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Effects of slope exposure on soil physico-chemical and microbiological properties along an altitudinal climosequence in the Italian Alps.
- Source :
-
Science of the Total Environment . Jan2017, Vol. 575, p1041-1055. 15p. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Due to their sensitivity to changing environmental conditions sub- and alpine soils are often monitored in the context of climate change, usually, however, neglecting slope exposure. Therefore, we set up a climosequence-approach to study the effect of exposure and, in general, climate, on the microbial biomass and microbial diversity and activity, comprising five pairs of north (N)- and south (S)-facing sites along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 1200 to 2400 m a.s.l. in the Italian Alps (Trentino Alto Adige, Italy). Soil physico-chemical properties were related to microbiological properties (microbial biomass: double strand DNA yield vs. substrate-induced respiration; diversity of bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities: genetic fingerprinting DGGE vs. real-time PCR; microbial activity: basal respiration vs. multiple hydrolytic enzyme assays) to monitor shifts in the diversity and activity of microbial communities as a function of slope exposure and to evaluate the most determinant chemical parameters shaping the soil microbiota. The exposure-effect on several hydrolytic key-enzymes was enzyme-specific: e.g. acid phosphomonoesterase potential activity was more pronounced at the N-facing slope while the activities of alkaline phosphomonoesterase, pyrophosphate-phosphodiesterase and arylsulfatase were higher at the S-facing slope. Furthermore, this exposure-effect was domain-specific: bacteria (S > N, altitude-independent); fungi (N ~ S); and archaea (N > S; altitude-dependent). Additionally, the abiotic parameters shaping the community composition were in general depending on soil depth. Our multidisciplinary approach allowed us to survey the exposure and altitudinal effects on soil physico-chemical and microbiological properties and thus unravel the complex multiple edaphic factor-effects on soil microbiota in mountain ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *MOUNTAINS
*MOUNTAIN soils
*BIOMASS
*MICROBIAL diversity
*DNA fingerprinting
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00489697
- Volume :
- 575
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Science of the Total Environment
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 120225700
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.176