Changes in soil microbial biomass and community structure with addition of contrasting types of plant litter in a semiarid grassland ecosystem
Open Access
- 25 February 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Plant Ecology
- Vol. 3 (3), 209-217
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtq001
Abstract
Elevated atmospheric CO2 has the potential to enhance the net primary productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the role of soil microorganisms on soil C cycling following this increased available C remains ambiguous. This study was conducted to determine how quality and quantity of plant litter inputs would affect soil microorganisms and consequently C turnover. Soil microbial biomass and community structure, bacterial community-level physiological profile, and CO2 emission caused by different substrate C decomposition were investigated using techniques of biological measurements, chemical and stable C isotope analysis, and BIOLOG-ECO microplates in a semiarid grassland ecosystem of northern China in 2006 and 2007 by mixing three contrasting types of plant materials, C3 shoot litter (SC3), C3 root litter (RC3), and C4 shoot litter (SC4), into the 10- to 20-cm soil layer at rates equivalent to 0 (C0), 60 (C60), 120 (C120) and 240 g C m−2 (C240). Litter addition significantly enriched soil microbial biomass C and N and resulted in changes in microbial structure. Principal component analysis of microbial structure clearly differentiated among zero addition, C3-plant-derived litter, and C4-plant-derived litter and among shoot- and root-derived litter of C3 plants; soil microorganisms mainly utilized carbohydrates without litter addition, carboxylic acids with C3-plant-derived litter addition and amino acids with C4-plant-derived litter addition. We also detected stimulated decomposition of older substrate with C4-plant-derived litter inputs. Our results show that both quality and quantity of belowground litter are involved in affecting soil microbial community structure in semiarid grassland ecosystem.Keywords
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