Factors and mechanisms controlling soil organic carbon turnover in subsoils of agricultural sites

Two-third of the terrestrial C is stored in soils, and more than 50% of soil organic C (SOC) is stored in subsoils from 30 – 100 cm. Hence, subsoil is important as a source or sink for CO2 in the global carbon cycle. Especially the stable organic carbon (OC) is stored in subsoil, as several studies have shown that subsoil OC is of a higher average age than topsoil OC. However, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the mechanisms of C sequestration and C turnover in subsoil. Three main factors are discussed, which possibly reduce carbon turnover rates in subsoil: Resource limitation, changes in the microbial community, and changes in gas conditions. The experiments conducted in this study, which aimed to elucidate the importance of the mentioned factors, focused on two neighbouring arable sites, with depth profiles differing in SOC stocks: One Colluvic Cambisol (Cam) with high SOC contents (8-12 g kg-1) throughout the profile and one Haplic Luvisol (Luv) with low SOC contents (3-4 g kg-1) below 30 cm depth. The first experiment was designed to gain more knowledge regarding the microbial community and its influence on carbon sequestration in subsoil. Soil samples were taken at four different depths on the two sites. Microbial biomass C (MBC) was determined to identify depth gradients in relation to the natural C availability. Bacterial and fungal residues as well as ergosterol were determined to quantify changes in the in the microbial community composition. Multi-substrate-induced-respiration (MSIR) was used to identify shifts in functional diversity of the microbial community. The MSIR revealed that substrate use in subsoil differed significantly from that in topsoil and also differed highly between the two subsoils, indicating a strong influence of resource limitations on microbial substrate use. Amino sugar analysis and the ratio of ergosterol to microbial biomass C showed that fungal dominance decreased with depth. The results clearly demonstrated that microbial parameters changed with depth according to substrate availability. The second experiment was an incubation experiment using subsoil gas conditions with and without the addition of C4 plant residues. Soil samples were taken from topsoil and subsoil of the two sites. SOC losses during the incubation, were not influenced by the subsoil gas conditions. Plant-derived C losses were generally stronger in the Cam (7.5 mg g-1), especially at subsoil gas conditions, than in the Luv (7.0 mg g-1). Subsoil gas conditions had no general effects on microbial measures with and without plant residue addition. However, the contribution of plant-derived MBC to total MBC was significantly reduced at subsoil gas conditions. This lead to the conclusion that subsoil gas conditions alter the metabolism of microorganisms but not the degradation of added plant residues is general. The third experiment was a field experiment carried out for two years. Mesh bags containing original soil material and maize root residues (C4 plant) were buried at three different depths at the two sites. The recovery of the soilbags took place 12, 18, and 24 months after burial. We determined the effects of these treatments on SOC, density fractions, and MBC. The mean residence time for maize-derived C was similar at all depths and both sites (403 d). MBC increased to a similar extent (2.5 fold) from the initial value to maximum value. This increase relied largely on the added maize root residues. However, there were clear differences visible in terms of the substrate use efficiency, which decreased with depth and was lower in the Luv than in the Cam. Hence freshly added plant material is highly accessible to microorganisms in subsoil and therefore equally degraded at both sites and depths, but its metabolic use was determined by the legacy of soil properties. These findings provide strong evidence that resource availability from autochthonous SOM as well as from added plant residues have a strong influence on the microbial community and its use of different substrates. However, under all of the applied conditions there was no evidence that complex substrates, i.e. plant residues, were less degraded in subsoil than in topsoil.

Measuring the Impact of Melaleuca quinquenervia Biochar Application on Soil Quality, Plant Growth, and Microbial Gas Flux

Biochar has been heralded a mechanism for carbon sequestration and an ideal amendment for improving soil quality. Melaleuca quinquenervia is an aggressive and wide-spread invasive species in Florida. The purpose of this research was to convert M. quinquenervia biomass into biochar and measure how application at two rates (2% or 5% wt/wt) impacts soil quality, plant growth, and microbial gas flux in a greenhouse experiment using Phaseolus vulgaris L. and local soil. Plant growth was measured using height, biomass weight, specific leaf area, and root-shoot ratio. Soil quality was evaluated according to nutrient content and water holding capacity. Microbial respiration, as carbon dioxide (CO2), was measured using gas chromatography. Biochar addition at 5% significantly reduced available soil nutrients, while 2% biochar application increased almost all nutrients. Plant biomass was highest in the control group, p2 flux decreased significantly in both biochar groups, but reductions were not long term.

Patterns of substrate utilization during long-term incubations at different temperatures

Microorganisms play key roles in biogeochemical cycling by facilitating the release of nutrients from organic compounds. In doing so, microbial communities use different organic substrates that yield different amounts of energy for maintenance and growth of the community. Carbon utilization efficiency (CUE) is a measure of the efficiency with which substrate carbon is metabolized versus mineralized by the microbial biomass. In the face of global change, we wanted to know how temperature affected the efficiency by which the soil microbial community utilized an added labile substrate, and to determine the effect of labile soil carbon depletion (through increasing duration of incubation) on the community's ability to respond to an added substrate. Cellobiose was added to soil samples as a model compound at several times over the course of a long-term incubation experiment to measure the amount of carbon assimilated or lost as CO2 respiration. Results indicated that in all cases, the time required for the microbial community to take up the added substrate increased as incubation time prior to substrate addition increased. However, the CUE was not affected by incubation time. Increased temperature generally decreased CUE, thus the microbial community was more efficient at 15 degrees C than at 25 degrees C. These results indicate that at warmer temperatures microbial communities may release more CO2 per unit of assimilated carbon. Current climate-carbon models have a fixed CUE to predict how much CO2 will be released as soil organic matter is decomposed. Based on our findings, this assumption may be incorrect due to variation of CUE with changing temperature. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Iron biogeochemistry and associated greenhouse gas evolution in a forested subtropical Australian coastal catchment : Poona Creek, Southeast Queensland

Iron (Fe) is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Excess Fe mobilization from terrestrial into aquatic systems is of concern for deterioration of water quality via biofouling and nuisance algal blooms in coastal and marine systems. Substantial Fe dissolution and transport involve alternate Fe(II) oxidation followed by Fe(III) reduction, with a diversity of Bacteria and Archaea acting as the key catalyst. Microbially-mediated Fe cycling is of global significance with regard to cycles of carbon (C), sulfur (S) and manganese (Mn). However, knowledge regarding microbial Fe cycling in circumneutral-pH habitats that prevail on Earth has been lacking until recently. In particular, little is known regarding microbial function in Fe cycling and associated Fe mobilization and greenhouse (CO2 and CH4, GHG) evolution in subtropical Australian coastal systems where microbial response to ambient variations such as seasonal flooding and land use changes is of concern. Using the plantation-forested Poona Creek catchment on the Fraser Coast of Southeast Queensland (SEQ), this research aimed to 1) study Fe cycling-associated bacterial populations in diverse terrestrial and aquatic habitats of a representative subtropical coastal circumneutral-pH (4–7) ecosystem; and 2) assess potential impacts of Pinus plantation forestry practices on microbially-mediated Fe mobilization, organic C mineralization and associated GHG evolution in coastal SEQ. A combination of wet-chemical extraction, undisturbed core microcosm, laboratory bacterial cultivation, microscopy and 16S rRNA-based molecular phylogenetic techniques were employed. The study area consisted primarily of loamy sands, with low organic C and dissolved nutrients. Total reactive Fe was abundant and evenly distributed within soil 0–30 cm profiles. Organic complexation primarily controlled Fe bioavailability and forms in well-drained plantation soils and water-logged, native riparian soils, whereas tidal flushing exerted a strong “seawater effect” in estuarine locations and formed a large proportion of inorganic Fe(III) complexes. There was a lack of Fe(II) sources across the catchment terrestrial system. Mature, first-rotation plantation clear-felling and second-rotation replanting significantly decreased organic matter and poorly crystalline Fe in well-drained soils, although variations in labile soil organic C fractions (dissolved organic C, DOC; and microbial biomass C, MBC) were minor. Both well-drained plantation soils and water-logged, native-vegetation soils were inhabited by a variety of cultivable, chemotrophic bacterial populations capable of C, Fe, S and Mn metabolism via lithotrophic or heterotrophic, (micro)aerobic or anaerobic pathways. Neutrophilic Fe(III)-reducing bacteria (FeRB) were most abundant, followed by aerobic, heterotrophic bacteria (heterotrophic plate count, HPC). Despite an abundance of FeRB, cultivable Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) were absent in associated soils. A lack of links between cultivable Fe, S or Mn bacterial densities and relevant chemical measurements (except for HPC correlated with DOC) was likely due to complex biogeochemical interactions. Neither did variations in cultivable bacterial densities correlate with plantation forestry practices, despite total cultivable bacterial densities being significantly lower in estuarine soils when compared with well-drained plantation soils and water-logged, riparian native-vegetation soils. Given that bacterial Fe(III) reduction is the primary mechanism of Fe oxide dissolution in soils upon saturation, associated Fe mobilization involved several abiotic and biological processes. Abiotic oxidation of dissolved Fe(II) by Mn appeared to control Fe transport and inhibit Fe dissolution from mature, first-rotation plantation soils post-saturation. Such an effect was not observed in clear-felled and replanted soils associated with low SOM and potentially low Mn reactivity. Associated GHG evolution post-saturation mainly involved variable CO2 emissions, with low, but consistently increasing CH4 effluxes in mature, first-rotation plantation soil only. In comparison, water-logged soils in the riparian native-vegetation buffer zone functioned as an important GHG source, with high potentials for Fe mobilization and GHG, particularly CH4 emissions in riparian loam soils associated with high clay and crystalline Fe fractions. Active Fe–C cycling was unlikely to occur in lower-catchment estuarine soils associated with low cultivable bacterial densities and GHG effluxes. As a key component of bacterial Fe cycling, neutrophilic FeOB widely occurred in diverse aquatic, but not terrestrial, habitats of the catchment study area. Stalked and sheathed FeOB resembling Gallionella and Leptothrix were limited to microbial mat material deposited in surface fresh waters associated with a circumneutral-pH seep, and clay-rich soil within riparian buffer zones. Unicellular, Sideroxydans-related FeOB (96% sequence identity) were ubiquitous in surface and subsurface freshwater environments, with highest abundance in estuary-adjacent shallow coastal groundwater water associated with redox transition. The abundance of dissolved C and Fe in the groundwater-dependent system was associated with high numbers of cultivable anaerobic, heterotrophic FeRB, microaerophilic, putatively lithotrophic FeOB and aerobic, heterotrophic bacteria. This research represents the first study of microbial Fe cycling in diverse circumneutral-pH environments (terrestrial–aquatic, freshwater–estuarine, surface–subsurface) of a subtropical coastal ecosystem. It also represents the first study of its kind in the southern hemisphere. This work highlights the significance of bacterial Fe(III) reduction in terrestrial, and bacterial Fe(II) oxidation in aquatic catchment Fe cycling. Results indicate the risk of promotion of Fe mobilization due to plantation clear-felling and replanting, and GHG emissions associated with seasonal water-logging. Additional significant outcomes were also achieved. The first direct evidence for multiple biomineralization patterns of neutrophilic, microaerophilic, unicellular FeOB was presented. A putatively pure culture, which represents the first cultivable neutrophilic FeOB from the southern hemisphere, was obtained as representative FeOB ubiquitous in diverse catchment aquatic habitats.

Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions through biological carbon sequestration in North Eastern Australia

The Kyoto Protocol recognises trees as a sink of carbon and a valid means to offset greenhouse gas emissions and meet internationally agreed emissions targets. This study details biological carbon sequestration rates for common plantation species Araucaria cunninghamii (hoop pine), Eucalyptus cloeziana, Eucalyptus argophloia, Pinus elliottii and Pinus caribaea var hondurensis and individual land areas required in north-eastern Australia to offset greenhouse gas emissions of 1000tCO 2e. The 3PG simulation model was used to predict above and below-ground estimates of biomass carbon for a range of soil productivity conditions for six representative locations in agricultural regions of north-eastern Australia. The total area required to offset 1000tCO 2e ranges from 1ha of E. cloeziana under high productivity conditions in coastal North Queensland to 45ha of hoop pine in low productivity conditions of inland Central Queensland. These areas must remain planted for a minimum of 30years to meet the offset of 1000tCO 2e.

The use of phospholipid fatty acid analysis to measure impact of acid rock drainage on microbial communities in sediments

The impact of acid rock drainage (ARD) and eutrophication on microbial communities in stream sediments above and below an abandoned mine site in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia, was quantified by PLFA analysis. Multivariate analysis of water quality parameters, including anions, soluble heavy metals, pH, and conductivity, as well as total extractable metal concentrations in sediments, produced clustering of sample sites into three distinct groups. These groups corresponded with levels of nutrient enrichment and/or concentration of pollutants associated with ARD. Total PLFA concentration, which is indicative of microbial biomass, was reduced by >70% at sites along the stream between the mine site and as far as 18 km downstream. Further downstream, however, recovery of the microbial abundance was apparent, possibly reflecting dilution effect by downstream tributaries. Total PLFA was >40% higher at, and immediately below, the mine site (0-0.1 km), compared with sites further downstream (2.5-18 km), even after accounting for differences in specific surface area of different sediment samples. The increased microbial population in the proximity of the mine source may be associated with the presence of a thriving iron-oxidizing bacteria community as a consequence of optimal conditions for these organisms while the lower microbial population further downstream corresponded with greater sediments' metal concentrations. PCA of relative abundance revealed a number of PLFAs which were most influential in discriminating between ARD-polluted sites and the rest of the sites. These PLFA included the hydroxy fatty acids: 2OH12:0, 3OH12:0, 2OH16:0; the fungal marker: 18:2ω6; the sulfate-reducing bacteria marker 10Me16:1ω7; and the saturated fatty acids 12:0, 16:0, 18:0. Partial constrained ordination revealed that the environmental parameters with the greatest bearing on the PLFA profiles included pH, soluble aluminum, total extractable iron, and zinc. The study demonstrated the successful application of PLFA analysis to rapidly assess the toxicity of ARD-affected waters and sediments and to differentiate this response from the effects of other pollutants, such as increased nutrients and salinity.

Microalgal biomass as a fermentation feedstock for bioethanol production

BACKGROUND The increasing cost of fossil fuels as well as the escalating social and industrial awareness of the environmental impacts associated with the use of fossil fuels has created the need for more sustainable fuel options. Bioethanol, produced from renewable biomass such as sugar and starch materials, is believed to be one of these options, and it is currently being harnessed extensively. However, the utilization of sugar and starch materials as feedstocks for bioethanol production creates a major competition with the food market in terms of land for cultivation, and this makes bioethanol from these sources economically less attractive. RESULT This study explores the suitability of microalgae (Chlorococum sp.) as a substrate for bioethanol production via yeast (Saccharomycesbayanus)under different fermentation conditions. Results show a maximum ethanol concentration of 3.83 g L -1 obtained from 10 g L-1 of lipid-extracted microalgae debris. CONCLUSION This productivity level (∼38% w/w), which is in keeping with that of current production systems endorses microalgae as a promising substrate for bioethanol production.

From a tree to a stand in Finnish boreal forests: biomass estimation and comparison of methods

There is an increasing need to compare the results obtained with different methods of estimation of tree biomass in order to reduce the uncertainty in the assessment of forest biomass carbon. In this study, tree biomass was investigated in a 30-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) (Young-Stand) and a 130-year-old mixed Norway spruce (Picea abies)-Scots pine stand (Mature-Stand) located in southern Finland (61º50' N, 24º22' E). In particular, a comparison of the results of different estimation methods was conducted to assess the reliability and suitability of their applications. For the trees in Mature-Stand, annual stem biomass increment fluctuated following a sigmoid equation, and the fitting curves reached a maximum level (from about 1 kg/yr for understorey spruce to 7 kg/yr for dominant pine) when the trees were 100 years old. Tree biomass was estimated to be about 70 Mg/ha in Young-Stand and about 220 Mg/ha in Mature-Stand. In the region (58.00-62.13 ºN, 14-34 ºE, ≤ 300 m a.s.l.) surrounding the study stands, the tree biomass accumulation in Norway spruce and Scots pine stands followed a sigmoid equation with stand age, with a maximum of 230 Mg/ha at the age of 140 years. In Mature-Stand, lichen biomass on the trees was 1.63 Mg/ha with more than half of the biomass occurring on dead branches, and the standing crop of litter lichen on the ground was about 0.09 Mg/ha. There were substantial differences among the results estimated by different methods in the stands. These results imply that a possible estimation error should be taken into account when calculating tree biomass in a stand with an indirect approach.

Managing reforestation to sequester carbon, increase biodiversity potential and minimize loss of agricultural land

Reforestation will have important consequences for the global challenges of mitigating climate change, arresting habitat decline and ensuring food security. We examined field-scale trade-offs between carbon sequestration of tree plantings and biodiversity potential and loss of agricultural land. Extensive surveys of reforestation across temperate and tropical Australia (N = 1491 plantings) were used to determine how planting width and species mix affect carbon sequestration during early development (< 15 year). Carbon accumulation per area increased significantly with decreasing planting width and with increasing proportion of eucalypts (the predominant over-storey genus). Highest biodiversity potential was achieved through block plantings (width > 40 m) with about 25% of planted individuals being eucalypts. Carbon and biodiversity goals were balanced in mixed-species plantings by establishing narrow belts (width < 20 m) with a high proportion (>75%) of eucalypts, and in monocultures of mallee eucalypt plantings by using the widest belts (ca. 6–20 m). Impacts on agriculture were minimized by planting narrow belts (ca. 4 m) of mallee eucalypt monocultures, which had the highest carbon sequestering efficiency. A plausible scenario where only 5% of highly-cleared areas (<30% native vegetation cover remaining) of temperate Australia are reforested showed substantial mitigation potential. Total carbon sequestration after 15 years was up to 25 Mt CO2-e year−1 when carbon and biodiversity goals were balanced and 13 Mt CO2-e year−1 if block plantings of highest biodiversity potential were established. Even when reforestation was restricted to marginal agricultural land (<$2000 ha−1 land value, 28% of the land under agriculture in Australia), total mitigation potential after 15 years was 17–26 Mt CO2-e year−1 using narrow belts of mallee plantings. This work provides guidance on land use to governments and planners. We show that the multiple benefits of young tree plantings can be balanced by manipulating planting width and species choice at establishment. In highly-cleared areas, such plantings can sequester substantial biomass carbon while improving biodiversity and causing negligible loss of agricultural land.

Effects of recreational use and fragmentation on the understorey vegetation and soil microbial communities of urban forests in southern Finland

The impacts of fragmentation and recreational use on the hemiboreal urban forest understorey vegetation and the microbial community of the humus layer (the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) pattern, microbial biomass and microbial activity, measured as basal respiration) were examined in the greater Helsinki area, southern Finland. Trampling tolerance of 1) herb-rich OMT, 2) mesic MT, and 3) sub-xeric VT forests (in decreasing order of fertility) was studied by comparing relative understorey vegetation cover (urban/untrampled reference ratio) of the three forest types. The trampling tolerance of forest vegetation increased with the productivity of the site (sub-xeric < mesic < herb-rich). Wear of understorey vegetation correlated positively with the number of residents (i.e., recreational pressure) around the forest patch. An increase of 15000 residents within a radius of 1 km around a forest patch was associated with ca. 30% decrease in the relative understorey vegetation cover. The cover of dwarf shrub Vaccinium myrtillus in particular decreased with increasing levels of wear. The cover of mosses in urban forests was less than half of that in untrampled reference areas. Cover of tree saplings, mainly Sorbus aucuparia, and some resilient herbs was higher than in the reference areas. In small urban forest fragments, broad-leaved trees, grasses and herbs were more abundant and mosses were scarcer than in larger urban forest areas. Thus, due to trampling and edge effects, resilient herb and grass species are replacing sensitive dwarf shrubs, mosses and lichens in urban forests. Differences in the soil microbial community structure were found between paths and untrampled areas and the effects of paths extended more than one meter from the paths. Paths supported approximately 25-30% higher microbial biomass with a transition zone of at least 1 m from the path edge. However, microbial activity per unit of biomass was lower on paths than in untrampled areas. Furthermore, microbial biomass and activity were 30-45% lower at the first 20 m into the forest fragments, due to low moisture content of humus near the edge. The decreased microbial activity detected at forest edges and paths implies decreased litter decomposition rates, and thus, a change in nutrient cycling. Changes in the decomposition and nutrient supply may in turn affect the diversity and function of plant communities in urban forests. Keywords: boreal forest vegetation, edge effects, phospholipid fatty acids, trampling, urban woodlands, wear

Carbon balance and component CO2 fluxes in boreal Scots pine stands

The forest vegetation takes up atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in photosynthesis. Part of the fixed carbon is released back into the atmosphere during plant respiration but a substantial part is stored as plant biomass, especially in the stems of trees. Carbon also accumulates in the soil as litter and via the roots. CO2 is released into the atmosphere from these carbon stocks in the decomposition of dead biomass. Carbon balance of a forest stand is the difference between the CO2 uptake and CO2 efflux. This study quantifies and analyses the dynamics of carbon balance and component CO2 fluxes in four Southern Finnish Scots pine stands that covered the typical economic rotation time of 80 years. The study was based on direct flux measurements with chambers and eddy covariance (EC), and modelling of component CO2 fluxes. The net CO2 exchange of the stand was partitioned into component fluxes: photosynthesis of trees and ground vegetation, respiration of tree foliage and stems, and CO2 efflux from the soil. The relationships between the component fluxes and the environmental factors (light, temperature, atmospheric CO2, air humidity and soil moisture) were studied with mathematical modelling. The annual CO2 balance varied from a source of about 400 g C/m2 at a recently clearcut site to net CO2 uptake of 200 300 g C/m2 in a middle-aged (40-year-old) and a mature (75-year-old) stand. A 12-year-old sapling site was at the turning point from source to a sink of CO2. In the middle-aged stand, photosynthetic production was dominated by trees. Under closed pine canopies, ground vegetation accounted for 10 20% of stand photosynthesis whereas at the open sites the proportion and also the absolute photosynthesis of ground vegetation was much higher. The aboveground respiration was dominated by tree foliage which accounted for one third of the ecosystem respiration. Rate of wood respiration was in the order of 10% of total ecosystem respiration. CO2 efflux from the soil dominated the ecosystem respiratory fluxes in all phases of stand development. Instantaneous and delayed responses to the environmental driving factors could predict well within-year variability in photosynthetic production: In the short term and during the growing season photosynthesis follows primarily light while the seasonal variation is more strongly connected to temperature. The temperature relationship of the annual cycle of photosynthesis was found to be almost equal in the southern boreal zone and at the timberline in the northern boreal zone. The respiratory fluxes showed instantaneous and seasonal temperature relationships but they could also be connected to photosynthesis at an annual timescale.

Amplicon metagenomics for elucidating microbial community changes associated to conventional and organic farming of Beta vulgaris and Solanum lycopersicum

Soil microbial community changes associated to conventional and organic farming of two relevant crops (Beta vulgaris and Solanum lycopersicum) were analysed through 16s rRNA amplicon sequencing. This study revealed microbial communities in the agricultural soils studied to be similar to other reported nutrient-rich microbiomes, and some significant differences between the microbial communities associated to the two farming practices were found. Some phyla (Chloroflexi and Thermi) were found to be present in different abundances according to soil treatment. As chloroplast interference can be a stumbling block in plant-associated 16s rRNA amplicon metagenomics analysis of aerial plant tissues, two protocols for bacterial cell detachment (orbital shaking and ultrasound treatment) and two protocols for microbial biomass recovery (centrifugation and filtration) were tested regarding their efficiency at excluding plant-DNA. An alternative method to the one proposed by Rastogi et al (2010) for evaluating the chloroplast-amplicon content in post-PCR samples was tested, and the method revealed that filtration was the most efficient protocol in minimising chloroplast interference.

开垦和放牧对内蒙古草原土壤碳库和温室气体通量的影响

本文采用野外观测和室内测定相结合的方法，研究了内蒙古草原两种主要的土地利用方式（开垦和放牧）对土壤碳库和温室气体通量的影响，结果如下： 1．内蒙古草甸草原开垦后30年后，与天然草原相比，在休闲年份0～20 cm土壤有机碳和土壤微生物量碳含量均没有显著下降，但开垦导致土壤易分解碳下降了24%。土壤易氧化碳受季节性水热因子的驱动，表现出明显的季节变化动态。因此，土壤易分解碳的较土壤碳库的其他组分对开垦更敏感，是表征土壤管理措施引起有机质变化的一个重要指标。 草原开垦后，土壤-植物系统氧化大气甲烷的能力明显提高，农田和天然草原CH4平均吸收通量分别是48.9 和 29.0 μg C m-2 h-1，开垦后增加了1.7倍。开垦没有改变CH4吸收通量 “夏季高秋季低” 的季节变化规律（由降水决定）;开垦使N2O的平均释放通量增加了47%，农田和天然草原N2O平均吸收通量分别是56.6 和 38.6 ugN m-2 h-1;开垦同时也增大了通量的变异幅度;但没有改变N2O季节变化规律，只是出现高峰的时间较天然草原推后约10天左右。 2．开垦后的农田土壤在模拟添加厩肥后，刺激了土壤微生物的呼吸代谢，使CO2的释放量增加了5-7倍。试验期间总体排放的CO2中，约60%来源于羊粪，40% 来源于土壤。两种土壤即羊草顶级草原土壤（高碳高氮）和冷蒿－小禾草退化草原土壤（低碳低氮），在CO2的释放总量和释放比例上都没有显著性差异。添加厩肥均造成两种土壤碳库的净碳损失，并且退化草原土壤（7.0%）的土壤净碳损失要大于羊草草原（2.6%）。说明与开垦后的高C土壤相比，在已经退化草原的低C土壤上施厩肥将趋向于土壤更大的净碳损失。 3．自由放牧22年后，羊草草原0～10 cm土壤有机碳、微生物量碳和易分解碳分别下降了14.1%、27.9%和22.0%;大针茅草原0～5 cm土壤有机碳和微生物量碳分别下降了27.6%和38.2%。两类草原土壤碳组分的季节变化受水热因子的驱动，大针茅草原季节波动出现高峰的时间较羊草草原迟。土壤微生物量碳在表征羊草草原和大针茅草原土壤碳素的动态变化时，要敏感于土壤总有机碳。放牧对冷蒿-小禾草草原土壤各碳素组分影响不明显。在表征放牧对冷蒿-小禾草草原土壤的影响指示上，MB-C/ Org-C和Lab-C/ Org-C要比MB-C和Lab-C更加敏感。这说明在研究放牧对草原土壤碳库影响时，不同的草原类型应使用不同的指标来表征其变化。 内蒙古羊草草原是大气CH4的汇，自由放牧增加土壤对CH4的吸收。CH4平均吸收通量增加了27%，但CH4吸收的季节变化形式没有改变;放牧使。自由放牧还增大了N2O的排放通量，将原来N2O源、汇的双重功能改变为单一的源功能;放牧使N2O平均释放通量增加了1倍;放牧显著增加了羊草草原向大气排放CO2的量（p<0.05），并且年度排放量范围也有所增大。 4．草原羊尿斑土壤的pH和NH4+浓度在施后显著升高，但土壤微生物C和N没有明显变化，尿斑N素会发生大量的流失。粪斑和厩肥斑中各有46%和27%的N素分解后转移到植物中。羊草种群斑块上粪尿斑引起CO2和N2O通量的变化，要大于星毛委陵菜种群斑块。与植被类型的影响相比，羊粪尿斑尤其是尿斑对温室气体通量的影响更大。尿斑既降低了土壤对CH4的吸收，又增加了CO2和N2O的释放，使粪尿斑上相当于CO2的净排放量比对照土壤增加了15%。 在内蒙古草原中等放牧条件下，家畜粪尿斑在放牧草地上的覆盖面积约只有2%，与未被家畜排泄物覆盖的草原土壤 相比，粪尿斑对内蒙古草原温室气体总体收支产生的影响可以忽略不计。因此内蒙古草原地区温室气体减排措施的重点，应放在家畜的食性食量对温室气体的影响以及厩肥的科学利用上。但随放牧强度的加大，家畜排泄物覆盖草地的面积将大大增加，加之放牧生态系统中家畜瘤胃代谢产生的的大量温室气体，其对草原温室气体的核算将会产生的影响也是不容忽视的。

内蒙古毛乌素沙地不同生境油蒿(Artemisia ordosica Krasch.)灌丛地碳动态研究

油蒿(Artemisia ordosica Krasch.)是内蒙古鄂尔多斯高原特有的半灌木，构成该地区沙地优势植被类型。主要分布在固定、半固定沙丘，同时在流动沙丘也有少量分布。它在当地经济价值、防风固沙环保方面均处于无以取代的地位。在毛乌素沙地沙漠化日益扩大的严峻态势下,研究其群落地上、地下过程对生境变化的响应不仅对维持干旱、半干旱区生态系统稳定的管理措施上有所帮助，而且也有助于了解全球变化背景下物种对环境条件的长期变化适应策略。 为此，本项研究以毛乌素沙地为研究区域，利用异速生长关系确立不同生境油蒿生物量最佳回归方程，并调查、比较了毛乌素沙地固定沙丘、半固定沙丘和流动沙丘三个生境油蒿灌丛地的生物量、土壤和植被的碳储量、生产力和细根周转、土壤微生物生物量碳、氮和土壤呼吸。具体结果如下： 1. 建立并比较了油蒿枝、株两个水平上各部分（不含细根）生物量异速生长关系式，其中枝形态指标（枝直径BD、枝长BL、叶枝长LBL）与油蒿叶、枝、果各部分生物量的异速关系最好;株水平上冠层面积CA与其叶、枝干、果、粗根各部分生物量的回归效果较好。不同生境生物量与其生长变量的异速生长关系存在差异。2004年调查的油蒿灌丛生物量从固定沙丘、半固定沙丘到流动沙丘分别是354.8，178.3和30.4 g m-2;各部分（叶、枝干、果、粗根、不同径级细根的)生物量都呈递减趋势。地下根与总生物量比值排序为固定>半固定>流动沙丘。不同生境细根生物量垂直分布存在差异，在固定沙丘根可至100 cm，半固定沙丘达90 cm，而在流动沙丘仅为60 cm，这些结果有助于使了解不同生境中的相同物种如何通过自身形态及其生物量调整来适应生境的差异。 2. 不同生境油蒿灌丛地植被碳储量和土壤碳储量在P < 0.05水平上差异显著，其中固定沙丘植被碳储量和土壤碳储量分别为224.04和7521 g C m-2，半固定沙丘是119.27和3029 g C m-2，流动沙丘是16.83和2300 g C m-2。可见沙区土壤有机碳远大于植被碳量。 3. 利用最大值减最小值方法、标准取样法和内生长土芯法研究了不同生境油蒿灌丛地的地上、粗根生产力和地下细根生产力。发现各生境生产力、细根周转都随着植被盖度增加而增加，地下根生产力与总生产力之比随着植被盖度增加而减少;不同生境油蒿灌丛地生产力在P < 0.05水平上存在显著差异，2005年总生产力范围在18.23-293.82 g m-2 yr-1之间;细根总周转率在0.16-0.54 yr-1之间。 4. 利用异速生产关系确立不同生境不同水平上油蒿叶面积的最佳回归关系式并对不同生境的比叶面积（SLA）进行了比较，其中枝水平上各生境叶面积与枝直径、枝叶长、枝长相关关系在P < 0.001水平上显著;株水平上各生境叶面积与株高、冠层面积相关关系在P < 0.001水平显著;从固定沙丘、半固定沙丘到流动沙丘SLA由大变小，这可能与生境养分差异有关。 5. 不同生境油蒿灌丛地土壤微生物碳、氮和土壤呼吸范围分别在117.99-153.99 mg kg-1、1.49-3.31mg kg-1和0.54-1.96 μmol m-2 s-1之间，它们从固定沙丘、半固定沙丘到流动沙丘依次下降。

Characteristics of the microbial communities in the integrated vertical-flow constructed wetlands

Microorganisms play an important role in removing pollutants from constructed wetlands. We investigated the microbial characteristics in a novel integrated vertical-flow constructed wetland (IVCW), which has been in operation in Wuhan, China since 1998. We used phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and amoA gene to analyze the structure and diversity of the microbial community within the IVCW. PLFA results suggested that the amount of bacterial PLFA was significantly higher than that of fungal PLFA, but the total microbial biomass represented by PLFA index was low in the system. Microbial spatial distribution showed significantly higher bacterial (both G(+) and G(-)) and fungal biomass in the surface than in the subsurface layers. The ratios of monounsaturated to branched PLFA demonstrated that an anaerobic layer sandwiched by two aerobic layers existed in the IVCW, consistent with the redox potential results. Analysis of the amoA revealed the presence of Nitrosomonas-like sequences in the surface substrate of the downflow chamber and apparent diversities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the system. These results suggest that microorganisms, despite their relatively low biomass, have inhabited the IVCW, and the results will offer some valuable information on microbe to system designers and managers.