*Plant seasonal cycles alter carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) availability for soil microbes, which may affect microbial community composition and thus feed back on microbial decomposition of soil organic material and plant N availability. The temporal dynamics of these plant-soil interactions are, however, unclear. *Here, we experimentally manipulated the C and N availability in a beech forest thro...

Although we understand the ecological processes eliciting changes in plant community composition during secondary succession, we do not understand whether co-occurring changes in plant detritus shape saprotrophic microbial communities in soil. In this study, we investigated soil microbial composition and function across an old-field chronosequence ranging from 16 to 86 years following agricultu...

Here we provide an overview of current research activities on nitrogen (N) cycling in high-elevation catchments of the Colorado Front Range. We then use this information to develop a conceptual model of how snow cover controls subnivial (below snowpack) microbial processes and N leachate from the snow-soil interface to surface waters. This model is based on research that identi®es subnivial pro...

fungicides are most widely used pesticides in iran and the world. application of fungicides may affect the populations and activity of soil microorganisms, particularly fungi, with a consequence for soil fertility and crop growth. in the current study, the effects of different levels of metalaxyl on soil microbial biomass carbon (c) and nitrogen (n), microbial biomass c/n ratio and metabolic qu...

There is increasing evidence that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play essential roles in communication and competition between soil microorganisms. Here we assessed volatile-mediated interactions of a synthetic microbial community in a model system that mimics the natural conditions in the heterogeneous soil environment along the rhizosphere. Phylogenetic different soil bacterial isolates (B...

The variation in bacterial, fungal and total microbial biomass and activity was studied together with the abundance of soil nematodes and microarthropods after the addition of substrates differing in nitrogen availability to a soddy-podzolic soil. The experiments were carried out in microcosms with native and defaunated soil to evaluate stimulatory and suppressive effects of the microfauna on s...

The Pampa biome is considered one of the main hotspots of the world's biodiversity and it is estimated that half of its original vegetation was removed and converted to agricultural land and tree plantations. Although an increasing amount of knowledge is being assembled regarding the response of soil bacterial communities to land use change, to the associated plant community and to soil propert...

While much research has shown that the commonly used hydrologic tracers Br ", Cl ~ , and pentafluorobenzoic acid (PFBA) are not affected by soil microbial processes, much less work has gone into analysis of the effects of these tracers on microbial activity. In this study, we analyzed the effects of Br ', Cl ~, and PFBA at 100 mg kg ~' concentration on soil respiration, denitrification, N miner...

INTRODUCTION To promote rational and sustainable use of soil resources and to maintain the urban soil quality, it is essential to assess urban ecosystem health. In this study, the microbiological properties of urban soils in Beijing and their spatial distribution patterns across the city were evaluated based on measurements of microbial biomass carbon and urease and invertase activities of the ...