ and λ after adding substrate could be estimated, including effects of temperature adaptation of the community, using the Ratkowsky equations. Thus, effects on future changes in temperature on both μ and λ can be predicted.

(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
keywords
Glucose, Lag period, Leu incorporation, Moisture, Soil bacteria, Temperature
in
Soil Biology and Biochemistry
volume
137
issue
Oct.
article number
107563
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85070487377
ISSN
0038-0717
DOI
10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107563
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a20391be-d6dd-44e2-bde4-5b0bd794a072
date added to LUP
2019-08-29 14:03:55
date last changed
2022-04-26 03:57:56
@article{a20391be-d6dd-44e2-bde4-5b0bd794a072,
  abstract     = {{<p>Microorganisms in soil are commonly limited by available substrate, and removing the limitation will increase activity and growth, with predictable dynamics in growth. The initial phase with a lag period (λ) will usually be followed by exponential growth (also called log phase, with growth rate μ). These two growth phases may be differently affected by environmental conditions, like temperature and moisture. Using glucose addition as a model of a sudden increase in labile C, we studied the effect of temperature (0 °C–30 °C) and soil moisture (10%–35%) on bacterial growth dynamics (estimated using leucine incorporation). Decreasing temperature resulted in decreased μ and increased λ. The latter increased from a minimum around 6 h at 25 °C to &gt;100 h at 0 °C. The square root of μ increased linearly with temperature below T<sub>opt</sub> according to the Ratkowsky equation, with an apparent T<sub>min</sub> of −11 °C. The square root of 1/λ also increased linearly with temperature (the inverse Ratkowsky equation), with a T<sub>min</sub> of −10 °C. Thus, there was a close correlation between μ and 1/λ, suggesting that the length of λ at different temperatures was entirely determined by the rate of growth after adding glucose. Increasing soil moisture increased μ and decreased λ (at 20 °C), with the latter decreasing from 14 to 21 h at 15% moisture to 8–14 h at 35% moisture. No exponential growth was found within 71 h at 10% moisture. μ after glucose addition was more affected by moisture than λ. The effects of moisture on 1/λ could therefore not be explained solely by changes in μ. Temperature effects on μ and λ after adding substrate could be estimated, including effects of temperature adaptation of the community, using the Ratkowsky equations. Thus, effects on future changes in temperature on both μ and λ can be predicted.</p>}},
  author       = {{Nicola, Lidia and Bååth, Erland}},
  issn         = {{0038-0717}},
  keywords     = {{Glucose; Lag period; Leu incorporation; Moisture; Soil bacteria; Temperature}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{Oct.}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Soil Biology and Biochemistry}},
  title        = {{The effect of temperature and moisture on lag phase length of bacterial growth in soil after substrate addition}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107563}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107563}},
  volume       = {{137}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}