Premium
Microbial biomass and activity on railway track and embankments
Author(s) -
Cederlund Harald,
Stenström John
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
pest management science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.296
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1526-4998
pISSN - 1526-498X
DOI - 10.1002/ps.884
Subject(s) - respiration , biomass (ecology) , organic matter , environmental science , botany , ecology , environmental chemistry , horticulture , soil science , biology , chemistry
The spatial distribution of microbial biomass and microbial activity was studied in two Swedish railway embankments (located close to Mora and Nässjö). Basal respiration and substrate‐induced respiration (SIR) as well as the active ( r ) and dormant ( K ) fractions of the microbial biomass were determined in samples taken from the surface layer of the ballast. The SIR, r , K and basal respiration values were all of an overall low magnitude, but were highly variable over short distances on the track. Both the biomass and basal respiration were higher on the sides of the embankment than in the middle of the tracks. SIR, K and basal respiration were correlated to the organic matter content as measured by loss on ignition, whereas r was not. None of the parameters correlated with pH. It is proposed that organic matter content could be used as a predictor for microbial biomass in railway embankments. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry