Application of a microalgal slurry to soil stimulates heterotrophic activity and promotes bacterial growth

Active microalgae biomass from wastewater treatment may be given added value as a biofertilizer, but little is known about how this may affect soil nutrient dynamics and biology. If the goal is to recycle waste nutrients and matter, live algae applied in a liquid slurry to soil may add both organic carbon and nutrients while providing other benefits such as biological carbon fixation. However, the potential persistence of unicellular green algae after such an application is not known, nor the influence of their photosynthetic activity on soil organic carbon - the aim of the present study was to probe these basic questions. In a controlled laboratory microcosm experiment, suspensions of Chlorella sp. microalga culture and sterile filtrates were applied to an agricultural soil and incubated for 42days, whereas the effect of darkness was also tested to understand the importance of photosynthetic activity of the algae. Autotrophic microorganism development was 3.5 times higher in treatments with algae application as measured by chlorophyll pigment concentration. Against expectations that increased photosynthetic activity would decrease the CO₂-C flux, the algal suspension with a photoperiod significantly increased soil respiration compared to culture filtrates without algal cells, with accumulated quantities of 1.8 and 0.7gCO₂-Cm^-2, respectively. Also, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses showed that the suspension accelerated the development of a stable community of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microorganisms in the soil surface, whereas bacterial PLFA biomarkers were significantly associated with eukaryote biomarkers on the study level.