Purpose The objective of this study was (a) to investigate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and drought stress on Thymus daenensis Celak and Thymus vulgaris L., and (b) to examine the ability of AMF to improve drought stress tolerance in Thymus species. Methods The experiment was conducted as a factorial pattern in a randomized complete design with three replications in 2017. Factors

The biology of soil is critical to its health; the available carbon and nitrogen from plant litter and mineral fertilizers in the soil determines the structure of microbial communities and thus the functioning of soil. We used amino sugars (ASs) and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) as microbial biomarkers to assist in identifying the effect of practices of agricultural management on the microbial community

Plant root-derived labile carbon (C) delivered to soils can regulate the dynamics and turnover of soil organic matter (SOM); however, it remains largely unclear how inputs of individual labile components (e.g., glucose) affect the formation of physicochemical-protected SOM. In a firmly controlled rhizosphere system, we added a glucose solution through artificial roots to soils collected from two subalpine

Soil microbial community compositions and soil labile organic carbon (LOC) fractions change rapidly in response to fertilizers and crop rotation, but our understanding of the associations between specific microbial taxa and C fractions is still limited. The objective of this study was to compare the composition and function of soil bacterial and fungal communities in response to fertilization and crop

Cover crops are an essential element of sustainable agriculture and can affect earthworm populations. In a field trial, we investigated the effects of four cover crop treatments: radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus B.; at high and low seed density), black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.) and Sudan grass (Sorghum sudanese M.) on earthworms under two irrigation regimes. The two parallel field trials

Solonetz soils are typically characterized with excessive saline-alkali content, and physiochemical methods are often employed for solonetz reclamation. However, increasing lines of evidences have suggested that microbiomes play a pivotal role in sustaining soil fertility than previously appreciated, and it remains poorly understood about the taxonomic identity of microbiomes in solonetz soils and

Unique soil properties in rhizosphere can affect plant growth and biogeochemical cycles of ecosystems. While rhizosphere has been widely investigated, little is known about differences in the rhizosphere effect (RE) between co-existing overstory trees and understory shrubs and herbs in forest ecosystems. In this study, we investigated REs on soil chemical properties of overstory trees and understory

Soil biological properties are essential for sustainable agriculture development. A five-year field experiment was conducted to understand the effects of mineral fertilizers combined with straw returning on bacterial community composition and enzyme activities in paddy soil. Treatments included three fertilizer rates of unfertilized (F0), half and full of conventional mineral fertilization (F1: 138

Fungi are critical for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics in forest soils, but much less is known about their activity in grassland soils. Here we examined how fungal activity affected C and N cycling in a grassland soil with and without litter and N addition. Soil from a semi-natural grassland was amended with and without a fungicide (cycloheximide) to manipulate fungal activity, with and without

Despite the ecological function of earthworms being of undeniable importance, little is known about their population genetic diversity, dispersal, and gene flow patterns. Here, we applied 769,957 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) gathered by restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) to unearth the genetic variability of populations of the earthworm Amynthas_YN2017 sp. collected from

Treating soil with a combination of nitrogen (N) and biochar (BC) has often been suggested as an approach to enhancing soil quality. In the present study, we therefore conducted a two -year randomized two-factorial field experiment in order to explore optimal N fertilizer management strategies in the context of BC application to calcareous soil, with a focus on both microbial activities and soil nutrient

Burning is the most common practice for rice straw disposal. Due to associated negative environmental and climatic effects, development of viable alternatives, preferably based on the natural functions of soil biota are needed. In the conditions of non-tropical rice-growing systems, where periods of flooding are very short, such an approach seems to be particularly promising. We carried out a mesocosm

Regular flooding during rice cultivation adversely affects soil animals in agroecosystems and may disrupt ecological functions that they deliver. Alternation of upland crops and flooded rice potentially has a positive effect on soil fauna. However, this aspect has not yet been studied outside the tropics. We focused on the influence of interannual crop rotation accompanied by long periods of paddy

The effects of cover crops and fertilization on the soil properties of apple orchards have been studied widely, but our knowledge of the variations in the soil enzyme activity and stoichiometry remains limited, particularly the tree-scale spatial responses. In this study, field experiments were conducted in two main plots comprising cover crop (CC) and no cover crop (NC) treatments with four sub-plots

Fertilization is a necessary practice for paddy fields to achieve high crop yields, and this practice could have an important impact on soil nitrogen cycle. Anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) is an important process in the nitrogen cycle of paddy ecosystems. However, until now, the influence of nitrogen fertilization on anammox, is not well understood. Here, the vertical distribution of the activity

The intensification of agriculture to meet the ever-increasing demand for food has exerted a negative impact on the ecosystem. Conservation agriculture has been highlighted as a comprehensive approach to sustainability. The present study aimed to assess the performance of conservation agriculture (CA) on plant growth, and its impact on bacterial community composition, specifically guilds involved in

Extracellular enzyme activities (EEA) in soils play a pivotal role in ecosystem processes, such as organic carbon (C) decomposition or nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mineralization. Thus, EEA measurements can provide insights into the rates of ecosystem-level processes in peatlands, which will experience more frequent extreme droughts in the future. In the present study, the activities of seven hydrolases

Community composition and activity of soil microbes are responsive to changes in physiochemical and biological attributes during forest succession. However, whether soil microbial community structure and activity in soil particle-size fractions under different restoration approaches (regeneration through secondary succession and afforestation) during a chronosequence ranging from 20 to 70 years following

The soil fauna of tropical rainforests is difficult to study because of its extreme species richness and taxonomic impediment. Studies of multi-taxon assemblages in the soil of tropical rainforests are relatively rare and studies of interspecific interactions, such as predation, even rarer. Here we attempt to infer prey predator interactions and enemy-free space from the faunal composition of 100 litter/soil

Understanding the effects of forest structure, the frequency and size of canopy gaps is pivotal for precisely modelling forest soil carbon budgets. We aimed to determine the differences in soil respiration between closed canopy areas and canopy gaps with various sizes and how soil respiration is affected by biotic and abiotic factors, e.g., soil nutrients, soil microbial biomass and community composition

Ecosystem functioning is affected positively by increased biodiversity, through complementary functions of multiple species or because high-functioning species are more likely in a species-rich community. Genetic diversity is one level of biodiversity that has been shown to positively affect ecosystem functioning. Whether the genetic diversity of a key decomposer species affects decomposition processes

Aporrectodea rosea (Savigny, 1826) is a cosmopolitan earthworm widespread throughout the Holarctic. The available data on A. rosea genetic diversity (mainly from the Mediterranean region) suggests that this species can be divided into the Mediterranean and the Eurosiberian lineages. In this study we tested molecular variation within this species from the Northeastern Palearctic, namely from Russia

The soil microbial community regulates decomposition of plant litter, but little is known about how the composition of the community responds to litter quality. To evaluate this, we applied 13C-labelled oat [Avena sativa] leaf or stem litter to soil at a rate of 5 mg C g−1 soil and incubated it at 20 °C for 170 days. We measured total C mineralized and litter-derived C remaining in soil over the incubation

Gravel and straw mulching are the most effective and widely used surface coverage practices used to mitigate drought stress and soil erosion in Loess Plateau of northwestern China. Unlike for straw mulching, however, benefits of gravel mulching fluctuate on a long-term scale, possibly leading to soil degradation. Here we investigated variation in soil physicochemical properties and the bacterial and

The details of how vegetation rehabilitation affects soil enzyme activities via changes of soil nutrients are unclear. To investigate how soil carbon and available nitrogen affect soil enzyme activities during the process of vegetation restoration, a factorial experiment was conducted with vegetation cover and nitrogen addition on degraded lands, and then a carbon addition experiment was performed

Climate change is predicted to alter precipitation patterns, which may have profound consequences on soil microbial communities and functions in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. However, it is uncertain if the direction and magnitude of soil microbial function and community responses to repeated drying and rewetting (DRW) events differ in diverse arid and semi-arid ecosystems. We collected surface soils

Bacterial communities are major participant in the alpine biogeochemical phosphorus (P) cycle. However, shifts in the main bacteria towards phosphorus recycling systems (BPRS) over elevation gradients and their driving factors are poorly understood. In this work, BPRS were associated with bacterial sequences according to Illumina sequencing and a published dataset of BPRS orders. BPRS communities over

Ecosystem degradation is one of the most pressing environmental problems in the world. Re-vegetation is the major method in land restoration, playing an important role in improving soil quality and biodiversity. Bacteria constitute a vital part of terrestrial ecosystems; however, the relationship between bacteria and restoration of degraded land is not well understood. In this study, we investigated

Diatoms constitute a major part of microbial biomass and species richness in soil habitats. However, in spite of a growing interest on soil diatoms, variations in soil diatom communities across different types of soil are poorly known. We hypothesize that diatom communities are different in distinct soil types and can serve as a potential bioindicator for soil environmental assessment. Thirty-four

In order to understand the dynamic changes of in the rhizosphere microbiome during potato cultivation, we studied the rhizosphere microbial diversity and soil physical-chemical properties during the growth of potato plants in soil that had been under continuous cultivation for five years. The V3–V4 region from chromosomal prokaryotic 16S rRNA and the fungal ITS1-ITS2 region were sequenced by Illumina

Human-induced nitrogen (N) enrichment contributes to plant nutrient status, which potentially alters the stoichiometry of carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P) in plants and soil. However, the response of ecological stoichiometry in a moss crust-soil continuum to N enrichment in a N-limited desert ecosystem has not been comprehensively explored. Here, we conducted a four-level N addition experiment [0

Wood harvesting is restricted to a system of permanent skid trails in order to minimize the soil disturbance and damage. Therefore, it is not the compaction of previously undisturbed forest soil, but the re-compaction of already existing skid trails that is of practical relevance when investigating machinery-induced wood harvest effects on soil properties. This study investigated the effects of machinery-induced

Bacterial communities in cultivated soils contribute to soil organic matter dynamics and nutrient cycling. Despite numerous reports on the influence of cropping practices on soil microbial community structure, the knowledge of bacterial response to pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr) cropping systems is very limited. Here, rhizosphere and inter-row soil bacterial community composition in continuous

Changes in rainfall patterns can affect the soil nitrogen (N) cycles. Most studies have focused on the effect of the amount of rainfall, but the effect of the frequency of rainfall has rarely been considered. In this study, we conducted a field experiment in the Zoigê alpine wetland that examined two levels of the amount of rainfall, i.e. 100% or 70% of the natural amounts of rainfall. In addition

Grazing exclusion (GE) is an efficient management practice that prevents grassland degradation. The temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil net nitrogen (N) mineralization (Nmin) is an important parameter of N cycles, and it directly influences the feedback between the primary productivity of grassland ecosystems and climate warming. However, information remains limited about how GE affects the Q10 of

A considerable part of soil phosphorus is bound to metal cations or metal oxides, and cannot be used in these forms by soil microbes and plants. Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) are abundant in pectin-rich rhizosphere, and their pectin-degrading activity has been reported. Therefore, we hypothesized that pectin activates PSB and promotes soil phosphorus solubilization. To test this hypothesis

Mycorrhizal fungi have a strong impact on soil biota. In this study, bacterial and archaeal populations in different parts of Suillus bovinus - Pinus sylvestris mycorrhizospheres in boreal forest were quantified and identified by DNA analysis. The numbers of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene copies were highest in uncolonized humus and lowest in fruiting bodies. The numbers of bacterial 16S rRNA

The mobilization of soil nutrients bound in organic matter is largely mediated by enzymes derived from plants, soil microorganisms and animal residues. Land-use change alters important soil characteristics that may affect the activities of soil enzymes. However, mechanistic understanding of how land use and management practices influence the catalytic properties of enzymes in top- and subsoil are still

In New Caledonia, one third of the main island is covered by ultramafic soils characterized by high levels of metals and low levels of plant nutrients. In these soils, metal tolerant bacteria may play a role in plant adaptation to the edaphic constraints. Recently, two new bacteria species belonging to the genus Burkholderia sensu lato were isolated from rhizospheric roots of pioneer plant growing

Agriculture soil is one of major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A wise use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is important for mitigating GHG emissions. To evaluate the potential of different fertilizers treatments to mitigate total GHG emissions, a field experiment was conducted to investigate nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) emissions and nitrate (NO3−) leaching from a typical

Nitrous oxide (N2O), a powerful greenhouse gas, is produced and consumed through denitrifying bacteria. However, the abundance, diversity and succession of denitrifying bacteria and their association with farming systems are largely unknown. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were: (1) to unravel the influence of long-term organic farming on diversity of nirK-, nirS- and nosZ-type denitrifying

Fusarium wilt disease of banana crops is of great economic concern because banana is the fifth most important consumed agricultural product in global trade. Crop rotation management is often used to suppress soil-borne diseases. However, little is known about the mechanisms that govern soil disease depression. A 2-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of chilli pepper-banana rotation

Soil microorganisms inhabit pores of various shapes and sizes. No-tillage practices cause less disturbance and compaction of the soil profile than mouldboard ploughing, which could provide more habitat for soil microorganisms. The objective of this study was to determine how long-term no-tillage affected pore volume, microbial biomass and their relationship. Soil samples were collected from field plots

Both soil pH and substrate quality exert a critical influence on the decomposition of organic substrates and the production of microbial biomass. However, it is elusive the interactive effects of soil pH and substrate quality on the microbial assembly, and subsequently the dynamics of organic substrates. We applied two substrates (maize flour and maize straw) with different substrate qualities to soils

Forest monocultures are generally considered to alter the microbial community, reduce soil fertility, and presumably reduce forest productivity compared to mixed species in plantations or mixed species in natural stands. As the mechanisms of alteration of soils by monocultures have not been elucidated very well, we compared indicators of stand productivity and soils in three forest types all growing

Recent perspective has highlighted the microbial importance of interplay between catabolic breakdown and anabolic synthesis in influencing soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics and persistence. However, studies on these contrasting activities remain rare, despite value to global discussions on economic and ecologically sustainable ecosystem management. Here we investigate microbial response in a no-till

Both organic matter status and earthworm activity may affect the microbial-mediated N2O production in tropical plantations which contribute greatly to the global N2O emission. The representative pantropical earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus was likely to be increasingly dominant in degraded lands due to intensified disturbances such as understory removal and soil erosion. We noticed that the relatively

A glasshouse experiment was conducted to study if glyphosate spraying has immediate short-term effects on the growth, reproduction and residue incorporation of the earthworm species Lumbricus terrestris L. The experiment simulated post-harvest conditions in no-till cereal cultivation, where L. terrestris often abound, and glyphosate is widely used. Pairs of adult, field-collected L. terrestris (median

Protocols for sampling soil fauna are usually designed to increase the number of species found when one or a few plots are heavily sampled. However, no previous study has evaluated how the number of plots sampled affect the power of statistical tests associating community composition and the environment. We test the effect of the number of transects (plots) and the sampling effort in each transect

In recent years, it has been discovered that the endemic earthworm Carpetania elisae (formerly Hormogaster elisae) consists of a complex of at least six cryptic species. Studying the relationships between these new cryptic species and other soil animal communities may be important to understand their functional role in the soil, and eventually to detect possible differences that may help in the delimitation

Eisenia nordenskioldi is an earthworm widespread in Northern Asia and adjacent regions. It is known for its high morphological, karyotypic, and genetic variation, and contains two subspecies, the pigmented E. n. nordenskioldi and the unpigmented E. n. pallida. We obtained almost complete sequences of mitochondrial genomes (without the control region and parts of the flanking tRNAs) for six genetic

The fate of litter is regulated by its quality and quantity, the activity of soil microorganisms and edaphic conditions. Despite edaphic conditions differing between topsoils and subsoils in availability of water and oxygen, nutrient content and microbial activity, the effects of soil depth on litter decomposition are seldom investigated. The present work studied the mineralization of beech leaf litter

The depolymerization of organic proteinaceous compounds is a critical step of nitrogen (N) cycling in many agroecosystems, but our understanding of this process and the overall effect on N cycling is still limited. We have investigated long-term (11 years) impacts of tillage practices (traditional tillage, TT vs. no-tillage, NT) and Ca-amendment on the activity of soil casein protease (an enzyme degrading

The impact of organic and conventional crop management together with two variations of conservation tillage was evaluated on N supply and losses at the end of a 4-year Swiss crop rotation. Soil samples were taken from four cropping systems: conventional intensive tillage (C-IT), conventional no tillage (C-NT), organic intensive tillage (O-IT) and organic reduced tillage (O-RT). Laboratory incubations

The aim of this research was to evaluate the response of soil arylsulfatase (ARS) kinetic and thermodynamic parameters to biochar application. The kinetic parameters including Vmax, Km and catalytic efficiency (Vmax Km−1) as well as thermodynamic ones (Ea, ΔHa and Q10) were determined in two different textured clayey and sandy loam soils amended with 0.5 and 1.0% (w/w) of unpyrolyzed maize residue

Phosphorus (P) application is an indispensable practice in agricultural crop production. However, the effect of P on crop and microbial biomass stoichiometries as well as its role in soil nutrient dynamics, remain poorly understood, thereby limiting our ability to predict the ecological consequences of agricultural practices. Herein, we conducted a P application experiment in a subtropical P-limited

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) provide key ecosystem services in dryland ecosystems, especially soil fertility and surface stability. The relationships between soil fertility and microbial communities have been demonstrated with successional stages of biocrusts, however, the effects of soil stability on microbial communities are poorly understood. Thus, we investigated the changes in microbial

The present work mainly focused to investigate the effects of land use change from natural forest (NF) to arable lands (AL), citrus gardens < 10 years old (CG < 10), citrus gardens > 10 years old (CG > 10) and paddy fields (PF) on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in northern Iran. Moreover, soil fertility was mapped by ordinary kriging (OK) method based on the biological fertility