Winter respiration is a quantitatively important, yet variable flux of carbon dioxide (CO2) from soils to the atmosphere. Variability in winter soil respiration may be influenced by the effects of snowfall on microbial communities and their metabolic activities. In this study, we evaluated the importance of snowpack depth on soil respiration and microbial communities in a temperate deciduous fo...

This greenhouse experiment aimed to investigate the effects of poultry manure (PM) on the growth of oat plant (Avena sativa) and removal of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) from soil. The treatments consisted of three TPH levels (4%, 6%, and 8% w/w) and two PM levels (zero and 1%) at three replications. According to the findings, shoot height, number of leaves, and the fresh and dry...

Decomposition of litter mixtures generally cannot be predicted from the component species incubated in isolation. Therefore, such non-additive effects of litter mixing on soil C and N dynamics remain poorly understood in terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, litters of Mongolian pine and three dominant understory species and soil were collected from a Mongolian pine plantation in Northeast Chi...

Sewage-sludge may improve soil fertility but there is concern about effects of sludge metals on soil micro-organisms and microbial processes. In a series of laboratory incubations of soil–sludge mixes, effects of varying sludge metal (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) contents on respiration, biomass C and N, and N mineralization were measured. Individual metals were added to a standard sludge in separate...

Natural grasslands are an important renewable resource for livestock production. Grazing in these areas alters the plant community composition, litter quality, and soil microbial structure activity. Three cool-season species were studied a semiarid rangeland area of Argentina: Poa ligularis Nassella tenuis (desirable/preferred livestock) Amelichloa ambigua (undesirable/non preferred). The objec...