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Energetic eco‐physiology of the soil microbiota in two landscapes of southern and northern Germany
Author(s) -
Dilly Oliver,
Winter Karin,
Lang Andreas,
Munch JeanCharles
Publication year - 2001
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 - 10.1002/1522-2624(200108)164:4<407::aid-jpln407>3.0.co;2-9
Subject(s) - soil water , arable land , organic matter , chemistry , grassland , biomass (ecology) , soil organic matter , total organic carbon , environmental chemistry , agronomy , ecology , environmental science , soil science , agriculture , biology
Interactions between microbial communities and organic matter were analyzed for soils from the project regions ’Ecosystem Research in the Agricultural Landscape/FAM, Munich’ in southern Germany and ’Ecosystem Research in the Bornhöved Lake district’ from northern Germany using ratios between microbial biomass content (C mic ), microbial metabolic quotient ( q CO 2 ) and organic carbon content (C org ). In the agricultural soils in southern Germany, the q CO 2 /C org ratio differed significantly with respect to agricultural management in contrast to ecophysiological C mic /C org ratio. In addition, C mic /C org ratio decreased from 39 to 21 mg C mic g —1 C org and q CO 2 /C org ratio increased from 72 to 180 mg CO 2 ‐C g —1 C mic h —1 (g C org g —1 soil) —1 with increasing soil depth. For the upper soil horizons from the landscape in northern Germany the two quotients differed significantly with reference to land use showing highest microbial colonization under grassland and lowest under beech forest. In contrast, C use efficiency was lowest in arable field under maize monoculture and highest in a wet grassland having a high organic C content.