Soil fungi play a fundamental role in the cycling of nutrients and tree nutrition in forests. As mycorrhizal fungi are closely associated with their host trees and provide them essential base cations and phosphorus, we hypothesize that they actively mine soil minerals and transfer their nutritive content to their host. Therefore, mycorrhizal fungi are expected to be important colonizers of soil mineral

During the last decade a variety of perennial bioenergy crops (PECs) have been introduced into European agriculture. This study was designed to investigate the impact of various PECs on earthworm community patterns (species composition, numbers, biomass, α-diversity, life-form categories) at a landscape scale in Western Germany. The PECs investigated were cup plant (CP), tall wheatgrass (TW) and giant

A positive Priming Effect (PE) is defined as an acceleration of the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) by a fresh organic matter (FOM) input. But in the literature many studies present this phenomenon as an extra loss of carbon from SOM to the atmosphere. SOM is actually a mixture of pools with different turnover rates, and microorganisms generating PE are heterotrophic. Therefore, whether

Long-term implementation of intensive management in China has resulted in soil degradation and severe soil diseases. As the typical soil disease, pepper Phytophthora disease seriously affects the growth and development of many types of crops. To comprehensively address the problem of soil degradation and pepper Phytophthora disease, we have used a kind of novel multifunctional composite bacterial strains

Alley cropping agroforestry systems are complex agroecosystems highlighted for their positive effects on soil quality. However, the potential spatial heterogeneity of soil quality created by tree rows at the plot scale has seldom been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil quality at the plot scale, under tree rows and along transects perpendicular to the tree row and to compare alley

The effect of warming is stronger in arctic and sub-arctic latitudes than in temperate and tropical zones. We studied soil metabolomes along two soil-warming gradients (0 to +15 °C). One temperature gradient has been present for at least 50 years and possibly even centuries (long-term treatment), while the second gradient was created after a shallow crustal earthquake in 2008 (short-term treatment)

The combined application of organic materials and chemical fertilizers is an effective approach for improving crop productivity and soil quality. Purple soil is characterized by low N, P, and organic C contents that influence crop productivity. However, the optimal organic materials that can be used to improve purple soil quality and crop yields remain to be clarified. Here, we conducted a 13-year

Biodiversity loss likely occurs in alpine ecosystems under climate warming. However, little is known about the effect of plant functional type loss on the litter decomposition rate and microbial community composition. To test whether single functional type loss has a significant impact on the litter decomposition and microbial community composition, we conducted a litterbag experiment by randomly removing

This work sought to predict soil microbiological attributes based on soil fertility and texture, elemental contents determined by portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and terrain attribute data with and without addition of season (dry or rainy) and phytophysiognomy as auxiliary predictors. Soil samples were collected in both seasons in four phytophysiognomies. Analyses for prediction of basal

Long-term effects of organic and conventional farming systems in parallel on the microbiota of boreal arable soil from forage and cereal crop fields were investigated. Microbial activity was measured as basal respiration and microbial biomass C and N were determined by fumigation extraction. Microbial abundance was determined by gene copy numbers from bacterial and archaeal specific 16S rRNA genes

Soil nitrogen (N) availability, which is primarily controlled by climate and soil properties, may play a key role in regulating biomass production in natural grasslands. However, how climate, soil properties, and gross N dynamics interact in their regulation of biomass production in natural grassland ecosystems in climate-sensitive biomes remains largely unclear. We quantified gross N transformation

Aims Microorganisms play a dichotomous role in the soil nitrogen cycle through mineralization and immobilization. We aimed to understand how nitrogen availability modifies the effect of microorganisms on plant growth. We hypothesized that soil microorganisms would increase plant biomass following amendment with a substrate rich in organic nitrogen (net mineralization), be neutral when adding inorganic

Bacterial communities play key roles in maintaining ecosystem multifunctionality. With increasing land use intensity, soil biogeochemical and microbial characteristics change significantly and may affect the multifunctionality of ecosystems. The relationship between soil microbial communities and resistance of multiple ecosystem functions under land-use change has not previously been assessed in the

Acid and alkaline phosphatase (ACP and ALP), encoded separately by the bacterial phoC and phoD genes, participate in the mineralization of organic phosphorus (P) to inorganic P. However, the influence of chemical fertilization on soil phosphatase activities and associated bacterial communities in acidic soils remains unclear. Here, we conducted a 27 year continuous chemical fertilization experiment

Soils frequently experience environmental stresses that may have transient or persistent impact on important ecosystem services, such as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. Microbial communities underpin resistance (the ability to withstand a stress) and resilience (the ability to recover from a stress) of these functions. Whilst functional stability and resilience have been studied extensively, the

The Hebrides of Scotland constitute a unique set of island environments with a long history of human settlement and agriculture. Earthworm community surveys were undertaken in selected agricultural landscapes of Inner (Isle of Rum) and Outer (North and South Uist) Hebrides. On North Uist, earthworms were sampled from areas of Blackland (organic, anthropic, acidic agricultural soils) and on South Uist

Soil drainage and phosphorus (P) availability are considered indicators of management intensity in pasture-based agriculture supporting livestock. However, microbial adaptations to P-availability according to soil drainage class are rarely investigated. We hypothesized that well-drained grasslands with high P-availability will sustain a distinctive soil microbiota when compared to poorly-drained grasslands

The application of biochar with N-fertilizer is one of the most attractive practices for increasing soil quality and fertility. However, few studies have examined the combined effects of peanut biochar and urea on soil microbial community structure and function. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and various enzyme activities were used to monitor microbial community structure and function in a

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) is an aggressive colonizer of disturbed and other successional habitats in temperate forests. However, little is known about how bracken colonization modifies soil microbial activity and nutrient cycling. We questioned whether bracken presence alters soil nutrient pools and soil microbial respiration throughout a growing season and whether this effect depends on the size

Application of nitrate (NO3−) in flooded soil promotes denitrification activity and N2O emissions, accompanied by NO3− depletion. However, whether the stimulating effect of NO3− on flooded soil still affects the response of nitrifiers and denitrifiers to subsequent water drainage remains unclear, as does the N2O emission dynamics. We conducted a microcosm experiment using intact paddy soil columns

Seasonally dry tropical forests are strongly affected by anthropogenic disturbance and climate changes, which represent the main threats to soil biodiversity, affecting the activity and functional composition of soil communities that provide crucial ecosystem functions and services. However, the effects of these factors and their interactions on soil nematodes, which are bioindicators of soil quality

In agriculture production system, soil enzymes are important indicators of soil quality. Measurements of soil quality parameter changes are essential for assessing the impact of soil and crop management practices. Keeping this in view, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the enzyme activities namely dehydrogenase (DHA), β-glucosidase, acid and alkaline phosphatase (AcP & AlP), fluorescein diacetate

Knowledge on soil aggregation and microbial-driven soil C dynamics at the aggregate scale is beneficial for long-term sequestration of C in greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) systems. Here, we used an eight-year fertilization experiment to compare the effects of organic vs. chemical fertilization on soil aggregate stability, as well as living microbial biomass, microbial necromass, and soil C dynamics

The response pattern of soil bacterial communities to drought events has been characterized from short-term laboratory desiccation and in naturally arid soils, but the resistance of soil bacteria to persistently long periods of desiccation remains largely unknown. This study assessed the abundance and composition of bacteria in 24 historical soils air-dried for more than 70 years, by quantification

Extracellular enzymes in the soil are pivotal to nutrient cycling in the ecosystem. Simulated nitrogen (N) deposition has resulted in positive, negative, and neutral effects of added N on soil extracellular enzyme activity (EEA). A field experiment involving two levels (50 and 150 kg ha−1 yr−1) and three forms (NaNO3, NH4NO3, (NH4)2SO4) of added N was conducted in a northern temperate forest. Over

The wetlands on Earth are under different levels of degradation, and over half of them have even been lost during the 20th century. However, the response of soil insect communities to alpine wetland degradation is unknown, particularly in the Zoigê wetland, which spanning northern Sichuan, southern Gansu and Qinghai Provinces of China. Four habitats, including wet meadows, grassland meadows, moderately

Soil microorganisms play important roles in the rhizosphere in various biological activities in natural and agricultural ecosystems. We performed a two-year field experiment that featured the cultivation of three Bt transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) plant lines to evaluate their effects on rhizosphere microorganisms using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. A total of 27 fatty acids

No-till sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) systems is considered as an interesting option to reduce the cost of production and allow the conservation of both soil quality and biological activity. This study was conducted at a sugarcane mill in Goiatuba, in the state of Goiás, Brazil, which grows sugarcane variety SP 813250. An experiment based on a factorial design (2 × 2 × 2) was set up to compare the diversity

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) contribute to the sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC) by glomalin production through their hyphal network which helps to bind soil aggregates and improve other physical and biological properties of soil. The current study was aimed to assess (i) AMF biomass, glomalin related protein (GRP), SOC stocks and soil quality parameters such as microbial biomass carbon

Re-vegetation of cropland is an important measure for carbon (C) sequestration, while the combined effects of land-use change, re-vegetation type and time on soil organic C (OC) turnover and temperature sensitivity have been less studied. Here, we investigated soil cumulative OC mineralization (Cmin), specific OC mineralization (Cmin/C0, normalized by initial OC) and temperature sensitivity (Q10) with

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi coexist with most of terrestrial plants and participate in multiple ecosystem processes. Here we address AM fungal responses to experimental warming and a manipulation of precipitation as well as the interactions in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a hot spot region of climate change, and its associations with plant and soil characteristics. A complete randomized block

Soil fungi play important roles in soil organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling processes and maintaining close associations with aboveground plant communities. However, the large-scale distribution patterns and drivers of soil fungal communities in shrub ecosystems remain largely unknown. In this study, we examined soil fungal communities among different shrub sites, and the relative importance

Ammonia-oxidation is the first rate-limiting step of the nitrification process performed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA). The response of ammonia oxidizers to agricultural management determines the forms of nitrogen available for plant nutrition and the potential for nitrate leaching, nitrous oxide emissions, and soil acidification. We investigated the potential nitrification

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning in terrestrial ecosystems. However, we know little about how AMF communities shift in response to key climatic changes. To test whether precipitation is a driving force in shaping AMF community structure, we conducted a 3-year field experiment to investigate the impacts of increased and decreased precipitation on the AMF

Ore mineral extraction involves stripping of topsoils that can lead to eradication of soil biota, including nematodes. Hence, rehabilitation is needed to assist in the recovery of damaged soil ecosystems. In many developing countries, e.g., the Philippines, rehabilitation of soils is mostly carried out through addition of organic amendments and development of aboveground vegetation. Rehabilitation

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) predominantly control ammonia oxidation, the first and rate-limiting step of nitrification, and critically affect plant utilization and the fate of reactive nitrogen (N) input to soil. Both AOA and AOB are often sensitive to environmental changes, but their responses to the concurrent climate warming and N input remain poorly understood, particularly

Bentonite is a natural soil amendment that can reduce soil water loss and increase crop yield, but there are few studies about how bentonite influences soil biochemical properties. A field experiment was conducted with a millet [Setaria italic (L.) Beauv.] crop to evaluate the effect of bentonite amendments on soil biochemical properties including soil organic C, total N and total P, and soil microbial

Microbial diversity and their activity in the rhizosphere and bulk soil areas were measured in a long-term field trial (started in 1956), where maize has been grown for the last 20 years with and without N fertilisation. Various microbial groups and their substrate feeding strategies (i.e. demonstrating activities) were identified through phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) analysis and their δ13C values

The herbicides imazethapyr and flumyzin have been recommended for controlling weeds, mainly in soybean fields. However, it is unclear the effect of these herbicides on soil microbial communities. In this study, we assessed the responses of bacterial community to the application of imazethapyr and flumyzin in soil. Soil samples were incubated with the application of the herbicides imazethapyr, flumyzin

Soybean is considered as one of the most important food for both humans and animals; unfortunately, it faces soil-borne diseases caused by bacteria or fungi, leading to severe yield losses. Hybridization has helped the soybean to obtain beneficial genes from wild species that can resist some adverse conditions. However, the influences of hybridization on the rhizosphere microbiomes of wild and cultivated

Precipitation events may rapidly alter soil moisture, and potentially result in a large quantity of soil CO2 release in a short term. However, the effect of pulse precipitation on soil CO2 release among different grassland types on the Tibetan Plateau remains unclear. Here, we investigated soil CO2 release following pulse precipitation in the meadows, grasslands, and deserts of the Tibetan Plateau

Cultivated grassland can serve as one solution to the degradation of natural grassland. However, less is understood of the response of the microbial communities in cultivated grassland soils to global change factors such as nitrogen (N) deposition and precipitation change, and their linkages with the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC). In this study, field experimental plots that simulate different

Root exudates are a labile source of carbon (C) for microorganisms that can lead to increased CO2 emission. Root exudates can vary in C:N stoichiometric ratio and their impact on microbially driven soil organic matter (SOM) turnover in paddy soils still remains unclear. The objective was to explore the underlying mechanisms involved in SOM decomposition due to root exudate (artificial) addition with

Comparative phylogeography is a powerful methodological approach to understand the particular evolutionary phenomena that occur in islands. This method has been rarely applied to insular earthworm communities. These soil animals show a striking dichotomy in their phylogeographic patterns: deeply divergent, regionally structured linages and widely distributed, genetically homogeneous lineages. An intensive

Shrub vegetation and plant species can enhance the abundance and richness of ground-active arthropods. Yet surprisingly little is known about how the distribution and diversity of ground-active arthropods are influenced by plant species used for shrub revegetation in desert ecosystems. In this study, ground-active arthropods were collected using the pitfall trapping method in Caragana korshinskii (CP)

One of the main cucumber (Cucumis sativus) diseases in China is Fusarium wilt caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC). The aims of this study were to evaluate the suppressive capacity of different spent mushroom substrate (SMS) amendments against Fusarium wilt and to analyse their effects on soil microbiological properties. A greenhouse experiment was carried out with four

In the second half of the twentieth century, many red wood ant populations were transferred from the Alps to the Apennines as biological control agents. Since the introduction involved the relocation of entire nest mounds, it is presumable that the associated fauna was also relocated. While the introduction of these ants has raised several concerns about their ecological impact, there has been no attempt