Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 10, 2026

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments
Published on: July 24, 2018
Response of rhizosphere microbial community structure and diversity to heavy metal co-pollution in arable soil
Linjing Deng1, Guangming Zeng, Changzheng Fan
1College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Due to the emerging environmental issues related to heavy metals, concern about the soil quality of farming lands near manufacturing district is increasing. Investigating the function of soil microorganisms exposed to long-term heavy metal contamination is meaningful and important for agricultural soil utilization. This article studied the potential influence of several heavy metals on microbial biomass, activity, abundance, and community composition in arable soil near industrial estate in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, China. The results showed that soil organic contents (SOC) were significantly positive correlated with heavy metals, whereas dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was greatly depressed by the heavy metal stress. Negative correlation was found between heavy metals and basal soil respiration (BSR), and no correlation was found between heavy metals and microbial biomass content (MBC). The quantitative PCR (QPCR) and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis could suggest that heavy metal pollution has significantly decreased abundance of bacteria and fungi and also changed their community structure. The results could contribute to evaluate heavy metal pollution level in soil. By combining different environmental parameters, it would promote the better understanding of heavy metal effect on the size, structure, and activity of microbial community in arable soil.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Soil Microbial Ecology
Acid Mine Drainage
Introduction to Microbial Ecology
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
Bioremediation
Methods to Assess Microbial Communities

