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The Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter and Soil Microbial Communities in the Soils of Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. Plantations in the Qinling Mountains, China

Author

Listed:
  • Hailiang Li

    (College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Yang Yang

    (College of Life Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • M. James C. Crabbe

    (Wolfson College, Oxford University, Oxford OX2 6UD, UK
    Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Bedfordshire, Luton LU1 3JU, UK
    School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China)

  • Haikui Chen

    (School of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, China)

Abstract

Soil microorganisms and dissolved organic matter (DOM) play vital roles in nutrient cycling and maintaining plant diversity. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between DOM component characteristics and microbial community structure in the soil of Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. plantations. We quantified the responses of the soil microbial and DOM characteristics to stand age in a plantation forest ecosystem using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Three humic-like components and a fulvic-like component were identified from the soil samples, and humic-like substances were the dominant component of the soil DOM of the stands of different ages. The fluorescence index showed that the sources of soil DOM in the stands of different ages throughout the growth stages may be mostly plant residues, with very little contribution from microbial sources. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that stand age and growth season had a significant effect on the contents of the soil PLFA biomarkers of L. principis-rupprechtii Mayr. Additionally, significantly higher contents of different species of soil PLFA biomarkers were observed in the young forest (17a) than in the sapling forest (7a) and half-mature forest (27a), suggesting that stand age differences in the quality and quantity of larch litter and soil physicochemical characteristics affect the microbial community structure. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that changes in the soil DOM quality and components that were driven by growth season and stand age were the major drivers of variations in the soil microbial community structure in the study region. Overall, the seasonal variations in DOM quality and components may contribute to the variability of soil microorganisms, and the soil microbial responses to tree age will depend upon the provisioning of these resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Hailiang Li & Yang Yang & M. James C. Crabbe & Haikui Chen, 2022. "The Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter and Soil Microbial Communities in the Soils of Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr. Plantations in the Qinling Mountains, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-21, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:19:p:11968-:d:922535
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