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Published on: September 11, 2016
[Microbial community abundance and diversity in typical karst ecosystem to indicate soil carbon cycle]
Abstract:
The soil microbial characteristics were detected to clarify their indications in organic carbon cycle in karst system. Soil samples from three karst types (saddle, depression and slop) at 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm layers were collected in the Yaji Karst Experimental Site, a typical karst ecosystem. The microbial diversity and abundance were assayed using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and fluorescence quantitative PCR. The data showed that the highest abundance of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA were in depression with 1.32 x 10(11) copies x g(-1) and in saddle with 1.12 x 10(10) copies x g(-1), respectively. The abundance of 16S rRNA in saddle and depression decreased from top to bottom, while that of 18S rRNA in three karst forms decreased, which showed that the abundance changed consistently with soil organic carbon (SOC). The 3 diversity indices of 16S rRNA and 6 diversity indices of 18S rRNA increased from top to bottom in soil profiles of three karst forms. These results showed that microbial diversity changed conversely with the abundance and SOC in soil profile. It can be concluded that the abundance was more important than the diversity index for soil carbon cycle in karst system.
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