Deserts have traditionally been considered as a low moisture system where biological activity is triggered by unpredictable rainfall in time and space. Studies on desert ecosystems functions, processes, dynamics and d...Deserts have traditionally been considered as a low moisture system where biological activity is triggered by unpredictable rainfall in time and space. Studies on desert ecosystems functions, processes, dynamics and diversity of soil biota had been found to contribute to understanding of their role in primary production and management of soil ecosystems. As belowground biota is very diverse they are playing an important role in above as well below ground essential ecosystem processes e.g. primary production, decomposition, nutrient mineralization etc. The challenge is to use the emerging knowledge of soil biota diversity in understanding basic ecosystems function.展开更多
Exotic plant invasion presents a serious threat to native ecosystem structure and function. Little is known about the role of soil microbial communities in facilitating or resisting the spread of invasive plants into ...Exotic plant invasion presents a serious threat to native ecosystem structure and function. Little is known about the role of soil microbial communities in facilitating or resisting the spread of invasive plants into native communities. The purpose of this research is to understand how the invasive annual plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. facilitates its competition capacity through changing the structure and function of soil microbial communities. The soil characteristics of different areas invaded by A. artemisiifolia were examined. Greenhouse experiments were designed to assess the effect of A. artemisiifolia invasion-induced changes of soil biota on co-occurring plant growth, and on the interactions between A. artemisiifolia and three co-occurring plant species. The results showed that the soil organic C content was the highest in heavily invaded sites, the lowest in native plant sites, and intermediate in newly invaded sites. Soil available N, P and K concentrations in heavily invaded site were 2.4, 1.9 and 1.7 times higher than those in native plant soil, respectively. Soil pH decreased as A. artemisiifolia invasion intensity increased, and was lower in invaded sites（heavily invaded and newly invaded） than in native plant sites. The soil microbial community structure was clearly separated in the three types of sites, and A. artemisiifolia invasion increased anaerobe, sulfate-reducing bacteria and actinomycete abundance. Soil biota of invaded sites inhibits growth of co-occurring plants（Galinsoga parvifloraCav., Medicago sativa L. and Setaria plicata（Lam.） T. Cooke.） compared to soil biota from un-invaded sites, but facilitates A. artemisiifolia growth and competition with co-occurring plants. A. artemisiifolia biomass was 50-130% greater when competing with three co-occurring plants, compared to single-species competition only（invasion by A. artemisiifolia alone）, in heavily invaded soil. Results of the present study indicated that A. artemisiifolia invasion alters the soil microbial community in a way that favors itself while inhibiting native plant species, with measurable effects on performance of co-occurring plants.展开更多
Aims Plants directly and indirectly interact with many abiotic and biotic soil components.Research so far mostly focused on direct,indi-vidual abiotic or biotic effects on plant growth,but only few studies tested the ...Aims Plants directly and indirectly interact with many abiotic and biotic soil components.Research so far mostly focused on direct,indi-vidual abiotic or biotic effects on plant growth,but only few studies tested the indirect effects of abiotic soil factors on plant growth.therefore,we investigated how abiotic soil conditions affect plant performance,via changes induced by soil biota.Methods In a full-factorial experiment,we grew the widespread grass Dactylis glomerata either with or without soil biota and investigated the impact of soil temperature,fertility and moisture on the soil biota effects on plant growth.We measured biomass production,root traits and colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi as well as microbial respiration.Important Findings We found significant interaction effects between abiotic soil con-ditions and soil biota on plant growth for fertility,but especially for soil temperature,as an increase of 10°c significantly changed the soil biota effects on plant growth from positive to neutral.However,if tested individually,an increase in soil temperature and fertility per se positively affected plant biomass production,whereas soil biota per se did not affect overall plant growth,but both influenced root architecture.By affecting soil microbial activ-ity and root architecture,soil temperature might influence both mutualistic and pathogenic interactions between plants and soil biota.Such soil temperature effects should be considered in soil feedback studies to ensure greater transferability of results from artificial and experimental conditions to natural environmental conditions.展开更多
Beneficial microbes in soil biota are known to enhance plant growth by stimulating the nutrient supply and by devising certain mechanisms to cope up with the biotic(diseases)or abiotic(salinity,drought,and pollution)s...Beneficial microbes in soil biota are known to enhance plant growth by stimulating the nutrient supply and by devising certain mechanisms to cope up with the biotic(diseases)or abiotic(salinity,drought,and pollution)stresses.Owing to their effectiveness and sustainability concerns,the application of microbes in the agricultural sector has seen a positive surge recently.Biochar has been commended as an exemplary carrier material for beneficial microbes in the soil ecosystem.Biochar is generally produced from the waste biomasses,which not only resolve the management crisis of agricultural wastes but also render many benefits such as enhancement of soil properties,alteration of nutritional dynamics,removal of pollutants,and in the stimulation of beneficial microbial diversity in soil.The strategic application of biochar in agricultural land could help provide agronomic,economic,and environmental benefits.Since certain risks are associated with the application of biochar,attention needs to be paid while preferring for soil amendments.This present review focused on highlighting the role of microbes in plant growth.The influence of biochar on soil biota along with its detailed mechanisms was discussed further to delineate the scope of biochar in soil amendments.Further,the risks associated with the biochar amendments and the future perspectives in this research arena were highlighted.展开更多
Soil biota is the living component of soil organic matter(SOM),and plays a key role in the decomposition of SOM.Both soil biota and SOM are indicators of soil fertility and soil quality.However,they both are sensitive...Soil biota is the living component of soil organic matter(SOM),and plays a key role in the decomposition of SOM.Both soil biota and SOM are indicators of soil fertility and soil quality.However,they both are sensitive to soil disturbance.Although researchers developed various technologies to detect soil biota and SOM,they are mostly destructive and cause disturbance to soil,which may not reflect the actual situation of soil biota and SOM.Therefore,here we mostly focused on the non-destructive physical methods for estimating soil biota and SOM and discussed their advantages and disadvantages.These methods include but not limited to acoustic detection,radio frequency identification,radioactive tagging,hyperspectral sensing and electron energy loss spectroscopy.In addition,we pointed out the current research problems and the potential research directions for applications of physical methods in estimation of soil biota and SOM.展开更多
Aims Climate warming raises the probability of range expansions of warm-adapted temperate species into areas currently dominated by cold-adapted boreal species.Warming-induced plant range expansions could partly depen...Aims Climate warming raises the probability of range expansions of warm-adapted temperate species into areas currently dominated by cold-adapted boreal species.Warming-induced plant range expansions could partly depend on how warming modifies relationships with soil biota that promote plant growth,such as by mineralizing nutri-ents.Here,we grew two pairs of congeneric herbaceous plants spe-cies together in soil with a 5-year warming history(ambient,+1.7℃,+3.4℃)and related their performances to plant-beneficial soil biota.Methods Each plant pair belonged to either the mid-latitude temperate climate or the higher latitude southern boreal climate.Warmed soils were extracted from a chamberless heating experiment at two field sites in the temperate-boreal ecotone of North America.To isolate poten-tial effects of different soil warming histories,air temperature for the greenhouse experiment was identical across soils.We hypothesized that soil with a 5-year warming history in the field would enhance the performance of temperate plant species more than boreal plant species and expected improved plant performances to have positive associations with plant growth-promoting soil biota(microbial-feeding nematodes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi).Important Findings Our main hypothesis was partly confirmed as only one temperate spe-cies performed better in soil with warming history than in soil with his-tory of ambient temperature.Further,this effect was restricted to the site with higher soil water content in the growing season of the sampling year(prior to soil collection).One of the boreal species performed con-sistently worse in previously warmed soil,whereas the other species showed neutral responses to soil warming history.We found a positive correlation between the density of microbial-feeding nematodes and the performance of one of the temperate species in previously wetter soils,but this correlation was negative at the site with previously drier soil.We found no significant correlations between the performance of the other temperate species as well as the two boreal species and any of the studied soil biota.Our results indicate that soil warming can modify the relation between certain plant species and microbial-feeding nematodes in given soil edaphic conditions,which might be important for plant performance in the temperate-boreal ecotone.展开更多
文摘Deserts have traditionally been considered as a low moisture system where biological activity is triggered by unpredictable rainfall in time and space. Studies on desert ecosystems functions, processes, dynamics and diversity of soil biota had been found to contribute to understanding of their role in primary production and management of soil ecosystems. As belowground biota is very diverse they are playing an important role in above as well below ground essential ecosystem processes e.g. primary production, decomposition, nutrient mineralization etc. The challenge is to use the emerging knowledge of soil biota diversity in understanding basic ecosystems function.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(2009CB119200)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(30871654)
文摘Exotic plant invasion presents a serious threat to native ecosystem structure and function. Little is known about the role of soil microbial communities in facilitating or resisting the spread of invasive plants into native communities. The purpose of this research is to understand how the invasive annual plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. facilitates its competition capacity through changing the structure and function of soil microbial communities. The soil characteristics of different areas invaded by A. artemisiifolia were examined. Greenhouse experiments were designed to assess the effect of A. artemisiifolia invasion-induced changes of soil biota on co-occurring plant growth, and on the interactions between A. artemisiifolia and three co-occurring plant species. The results showed that the soil organic C content was the highest in heavily invaded sites, the lowest in native plant sites, and intermediate in newly invaded sites. Soil available N, P and K concentrations in heavily invaded site were 2.4, 1.9 and 1.7 times higher than those in native plant soil, respectively. Soil pH decreased as A. artemisiifolia invasion intensity increased, and was lower in invaded sites（heavily invaded and newly invaded） than in native plant sites. The soil microbial community structure was clearly separated in the three types of sites, and A. artemisiifolia invasion increased anaerobe, sulfate-reducing bacteria and actinomycete abundance. Soil biota of invaded sites inhibits growth of co-occurring plants（Galinsoga parvifloraCav., Medicago sativa L. and Setaria plicata（Lam.） T. Cooke.） compared to soil biota from un-invaded sites, but facilitates A. artemisiifolia growth and competition with co-occurring plants. A. artemisiifolia biomass was 50-130% greater when competing with three co-occurring plants, compared to single-species competition only（invasion by A. artemisiifolia alone）, in heavily invaded soil. Results of the present study indicated that A. artemisiifolia invasion alters the soil microbial community in a way that favors itself while inhibiting native plant species, with measurable effects on performance of co-occurring plants.
文摘Aims Plants directly and indirectly interact with many abiotic and biotic soil components.Research so far mostly focused on direct,indi-vidual abiotic or biotic effects on plant growth,but only few studies tested the indirect effects of abiotic soil factors on plant growth.therefore,we investigated how abiotic soil conditions affect plant performance,via changes induced by soil biota.Methods In a full-factorial experiment,we grew the widespread grass Dactylis glomerata either with or without soil biota and investigated the impact of soil temperature,fertility and moisture on the soil biota effects on plant growth.We measured biomass production,root traits and colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi as well as microbial respiration.Important Findings We found significant interaction effects between abiotic soil con-ditions and soil biota on plant growth for fertility,but especially for soil temperature,as an increase of 10°c significantly changed the soil biota effects on plant growth from positive to neutral.However,if tested individually,an increase in soil temperature and fertility per se positively affected plant biomass production,whereas soil biota per se did not affect overall plant growth,but both influenced root architecture.By affecting soil microbial activ-ity and root architecture,soil temperature might influence both mutualistic and pathogenic interactions between plants and soil biota.Such soil temperature effects should be considered in soil feedback studies to ensure greater transferability of results from artificial and experimental conditions to natural environmental conditions.
文摘Beneficial microbes in soil biota are known to enhance plant growth by stimulating the nutrient supply and by devising certain mechanisms to cope up with the biotic(diseases)or abiotic(salinity,drought,and pollution)stresses.Owing to their effectiveness and sustainability concerns,the application of microbes in the agricultural sector has seen a positive surge recently.Biochar has been commended as an exemplary carrier material for beneficial microbes in the soil ecosystem.Biochar is generally produced from the waste biomasses,which not only resolve the management crisis of agricultural wastes but also render many benefits such as enhancement of soil properties,alteration of nutritional dynamics,removal of pollutants,and in the stimulation of beneficial microbial diversity in soil.The strategic application of biochar in agricultural land could help provide agronomic,economic,and environmental benefits.Since certain risks are associated with the application of biochar,attention needs to be paid while preferring for soil amendments.This present review focused on highlighting the role of microbes in plant growth.The influence of biochar on soil biota along with its detailed mechanisms was discussed further to delineate the scope of biochar in soil amendments.Further,the risks associated with the biochar amendments and the future perspectives in this research arena were highlighted.
文摘Soil biota is the living component of soil organic matter(SOM),and plays a key role in the decomposition of SOM.Both soil biota and SOM are indicators of soil fertility and soil quality.However,they both are sensitive to soil disturbance.Although researchers developed various technologies to detect soil biota and SOM,they are mostly destructive and cause disturbance to soil,which may not reflect the actual situation of soil biota and SOM.Therefore,here we mostly focused on the non-destructive physical methods for estimating soil biota and SOM and discussed their advantages and disadvantages.These methods include but not limited to acoustic detection,radio frequency identification,radioactive tagging,hyperspectral sensing and electron energy loss spectroscopy.In addition,we pointed out the current research problems and the potential research directions for applications of physical methods in estimation of soil biota and SOM.
基金German Research Foundation(DFG)in the frame of the Emmy Noether research group(Ei 862/2)German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research(iDiv)Halle-Jena-Leipzig,funded by the German Research Foundation(FZT 118)+1 种基金the US Department of Energy(DE-FG02-07ER64456)the College of Food,Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences(CFANS)at the University of Minnesota.
文摘Aims Climate warming raises the probability of range expansions of warm-adapted temperate species into areas currently dominated by cold-adapted boreal species.Warming-induced plant range expansions could partly depend on how warming modifies relationships with soil biota that promote plant growth,such as by mineralizing nutri-ents.Here,we grew two pairs of congeneric herbaceous plants spe-cies together in soil with a 5-year warming history(ambient,+1.7℃,+3.4℃)and related their performances to plant-beneficial soil biota.Methods Each plant pair belonged to either the mid-latitude temperate climate or the higher latitude southern boreal climate.Warmed soils were extracted from a chamberless heating experiment at two field sites in the temperate-boreal ecotone of North America.To isolate poten-tial effects of different soil warming histories,air temperature for the greenhouse experiment was identical across soils.We hypothesized that soil with a 5-year warming history in the field would enhance the performance of temperate plant species more than boreal plant species and expected improved plant performances to have positive associations with plant growth-promoting soil biota(microbial-feeding nematodes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi).Important Findings Our main hypothesis was partly confirmed as only one temperate spe-cies performed better in soil with warming history than in soil with his-tory of ambient temperature.Further,this effect was restricted to the site with higher soil water content in the growing season of the sampling year(prior to soil collection).One of the boreal species performed con-sistently worse in previously warmed soil,whereas the other species showed neutral responses to soil warming history.We found a positive correlation between the density of microbial-feeding nematodes and the performance of one of the temperate species in previously wetter soils,but this correlation was negative at the site with previously drier soil.We found no significant correlations between the performance of the other temperate species as well as the two boreal species and any of the studied soil biota.Our results indicate that soil warming can modify the relation between certain plant species and microbial-feeding nematodes in given soil edaphic conditions,which might be important for plant performance in the temperate-boreal ecotone.
