Fluctuations in Ammonia Oxidizing Communities Across Agricultural Soils are Driven by Soil Structure and pH.

ABSTRACT: The milieu in soil in which microorganisms dwell is never constant. Conditions such as temperature, water availability, pH and nutrients frequently change, impacting the overall functioning of the soil system. To understand the effects of such factors on soil functioning, proxies (indicators) of soil function are needed that, in a sensitive manner, reveal normal amplitude of variation. Thus, the so-called normal operating range (NOR) of soil can be defined. In this study we determined different components of nitrification by analyzing, in eight agricultural soils, how the community structures and sizes of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively), and their activity, fluctuate over spatial and temporal scales. The results indicated that soil pH and soil type are th

SUBMITTER: Pereira E Silva MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3291871 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature