Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T19:53:42.454Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Biogeochemical responses to nutrient, moisture and temperature manipulations of soil from Signy Island, South Orkney Islands in the Maritime Antarctic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2014

Sun Benhua ,
P.G. Dennis ,
V.A. Laudicina ,
V.J. Ord ,
S.P. Rushton ,
A.G. O’Donnell ,
K.K. Newsham  and
D.W. Hopkins
Sun Benhua
Affiliation:
College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, People’s Republic of China
P.G. Dennis
Affiliation:
Australian Centre for Ecogenomics and the Advanced Water Management Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
V.A. Laudicina
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 4 – 90128 Palermo, Italy
V.J. Ord
Affiliation:
School of Biology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
S.P. Rushton
Affiliation:
School of Biology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
A.G. O’Donnell
Affiliation:
Institute of Agriculture, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
K.K. Newsham
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
D.W. Hopkins*
Affiliation:
School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
*
*[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We have investigated how the microbially-driven processes of carbon (C) mineralization (respiration) and nitrogen (N) mineralization/immobilization in a soil from the northern Maritime Antarctic respond to differences in water availability (20% and 80% water-holding capacity) and temperature (5°C and 15°C) in the presence and absence of different organic substrates (2 mg C as either glucose, glycine or tryptone soy broth (TSB) powder (a complex microbial growth medium)) in a controlled laboratory experiment over 175 days. Soil respiration and N mineralization/immobilization in the presence of a C-rich substrate (glucose) increased with increases in water and temperature. These factors were influential individually and had an additive effect when applied together. For the N-rich substrates (glycine and TSB), microbial responses to increased water or temperature alone were weak or not significant, but these factors interacted to give significantly positive increases when applied together. These data indicate that under the expected changes in environmental conditions in the Maritime Antarctic, where temperature and the availability of water and organic substrates will probably increase, soil microbial activity will lead to more rapid C and N cycling and have a positive feedback on these biogeochemical processes, particularly where or when these factors increase concurrently.

Keywords

carbon mineralizationnitrogen mineralizationorganic substratessoil respirationwarmingwater addition
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 26 , Issue 5 , October 2014 , pp. 513 - 520
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, B., Arthern, R. & Atkinson, A. et al. 2009. The instrumental period. In Turner, J., Bindschadler, R., Convey, P., di Prisco, G., Fahrbach, E., Gutt, J., Hodgson, D., Mayewski, P. & Summerhayes, C., eds. Antarctic climate change and the environment. Cambridge: Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Scott Polar Research Institute, 183–298.Google Scholar
Allison, S.D., Wallenstein, M.D. & Bradford, M.A. 2010. Soil-carbon response to warming dependent on microbial physiology. Nature Geoscience, 3, 336–340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Convey, P. 2011. Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity in a changing world. Polar Biology, 34, 1629–1641.Google Scholar
Convey, P. 2013. Antarctic ecosystems. In Levin, S.A. Encyclopedia of biodiversity, Vol. 1. 2nd ed. Amsterdam: Academic Press, 179–188.Google Scholar
Convey, P., Hopkins, D.W., Roberts, S.J. & Tyler, A.N. 2011. Global southern limit of flowering plants and moss peat accumulation. Polar Research, 30, 10.3402/polar.v30i08929.Google Scholar
Convey, P. & Smith, R.I.L. 2006. Responses of terrestrial Antarctic ecosystems to climate change. Plant Ecology, 182, 1–10.Google Scholar
Davey, M.C. & Rothery, P. 1992. Factors causing the limitation of growth of terrestrial algae in Maritime Antarctica during late summer. Polar Biology, 12, 595–601.Google Scholar
Dennis, P.G., Rushton, S.P., Newsham, K.K., Lauducina, V.A., Ord, V.J., Daniell, T.J., O’Donnell, A.G. & Hopkins, D.W. 2012. Soil fungal community composition does not alter along a latitudinal gradient through the maritime and sub-Antarctic. Fungal Ecology, 5, 403–408. Corrigendum: Fungal Ecology, 5, 759.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dennis, P.G., Newsham, K.K., Rushton, S.P., Ord, V.J., O’Donnell, A.G. & Hopkins, D.W. 2013a. Warming constrains bacterial community responses to nutrient inputs in a southern, but not northern, maritime Antarctic soil. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 57, 248–255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dennis, P.G., Sparrow, A.D., Gregorich, E.G., Novis, P.M., Elberling, B., Greenfield, L.G. & Hopkins, D.W. 2013b. Microbial responses to carbon and nitrogen supplementation in an Antarctic dry valley soil. Antarctic Science, 25, 55–61.Google Scholar
Dungait, J.A.J., Kemmitt, S.J., Michallon, L., Guo, S.L., Wen, Q., Brookes, P.C. & Evershed, R.P. 2013. The variable response of soil microorganisms to trace concentrations of low molecular weight organic substrates of increasing complexity. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 64, 57–64.Google Scholar
Fraser, F.C., Hallett, P.D., Wookey, P.A., Hartley, I.P. & Hopkins, D.W. 2013. How do enzymes catalysing soil nitrogen mineralization respond to changing temperatures? Biology & Fertility of Soils, 49, 99–103.Google Scholar
Fowbert, J.A. & Smith, R.I.L. 1994. Rapid population increases in native vascular plants in the Argentine Islands, Antarctic Peninsula. Arctic & Alpine Research, 26, 290–296.Google Scholar
Hansen, J., Sato, M., Reudy, R., Lo, K., Lea, D.W. & Medina-Elizade, M. 2006. Global temperature change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103, 14 288–14 293.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harmsen, G.W. & van Schreven, D.A. 1955. Mineralization of organic nitrogen in soil. Advances in Agronomy, 7, 299–398.Google Scholar
Hartley, I.P. & Ineson, P. 2008. Substrate quality and the temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter decomposition. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 40, 1567–1574.Google Scholar
Hartley, I.P., Hopkins, D.W., Garnett, M.H., Sommerkorn, M. & Wookey, P.A. 2008. Soil microbial respiration in Arctic soil does not acclimate to temperature. Ecology Letters, 11, 1092–1100.Google Scholar
Hill, P.W., Farrar, J., Roberts, P., Farrell, M., Grant, H., Newsham, K.K., Hopkins, D.W., Bardgett, R.D. & Jones, D.L. 2011. Vascular plant success in a warming Antarctic may be due to efficient nitrogen acquisition. Nature Climate Change, 1, 50–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopkins, D.W., O’Donnell, A.G. & Shiel, R.S. 1988. The effect of fertilization on soil nitrifier activity in experimental grassland plots. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 5, 344–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopkins, D.W., O’Dowd, R.W. & Shiel, R.S. 1997. Comparison of D- and L-amino acid metabolism in soils with differing microbial biomass and activity. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 29, 23–29.Google Scholar
Hopkins, D.W. & Shiel, R.S. 1996. Size and activity of soil microbial communities in long-term experimental grassland plots treated with manure and inorganic fertilizers. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 22, 66–70.Google Scholar
Hopkins, D.W., Sparrow, A.D., Novis, P.M., Gregorich, E.G., Elberling, B. & Greenfield, L.G. 2006. Controls on the distribution of productivity and organic resources in Antarctic Dry Valley soils. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B273, 2687–2695.Google Scholar
Hopkins, D.W., Sparrow, A.D., Shillam, L.L., English, L.C., Dennis, P.G., Novis, P., Elberling, B., Gregorich, E.G. & Greenfield, L.G. 2008. Enzymatic activities and microbial communities in an Antarctic dry valley soil: responses to C and N supplementation. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 40, 2130–2136.Google Scholar
Hopkins, D.W., Waite, I.S. & O’Donnell, A.G. 2011. Microbial biomass, organic matter mineralization and nitrogen in soils from long-term experimental grassland plots (Palace Leas meadow hay plots, UK). European Journal of Soil Science, 62, 95–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeney, D.R., Sahrawat, K.L. & Adams, S.S. 1985. Carbon dioxide concentration in soil – effects on nitrification, denitrification and associated nitrous oxide production. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 17, 571–573.Google Scholar
Kinsbursky, R.S. & Saltzman, S. 1990. CO2-nitrification relationships in closed soil incubation vessels. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 22, 571–572.Google Scholar
Malosso, E., English, L., Hopkins, D.W. & O’Donnell, A.G. 2004. Use of 13C-labelled plant materials and ergosterol, PLFA and NLFA analyses to investigate organic matter decomposition in Antarctic soil. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 36, 165–175.Google Scholar
Malosso, E., English, L., Hopkins, D.W. & O’Donnell, A.G. 2005. Community level physiological profile response to plant residue additions in Antarctic soils. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 42, 60–65.Google Scholar
Meli, S.M., Badalucco, L., English, L.C. & Hopkins, D.W. 2003. Respiratory responses of soil micro-organisms to simple and complex organic substrates. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 37, 96–101.Google Scholar
Newsham, K.K., Pearce, D.A. & Bridge, P.D. 2010. Minimal influence of water and nutrient content on the bacterial community composition of a maritime Antarctic soil. Microbiological Research, 165, 523–530.Google Scholar
Simmons, B.L., Wall, D.H., Adams, B.J., Ayres, E., Barrett, J.E. & Virginia, R.A. 2009. Long-term experimental warming reduces soil nematode populations in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 41, 2052–2060.Google Scholar
Smith, R.I.L. 1994. Vascular plants as bioindicators of regional warming in Antarctica. Oecologia, 99, 322–328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sparrow, A.D., Gregorich, E.G., Hopkins, D.W., Novis, P., Elberling, B. & Greenfield, L.G. 2011. Resource limitations on soil microbial activity in an Antarctic dry valley. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 75, 2188–2197.Google Scholar
Thomas, E.R., Dennis, P.F., Bracegirdle, T.J. & Franzke, C. 2009. Ice core evidence for significant 100-year regional warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. Geophysical Research Letters, 36, 10.1029/2009GL040104.Google Scholar
Wilson, K., Sprent, J.I. & Hopkins, D.W. 1997. Nitrification in Antarctic soils. Nature, 385, 404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wynn-Williams, D.D. 1996. Response of pioneer soil microalgal colonists to environmental change in Antarctica. Microbial Ecology, 31, 177–188.Google Scholar
Yergeau, E., Bokhorst, S., Kang, S., Zhou, J.Z., Greer, C.W., Aerts, R. & Kowalchuk, G.A. 2012. Shifts in soil microorganisms in response to warming are consistent across a range of Antarctic environments. ISME Journal, 6, 692–702.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zak, D.R., Holmes, W.E., MacDonald, N.W. & Pregitzer, K.S. 1999. Soil temperature, matric potential, and the kinetics of microbial respiration and nitrogen mineralization. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 63, 575–584.Google Scholar