Comparison of Seasonal Soil Microbial Process in Snow-Covered Temperate Ecosystems of Northern China

Zhang, Xinyue; Wang, Wei; Chen, Weile; Zhang, Naili; Zeng, Hui

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092985

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…However, microbial activity has been shown to persist during winter under insulating layers of snow and in sub-zero temperatures (Zhang et al, 2014). Modelling also predicted sustained organic substrate degradation, microbial turnover and net heterotrophy during the winter (Fig.…”

Section: Net Ecosystem Metabolism and Carbon Budgetmentioning

confidence: 87%

Microbial dynamics in a High-Arctic glacier forefield: a combined field, laboratory, and modelling approach

Bradley¹,

Arndt²,

Šabacká³

et al. 2016

Preprint

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<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Modelling the development of soils in glacier forefields is necessary in order to assess how microbial and geochemical processes interact and shape soil development in response to glacier retreat. Furthermore, such models can help us predict microbial growth and the fate of Arctic soils in an increasingly ice-free future. Here, for the first time, we combined field sampling with laboratory analyses and numerical modelling to investigate microbial community dynamics in oligotrophic proglacial soils in Svalbard. We measured low bacterial growth rates and growth efficiencies (relative to estimates from Alpine glacier forefields), and high sensitivity to soil temperature (relative to temperate soils). We used these laboratory measurements to inform parameter values in a new numerical model and significantly refined predictions of microbial and biogeochemical dynamics of soil development over a period of roughly 120 years. The model predicted the observed accumulation of autotrophic and heterotrophic biomass. Genomic data indicated that initial microbial communities were dominated by bacteria derived from the subglacial environment, whereas older soils hosted a mixed community of autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria. This finding was validated by the numerical model, which showed that active microbial communities play key roles in fixing and recycling carbon and nutrients. We also demonstrated the role of allochthonous carbon and microbial necromass in sustaining a pool of organic material, despite high heterotrophic activity in older soils. This combined field, laboratory and modelling approach demonstrates the value of integrated model-data studies to understand and quantify the functioning of the microbial community in an emerging High-Arctic soil ecosystem.</p>

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Section: Net Ecosystem Metabolism and Carbon Budgetmentioning

confidence: 87%

Microbial dynamics in a High-Arctic glacier forefield: a combined field, laboratory, and modelling approach

Bradley¹,

Arndt²,

Šabacká³

et al. 2016

Preprint

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“…We calculated the total lipids as an indicator of microbial biomass [ 47 ]. The details of the method can be seen in [ 19 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As decomposer microbes might differ in their ability or strategy to efficiently use SOC within different phases of the year [ 13 – 16 ], the temperature sensitivity of SOC decomposition might differ across different seasons [ 11 ]. Previous studies have demonstrated a distinct transition in the microbial community structure and function from winter to summer [ 17 – 19 ]. For instance, in the temperate area of north China, a shift in soil microbial community composition occurred with higher fungal: bacterial biomass ratio and gram negative (G-): gram positive (G+) bacterial biomass ratio in winter than in summer [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have demonstrated a distinct transition in the microbial community structure and function from winter to summer [ 17 – 19 ]. For instance, in the temperate area of north China, a shift in soil microbial community composition occurred with higher fungal: bacterial biomass ratio and gram negative (G-): gram positive (G+) bacterial biomass ratio in winter than in summer [ 19 ]. Fungi could release a large number of extracellular enzymes that can digest a wide variety of substrates, even complex organic compounds such as lignin [ 20 , 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonality, Rather than Nutrient Addition or Vegetation Types, Influenced Short-Term Temperature Sensitivity of Soil Organic Carbon Decomposition

Qian

Wang

2016

PLoS ONE

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The response of microbial respiration from soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition to environmental changes plays a key role in predicting future trends of atmospheric CO2 concentration. However, it remains uncertain whether there is a universal trend in the response of microbial respiration to increased temperature and nutrient addition among different vegetation types. In this study, soils were sampled in spring, summer, autumn and winter from five dominant vegetation types, including pine, larch and birch forest, shrubland, and grassland, in the Saihanba area of northern China. Soil samples from each season were incubated at 1, 10, and 20°C for 5 to 7 days. Nitrogen (N; 0.035 mM as NH4NO3) and phosphorus (P; 0.03 mM as P2O5) were added to soil samples, and the responses of soil microbial respiration to increased temperature and nutrient addition were determined. We found a universal trend that soil microbial respiration increased with increased temperature regardless of sampling season or vegetation type. The temperature sensitivity (indicated by Q10, the increase in respiration rate with a 10°C increase in temperature) of microbial respiration was higher in spring and autumn than in summer and winter, irrespective of vegetation type. The Q10 was significantly positively correlated with microbial biomass and the fungal: bacterial ratio. Microbial respiration (or Q10) did not significantly respond to N or P addition. Our results suggest that short-term nutrient input might not change the SOC decomposition rate or its temperature sensitivity, whereas increased temperature might significantly enhance SOC decomposition in spring and autumn, compared with winter and summer.

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“…Temperature may cause decline of CAZymes activities in the cold season compared to the activities in the warm season in both boreal coniferous forest [ 30 ] and in temperate spruce forest [ 31 ], and thus also negatively affect C cycling. Changes in the C cycling by microbial community and in the composition of microbial community were observed between summer and winter in mixed temperate forest [ 32 ] as well as in an arctic system [ 33 ]. Dominance of saprotrophic fungi, which are largely responsible for degradation of lignocellulose [ 34 ], in spring and ECM fungi, which are involved in plant derived C storage in soil [ 3 ], in late summer was shown for the temperate and boreal forests [ 35 – 39 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feed in summer, rest in winter: microbial carbon utilization in forest topsoil

et al. 2017

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BackgroundEvergreen coniferous forests contain high stocks of organic matter. Significant carbon transformations occur in litter and soil of these ecosystems, making them important for the global carbon cycle. Due to seasonal allocation of photosynthates to roots, carbon availability changes seasonally in the topsoil. The aim of this paper was to describe the seasonal differences in C source utilization and the involvement of various members of soil microbiome in this process.ResultsHere, we show that microorganisms in topsoil encode a diverse set of carbohydrate-active enzymes, including glycoside hydrolases and auxiliary enzymes. While the transcription of genes encoding enzymes degrading reserve compounds, such as starch or trehalose, was high in soil in winter, summer was characterized by high transcription of ligninolytic and cellulolytic enzymes produced mainly by fungi. Fungi strongly dominated the transcription in litter and an equal contribution of bacteria and fungi was found in soil. The turnover of fungal biomass appeared to be faster in summer than in winter, due to high activity of enzymes targeting its degradation, indicating fast growth in both litter and soil. In each enzyme family, hundreds to thousands of genes were typically transcribed simultaneously.ConclusionsSeasonal differences in the transcription of glycoside hydrolases and auxiliary enzyme genes are more pronounced in soil than in litter. Our results suggest that mainly fungi are involved in decomposition of recalcitrant biopolymers in summer, while bacteria replace them in this role in winter. Transcripts of genes encoding enzymes targeting plant biomass biopolymers, reserve compounds and fungal cell walls were especially abundant in the coniferous forest topsoil.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40168-017-0340-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Comparison of Seasonal Soil Microbial Process in Snow-Covered Temperate Ecosystems of Northern China

Cited by 16 publications

References 83 publications

Microbial dynamics in a High-Arctic glacier forefield: a combined field, laboratory, and modelling approach

Microbial dynamics in a High-Arctic glacier forefield: a combined field, laboratory, and modelling approach

Seasonality, Rather than Nutrient Addition or Vegetation Types, Influenced Short-Term Temperature Sensitivity of Soil Organic Carbon Decomposition

Feed in summer, rest in winter: microbial carbon utilization in forest topsoil

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