6 Conclusions
Microbial communities in soil represent a high diversity and density of biotic interactions. Fungi and bacteria dominate the microbial biomass and the potential activity is generally restricted by low nutrient availability in soil. Fresh plant residues and exudates provide the main internal source of nutrients in natural ecosystems. Substrate input rapidly stimulates catabolic and anabolic processes leading to high metabolic and microbial quotients. The respiratory quotient is additionally increased under growth conditions. The interaction between respiration, microbial C and organic C content in soil is discussed with reference to an integrative energetic indicator for soil organic matter quality.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anderson T-H (1994) Physiological analysis of microbial communities in soil: application and limitation. In: Ritz K, Dighton J, Giller KE (eds) Beyond the biomass. Wiley, Chichester, pp 67–76
Anderson T-H, Domsch K-H (1985a) Maintenance requirement of actively metabolizing microbial populations under in situ conditions. Soil Biol Biochem 17:197–203
Anderson T-H, Domsch K-H (1985b) Determination of ecophysiological maintenance carbon requirement of soil microorganisms in a dormant state. Biol Fertil Soil 1:81–89
Anderson T-H, Domsch K-H (1989) Ratios of microbial biomass carbon to total organic carbon in arable soils. Soil Biol Biochem 21: 471–479
Anderson T-H, Gray TRG (1991) The influence of soil organic carbon on themicrobial growth and survival. In: Wilson ES (ed) The impact on agriculture and the environment. Adv Soil Organ Matter Res Spec Publ 90:253–266
Atlas RM, Bartha R (1998) Microbial ecology: Fundamentals and Applications. Addison-Wesley, Reading
Berg B, McClaugherty C (2003) Plant litter. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Bremer E, van Kessel C (1990) Extractability of microbial 14C and 15N following addition of variable rates of glucose and (NH4)2SO4 to soil. Soil Biol Biochem 22:707–713
Cheng W, Zhang Q, Coleman DC, Carroll CR, Hoffmann CA (1996) Is available carbon limiting microbial respiration in the rhizosphere? Soil Biol Biochem 28:1283–1288
Cherepnev GV, Abreimova YV, Yakovleva GY, Kurinenko BM (2003) The morphological and physiological differences between fast-and slow-growing Escherichia coli cells. Microbiology 72:238–239
Dilly O (2001a) Microbial respiratory quotient during basal metabolism and after glucose amendment in soils and litter. Soil Biol Biochem 33: 117–127
Dilly O (2001b) Metabolic and anabolic responses of four arable and forest soils to nutrient addition. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 164:29–34
Dilly O (2003) Regulation of the respiratory quotient of soil microbiota by availability of nutrients. FEMS Microb Ecol 43:375–381
Dilly O, Munch JC (1996) Microbial biomass content, basal respiration and enzyme activities during the course of decomposition of leaf litter in a black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) forest. Soil Biol Biochem 28:1073–1081
Dilly O, Winter K, Lang A, Munch JC (2001) Energetic eco-physiology of the soil microbiota in two landscapes of southern and northern Germany. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 164:407–413
Dilly O, Blume H-P, Sehy U, Jimenez M, Munch JC (2003) Variation of stabilised, microbial and biologically active carbon and nitrogen in soil under contrasting land use and agricultural management practices. Chemosphere 52:557–569
Elliott ET (1994) The potential use of soil biotic activity as an indicator of productivity, sustainability and pollution. In: Pankhurst CE, Doube BM, Gupta VVSR, Grace PR (eds) Soil biota. Management in sustainable farming systems. CSIRO, Melbourne, Australia, pp 250–256
Elliott ET (1997) Rationale for developing bioindicators of soil health. In: Pankhurst C, Doube BM, Gupta VVSR (eds) Biological indicators of soil health. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 49–78
Fließbach A, Martens R, Reber HH (1994) Soil microbial biomass and microbial activity in soils treated with heavy metal contaminated sewage sludge. Soil Biol Biochem 26:1201–1205
Gray TRG, Williams ST (1971) Soil microorganisms. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh
Grayston SJ, Vaugham D, Jones D (1996) Rhizosphere carbon flow in trees, in comparison with annual plants: theimportance of root exudationandits impact on microbial activity and nutrient availability. Appl Soil Ecol 5:29–56
Insam H, Haselwandter K (1989) Metabolic quotient of the soil microflora in relation to plant succession. Oecologia 79:174–178
Insam H, Hutchinson TC, Reber HH (1996) Effects of heavy metal stress on the metabolic quotient of the soil microflora. Soil Biol Biochem 28:491–494
ISSS/ISRIC/FAO (1998) World reference base for soil resources. World soil resources, report 84. FAO, Rome
Joergensen RG (1995) Die quantitative Bestimmung der mikrobiellen Biomasse in Böden mit der Chloroform-Fumigations-Extraktions-Methode. Gött Bodenkd Ber 104:1–229
Killham K (1994) Soil ecology. Cambridge University Press
Kjøller A, Struwe S (1992) Functional groups of microfungi in decomposition. In: Carroll, GC, Wicklow DT (eds) The fungal community. Dekker, New York, pp 619–630
Litz N (1992) Organische Verbindungen. In: Blume, H-P (ed) Handbuch des Bodenschutzes. Bodenökologie und-belastung. Vorbeugende und abwehrende Schutzmaßnahmen. Ecomed, Landsberg, pp 353–399
Madigan MT, Martinko JM, Parker J (2003) Brock. Biology of microorganisms. Prentice Hall. Pearson Education, London
Odum EP (1985) Trends expected in stressed ecosystems. BioScience 35:419–422
Paul EA, Clark FE (1989) Soil microbiology and biochemistry. Academic Press, San Diego
Schlesinger WH (1997) Biogeochemistry. An analysis of global change. Academic Press, San Diego
Sparling GP (1992) Ratio between microbial biomass carbon to soil organic carbon as a sensitive indicator of changes in soil organic matter. Aust J Soil Res 30:195–207
Sparling GP (1997) Soil microbial biomass, activity and nutrient cycling as indicators of soil health. In: Pankhurst C, Doube BM, Gupta VVSR (eds) Biological indicators of soil health. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 97–119
Swift MJ, Woomer P (1993) Organic matter and the sustainability of agricultural systems: definition and measurement. In: Mulongoy K, Merckx R (eds) Soil organic matter dynamics and sustainability of tropical agriculture. Wiley-Sayce Co-Publication, IITA/KU Leuven, pp 3–18
Tate RL (2000) Soil microbiology. Wiley, New York
Torsvik V, Goksøyr J, Daae FL (1990) High diversity in DNA of soil bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 56:782–787
Wardle DA, Ghani A (1995) A critique of the microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2) as a bioindicator of disturbance and ecosystem development. Soil Biol Biochem 27:1601–1610
Winogradsky MS (1924) Sur la microflore autochtone de la terre arable. Comptes Rendus 178:1236–1239
Witter A, Kanal E (1998) Characteristics of the soil microbial biomass in soils from a longterm field experiment with different levels of C input. Appl Soil Ecol 10:7–49
Ziegler H (1983) Physiologie des Stoff-und Energiestoffwechsels. In: Von Denffer D, Ziegler H, Ehrendorfer F, Bresinsky A (eds) Lehrbuch der Botanik für Hochschulen. Fischer, Stuttgart, pp 216–483
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dilly, O. (2005). Microbial Energetics in Soils. In: Varma, A., Buscot, F. (eds) Microorganisms in Soils: Roles in Genesis and Functions. Soil Biology, vol 3. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-26609-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-26609-7_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-22220-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-26609-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)