Assessing the relative effects of geographic location and soil type on microbial communities associated with straw decomposition.

ABSTRACT: Decomposition of plant residues is largely mediated by soil-dwelling microorganisms whose activities are influenced by both climate conditions and properties of the soil. However, a comprehensive understanding of their relative importance remains elusive, mainly because traditional methods, such as soil incubation and environmental surveys, have a limited ability to differentiate between the combined effects of climate and soil. Here, we performed a large-scale reciprocal soil transplantation experiment, whereby microbial communities associated with straw decomposition were examined in three initially identical soils placed in parallel in three climate regions of China (red soil, Chao soil, and black soil, located in midsubtropical, warm-temperate, and cold-temperate zones). Maize straws b

SUBMITTER: Sun B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3648039 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature