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Microbial Utilization and Transformation of Humic Acids Extracted from Different Soils
Author(s) -
Filip Zdenek,
Pecher Werner,
Berthelin Jacques
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of plant nutrition and soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1522-2624
pISSN - 1436-8730
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-2624(199903)162:2<215::aid-jpln215>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - humin , chemistry , podzol , humic acid , environmental chemistry , chernozem , soil water , organic chemistry , fertilizer , biology , ecology
Humic acids (HA) extracted from Chernozem (Haplic Phaeozem), Brown Earth (Cambic Umbrisol) and Podzol (Humic Podzol) were added as a supplemental source of nutrients, or as the sole sources of carbon and nitrogen to aerobic cultures of complex microbial communities indigenous to the same individual soils. Depending on nutrient conditions in the individual cultures and origin of HA, between 14 and 86 % of the added HA was utilized. The formation of microbial biomass was enhanced up to six fold in the full‐strength nutrient media supplemented with humic acids but was strongly inhibited if HA served as the sole C source. HA preparations re‐isolated from the microbial cultures exhibited elemental and structural changes characteristic for early diagenetic transformations of humic substances. These included an increase in carbon content, C:N ratio, infra‐red absorption typical for aromatics, and a decrease in infra‐red absorption associated with aliphatic acids, nitrogenous and carbohydrate‐like substances.