Effects of uranium on soil microbial biomass carbon, enzymes, plant biomass and microbial diversity in yellow soils

Abstract

We conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of uranium (U) on soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), enzymes, plant biomass and microbial diversity in yellow soils under three concentrations: 0 mg kg −1 (T1, control), 30 mg kg −1 (T2) and 60 mg kg −1 (T3). Under each treatment, elevated U did not reduce soil MBC or plant biomass, but inhibited the activity of the soil enzymes urease (UR), dehydrogenase (DH) and phosphatase (PHO). The microbial diversity was different, with eight dominant phyla in T1 and six in T2 and T3. Furthermore, Proteobacteria and material X were both detected in each treatment site (T1, T2 and T3). Pseudomonas sp. was the dominant strain, followed by Acidiphilium sp. This initial study provided valuable data for further research toward a better understanding of U contamination in yellow soils in China.

Correlation Between Plant Diversity and the Physicochemical Properties of Soil Microbes

“…In October 2017, the density (strain/ 2 m ), average crown width ( 2 m /strain) and coverage (%, That is, the proportion of the total area of the crown and the total area of all the trees), average DBH (cm/strain), average height (m/strain), and aboveground biomass are used to calculate community diversity (Yan and Zhang, 2016 Pi is the proportion of the number of individuals of species i to the total number of individuals in the community, i.e.…”