Effect of Long-Term Zinc Pollution on Soil Microbial Community Resistance to Repeated Contamination

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of stress (contamination trials) on the microorganisms in zinc-polluted soil (5,018 mg Zn kg−1 soil dry weight) and unpolluted soil (141 mg Zn kg−1 soil dw), measured as soil respiration rate. In the laboratory, soils were subjected to copper contamination (0, 500, 1,500 and 4,500 mg kg−1 soil dw), and then a bactericide (oxytetracycline) combined with a fungicide (captan) along with glucose (10 mg g−1 soil dw each) were added. There was a highly significant effect of soil type, copper treatment and oxytetracycline/captan treatment. The initial respiration rate of chronically zinc-polluted soil was higher than that of unpolluted soil, but in the copper treatment it showed a greater decline. Microorganisms in copper-treated soil were more susceptible to oxytetracycline/captan contamination. After the successive soil contamination trials the decline of soil respiration was greater in zinc-polluted soil than in unpolluted soil

Patterns and drivers of soil microbial communities in Tibetan alpine and global terrestrial ecosystems

AimSoil microorganisms play key roles in regulating many important ecosystem processes. However, our understanding of the patterns and drivers of soil microbial communities remains limited. This study aims to test the hypothesis that edaphic factors are more important in explaining variations in soil microbial communities than climatic and biotic factors, as soils directly provide substrates and environment for soil microbial communities. LocationTibetan alpine grasslands and global terrestrial biomes. MethodsOn the basis of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, we investigated large-scale patterns and drivers of soil microbial communities using data obtained from 196 sites within two major grassland types (alpine steppe and alpine meadow) on the Tibetan Plateau. We also explored global patterns of soil microbial communities by analysing published data from around the world. ResultsSoil microbial PLFAs in Tibetan alpine grasslands were positively associated with mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation (MAP), contradicting patterns previously observed across global biomes. A combined stepwise regression and variation partitioning analysis revealed that soil microbial community variations in Tibetan alpine grasslands were mainly explained by edaphic factors, such as soil organic carbon, C:N ratio, pH and soil texture, then by biotic factors, such as aboveground biomass and plant species richness, and further by climatic factors, such as MAP. The global analysis confirmed that edaphic factors accounted for a greater portion of the variation in soil microbial communities than did climatic and biotic variables. Main conclusionsThese results provide strong support for the hypothesis that edaphic factors are the dominant drivers of spatial variations in soil microbial communities across regional and global scales

Linking microbial C:N:P stoichiometry to microbial community and abiotic factors along a 3500-km grassland transect on the Tibetan Plateau

AimTo explore large-scale patterns and the drivers of carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry in heterotrophic microbes. LocationA 3500-km grassland transect on the Tibetan Plateau. MethodsWe investigated large-scale C:N:P stoichiometry patterns in the soil microbial biomass and their relationships with abiotic factors and soil microbial community structures by obtaining soil samples from 173 sites across the Tibetan alpine grasslands. ResultsC:N:P ratios in the soil microbial biomass varied widely among grassland types, with higher microbial C:N, C:P and N:P ratios in the alpine steppe than the alpine meadow. The soil microbial C:N:P ratio (81:6:1) in the alpine steppe was significantly wider than the global average (42:6:1). Combined stepwise regression and generalized additive models revealed that variations in the microbial C:N ratio were primarily related to abiotic variables, with the microbial C:N ratio exhibiting a decreasing trend along the precipitation gradient. In contrast, variations in microbial C:P and N:P ratios were primarily associated with shifts in the community structure of soil microbes. The microbial C:P and N:P ratios were both negatively associated with all components of the soil microbial communities. However, the fungi to bacteria ratio only regulated the microbial C:P ratio. Main conclusionsThese results demonstrate that microbial C:N:P stoichiometry exhibits significant flexibility across various ecosystem types. This flexibility is partly induced by shifts in microbial community structure and variations in environmental conditions