Pedosphere 26(3): 386--398, 2016
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2016 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Temperature and straw quality regulate the microbial phospholipid fatty acid composition associated with straw decomposition |
ZHOU Gui-Xiang1,2,3, ZHANG Jia-Bao1 , CHEN Lin4, ZHANG Cong-Zhi1 and YU Zheng-Hong1,3
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1State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China)
2Poyang Lake Eco-economy Research Center, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332005 (China)
3
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)
4
Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Variations in temperature and moisture play an important role in soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. However, relationships between changes in microbial community composition induced by increasing temperature and SOM decomposition are still unclear. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of temperature and moisture levels on soil respiration and microbial communities involved in straw decomposition and elucidate the impact of microbial communities on straw mass loss. A 120-d litterbag experiment was conducted using wheat and maize straw at three levels of soil moisture (40%, 70%, and 90% of water-holding capacity) and temperature (15, 25, and 35°C). The microbial communities were then assessed by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. With the exception of fungal PLFAs in maize straw at day 120, the PLFAs indicative of Gram-negative bacteria and fungi decreased with increasing temperatures. Temperature and straw C/N ratio significantly affected the microbial PLFA composition at the early stage, while soil microbial biomass carbon (C) had a stronger effect than straw C/N ratio at the later stage. Soil moisture levels exhibited no significant effect on microbial PLFA composition. Total PLFAs significantly influenced straw mass loss at the early stage of decomposition, but not at the later stage. In addition, the ratio of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial PLFAs was negatively correlated with the straw mass loss. These results indicated that shifts in microbial PLFA composition induced by temperature, straw quality, and microbial C sources could lead to changes in straw decomposition. |
| Key Words: bacteria, fungi, microbial biomass C, microbial community, soil respiration, temperature sensitivity |
| Citation: Zhou, G. X., Zhang, J. B., Chen, L., Zhang, C. Z. and Yu, Z. H. 2016. Temperature and straw quality regulate the microbial phospholipid fatty acid composition associated with straw decomposition. Pedosphere. 26(3): 386-398. |
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