Selective sterilisation of undisturbed soil cores by gamma irradiation: Effects on free-living nematodes, microbial community and nitrogen dynamics

Buchan, David; Moeskops, Bram; Ameloot, Nele; Neve, Stefaan De; Sleutel, Steven

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.12.014

Cited by 60 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Gamma ray irradiation of 40 kGy allows the elimination of all soil organisms (Buchan et al, 2012), either directly by cell lysis or through the formation of mutagenic free radicals (McNamara et al, 2003). After irradiation, no remaining DNA could be extracted from the irradiated soil and no PCR amplification was obtained, as already shown by Wertz et al (2007).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 95%

The millimetre-scale distribution of 2,4-D and its degraders drives the fate of 2,4-D at the soil core scale

Pinheiro¹,

Garnier²,

Beguet

et al. 2015

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 95%

The millimetre-scale distribution of 2,4-D and its degraders drives the fate of 2,4-D at the soil core scale

Pinheiro¹,

Garnier²,

Beguet

et al. 2015

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

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“…Moreover, the spatial distribution of the reinoculated microbial communities is different from the indigenous ones31 which may lead to overgrazing by the reinoculated microfauna, and result in an overestimation of their roles21. The possibility of leaving a representative native microbial community by the application of low doses of gamma irradiation, thus avoiding the need for extraction and reinoculation, has recently been shown in previous studies3233 in which the microbial properties of irradiated fresh soil were compared with unirradiated control soil. Similarly, in the current study, the total PLFA concentration and the PLFA biomarker concentrations of the major microbial groups such as Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, actinomycetes, saprophytic fungi, AMF and protozoa in +Nem samples were comparable to those in unirradiated CTR samples at the beginning of the incubation experiment (Table S3).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nematodes enhance plant growth and nutrient uptake under C and N-rich conditions

Gebremikael¹,

Steel

Buchan³

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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161

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The role of soil fauna in crucial ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling remains poorly quantified, mainly because of the overly reductionistic approach adopted in most experimental studies. Given that increasing nitrogen inputs in various ecosystems influence the structure and functioning of soil microbes and the activity of fauna, we aimed to quantify the role of the entire soil nematode community in nutrient mineralization in an experimental set-up emulating nutrient-rich field conditions and accounting for crucial interactions amongst the soil microbial communities and plants. To this end, we reconstructed a complex soil foodweb in mesocosms that comprised largely undisturbed native microflora and the entire nematode community added into defaunated soil, planted with Lolium perenne as a model plant, and amended with fresh grass-clover residues. We determined N and P availability and plant uptake, plant biomass and abundance and structure of the microbial and nematode communities during a three-month incubation. The presence of nematodes significantly increased plant biomass production (+9%), net N (+25%) and net P (+23%) availability compared to their absence, demonstrating that nematodes link below- and above-ground processes, primarily through increasing nutrient availability. The experimental set-up presented allows to realistically quantify the crucial ecosystem services provided by the soil biota.

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“…In April 2013, we collected~1 kg of soil from five sampling sites that varied in both historical soil moisture and enzyme activity (a proxy for enzyme pool size). Gamma irradiation was used to sterilize air-dried soils, thereby stopping enzyme production without destroying the conformation of enzymes or the substrates they degrade (Allison, 2006;Buchan et al, 2012). Specifically, we irradiated soils with 40 kGy of gamma irradiation (sensu Buchan et al, 2012) at the TAMU E-Beam Facility, College Station TX.…”

Section: Enzyme Turnover Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical precipitation predictably alters the shape and magnitude of microbial functional response to soil moisture

Averill

Waring

Hawkes

2016

Global Change Biology

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Soil moisture constrains the activity of decomposer soil microorganisms, and in turn the rate at which soil carbon returns to the atmosphere. While increases in soil moisture are generally associated with increased microbial activity, historical climate may constrain current microbial responses to moisture. However, it is not known if variation in the shape and magnitude of microbial functional responses to soil moisture can be predicted from historical climate at regional scales. To address this problem, we measured soil enzyme activity at 12 sites across a broad climate gradient spanning 442-887 mm mean annual precipitation. Measurements were made eight times over 21 months to maximize sampling during different moisture conditions. We then fit saturating functions of enzyme activity to soil moisture and extracted half saturation and maximum activity parameter values from model fits. We found that 50% of the variation in maximum activity parameters across sites could be predicted by 30-year mean annual precipitation, an indicator of historical climate, and that the effect is independent of variation in temperature, soil texture, or soil carbon concentration. Based on this finding, we suggest that variation in the shape and magnitude of soil microbial response to soil moisture due to historical climate may be remarkably predictable at regional scales, and this approach may extend to other systems. If historical contingencies on microbial activities prove to be persistent in the face of environmental change, this approach also provides a framework for incorporating historical climate effects into biogeochemical models simulating future global change scenarios.

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Selective sterilisation of undisturbed soil cores by gamma irradiation: Effects on free-living nematodes, microbial community and nitrogen dynamics

Cited by 60 publications

References 24 publications

The millimetre-scale distribution of 2,4-D and its degraders drives the fate of 2,4-D at the soil core scale

The millimetre-scale distribution of 2,4-D and its degraders drives the fate of 2,4-D at the soil core scale

Nematodes enhance plant growth and nutrient uptake under C and N-rich conditions

Historical precipitation predictably alters the shape and magnitude of microbial functional response to soil moisture

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