Microbial communities show parallels at sites with distinct litter and soil characteristics.

ABSTRACT: Plant and microbial community composition in connection with soil chemistry determines soil nutrient cycling. The study aimed at demonstrating links between plant and microbial communities and soil chemistry occurring among and within four sites: two pine forests with contrasting soil pH and two grasslands of dissimilar soil chemistry and vegetation. Soil was characterized by C and N content, particle size, and profiles of low-molecular-weight compounds determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of soil extracts. Bacterial and actinobacterial community composition was assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and cloning followed by sequencing. Abundances of bacteria, fungi, and actinobacteria were determined by quantitative PCR. In addition, a

SUBMITTER: Sagova-Mareckova M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3209186 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature