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Methods of Soil Resampling to Monitor Changes in the Chemical Concentrations of Forest Soils
Published on: November 25, 2016
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Microbial activity in forest soil reflects the changes in ecosystem properties between summer and winter
Lucia Žifčáková1, Tomáš Větrovský1, Adina Howe2
1Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology of the ASCR, v.v.i., Vídeňská 1083, Praha 4, 14220, Czech Republic.
Environmental Microbiology
|August 20, 2015
Summary
Microbial communities in coniferous forests, vital carbon sinks, shift seasonally. Fungal activity, especially ectomycorrhizal fungi, is strongly linked to plant photosynthesis, impacting forest soil function.
Area of Science:
- Forest ecology
- Soil microbiology
- Biogeochemistry
Background:
- Coniferous forests are critical global carbon sinks.
- Microbial communities play a key role in forest ecosystem functioning.
- Understanding seasonal dynamics is essential for forest carbon cycling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the seasonal role of microbial taxa in Picea abies-dominated forest soil.
- To analyze microbial community and enzyme activity in summer and late winter.
- To determine the impact of plant photosynthetic activity on microbial functioning.
Main Methods:
- Combined metatranscriptomics, microbial community analysis, and enzyme activity assays.
- Compared microbial activity in forest soil and litter during two contrasting seasons.
- Assessed transcript profiles and abundance of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal taxa.
Main Results:
- Fungal transcription dominated, especially in litter (over 50%).
- Significant seasonal differences in transcript profiles were observed for fungi, archaea, and bacteria.
- Fungal contribution to soil transcription decreased from 33% in summer to 16% in winter, linked to reduced ectomycorrhizal fungi activity.
Conclusions:
- Plant photosynthetic production is a major driver of seasonal microbial community shifts in coniferous forests.
- Seasonal changes in microbial functioning are more pronounced in soil than in litter.
- Ectomycorrhizal fungi activity is particularly sensitive to the availability of photosynthates.
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