European Journal of Soil Biology最新文献

{"title":"Crop rotation and organic fertilizer maintains diversity and activity of cbbL-carrying CO2-fixing bacteria in reclaimed coal mining soils","authors":"Shuning Bai ,&nbsp;Meihua Fan ,&nbsp;Min Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaolong Sui ,&nbsp;Yibo Song ,&nbsp;Yunlong Jiang ,&nbsp;Huisheng Meng ,&nbsp;Yulin Liu ,&nbsp;Xiangying Wang ,&nbsp;Xianjun Hao ,&nbsp;Yi Li ,&nbsp;Jianping Hong ,&nbsp;Jie Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103759","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103759","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>CO₂-fixing bacteria are an important factor in restoring soil health in coal mining areas. The impact of crop rotation and fertilization on CO₂-fixing bacteria in reclaimed mining soils remains unclear. To narrow this knowledge gap, in this study, maize (<em>Zea mays</em> L.) monoculture (M) and maize-soybean (<em>Glycine max</em>) rotation (R) cropping systems were set up in a coal-mining reclamation area with four fertilization treatments in each, namely, CK (without fertilization), inorganic fertilizer (F), organic fertilizer (O), and combined organic and inorganic fertilizer (OF). The abundance, diversity, community composition and RubisCO activity of CO₂-fixing bacteria in topsoil under those treatments were investigated respectively using quantitative PCR, high-throughput sequencing based on the <em>cbbL</em> gene [that encodes ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO)] and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that R_O significantly increased easily oxidized organic carbon (EOC), total nitrogen (TN), and available nitrogen (AN) (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). It also significantly increased the biomass of CO₂-fixing bacteria (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and altered the CO₂-fixing bacterial community. The CO₂-fixing bacteria in R_OF, R_O and M_O exhibited comparable community structures and harbored a greater co-occurrence network complexity than other treatments. Several CO₂-fixing bacteria associated with nitrogen cycling, such as <em>Devosia</em>, <em>Nitrobacter</em>, Hyphomicrobiales and <em>Nitrosospira</em>, were significantly enriched under the maize-soybean rotation system (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). This study implied that crop rotation and organic fertilizer application could synergistically foster soil quality restoration in coal mining area by elevating soil nutrients and maintaining biomass, diversity and community structure of <em>cbbL</em>-carrying CO₂-fixing bacteria, establishing a theoretical foundation for optimizing carbon sequestration strategies in post-mining ecological rehabilitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103759"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multifunctional endophytic bacteria intimately associated within spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a chernozem soil in Central Europe","authors":"Helmut Baltruschat ,&nbsp;Johanna Hummel ,&nbsp;Marit Gillmeister ,&nbsp;Stefan Ratering ,&nbsp;Kathrin Kabrodt ,&nbsp;Ewald Sieverding ,&nbsp;Fritz Oehl","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103760","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103760","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chernozems are counted among the most fertile soils worldwide. Unexpectedly high spore density and species richness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were found in a long-term field trial established on such a soil. The purpose of the present study was to estimate bacterial communities associated within spores of selected AMF species from a long-term field trial on a highly fertile Calcic Chernozem to unravel their diversity belonging to different genera and species. We hypothized that high AMF species richness found in the Chernozem soil is reflected in a bacterial diversity with multifunctional traits mediated by indigenous bacterial compositions. The AMF species <em>Funneliformis mosseae</em>, <em>Scutellospora calospora</em> and <em>Septoglomus nigrum</em> were selected, since they occurred abundantly both in reduced and conventional tillage systems. The pure cultures of isolated bacterial strains were tested for ecological functions (traits) such as phosphorus solubilization, siderophore production, indole-3-acetic acid production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity. In addition, antimicrobial activity against both hemibiotrophic and necrotrophic fungi and oomycetes was evaluated. The majority of bacterial strains was exclusively associated with only one of the three AMF species, thus, giving evidence that each AMF species may harbor its own bacterial community. A large number of bacterial communities was shown to exert multifunctional activities ranging from plant growth promotion traits to antimicrobial activity. These findings suggest that the multifunctionality of bacteria intimately associated with AMF could markedly expand the ecological function of an autochthonous AMF population and empower host plants to explore robust ways to cope with changing environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103760"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144724608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ant-isopod interactions: spanning predation, facilitation, and myrmecophily","authors":"Thomas Parmentier ,&nbsp;Stefano Taiti ,&nbsp;Pallieter De Smedt","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103753","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103753","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ants and terrestrial isopods are two key groups within soil ecosystems both in terms of their biomass and the vital functions they contribute to. Despite the ecological importance of both groups and their frequent interactions, the dynamics between ants and terrestrial isopods remain poorly understood. We provide a systematic overview and discuss the diverse spectrum of ant-isopod interactions ranging from predation, through facilitation, to myrmecophily.</div><div>A limited number of ant species, restricted to the genus <em>Leptogenys</em>, specialize in preying on isopods, while a very broad group of ants opportunistically include them in their diet. To evade ant predation, terrestrial isopods employ defensive strategies such as avoidance, conglobation or secretion of repellent substances. Apart from the direct negative impacts of predation, ants impose several non-lethal effects on terrestrial isopods, influencing their spatial distribution, behaviour, and fitness. Invasive ants may, in contrast, indirectly benefit isopods by feeding on their predators or competitors. A diverse group of isopods are not deterred by ants and reside in their nests. These myrmecophilous isopods vary from facultative associates, which cohabit with ants only occasionally and are represented by many records, to obligate guests that live permanently within ant nests. These obligate guests thrive in ant fortresses by specific behavioural, chemical and morphological adaptations. Their effect on the host can range from negative to neutral, or potentially even beneficial. Though modest in number, with 23 species across 10 genera, the diversity of obligate myrmecophilous isopods showcases a fascinating pattern of independent evolution in soil ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103753"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deciphering the microbial mechanisms underlying glucose induced soil priming effects under low and high nutrient levels","authors":"Jiaqi Wang ,&nbsp;Xichang Zhang ,&nbsp;Yingyi Fu ,&nbsp;Lukas Van Zwieten ,&nbsp;Han Sun ,&nbsp;Georg Guggenberger ,&nbsp;Lingfei Hu ,&nbsp;Yu Luo ,&nbsp;Tida Ge ,&nbsp;Yakov Kuzyakov","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103757","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103757","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil priming effect, which refers to the impact of labile carbon inputs on the decomposition of soil organic matter, plays a significant role in carbon storage. Investigating substrate induced soil priming effects and the involved microbial mechanisms, particularly under nutrients gradient, is central to the understanding of carbon processes and potential accrual in agriculture soil. Thus, a 7 days laboratory incubation was conducted to assess ¹³C labeled glucose induced priming effects in soil receiving the high (TH) and low nutrient (TL) addition. Also, DNA-SIP coupled with metagenomic were adopted to identify the core microbial groups and functional guild responsible for soil priming effects. Here, we found that i) soil priming effects were significantly larger in TL treatment than in the TH treatment, and ii) the larger priming in TL was likely driven by N-mining processes dominated by K-strategy microbes, whereas less priming in TH might be explained by co-metabolism led by r-strategy microbes. Additionally, functional changes of microbial community were revealed by Shotgun sequencing. Both KEGG, EggNOG and CAZymes showed the relative abundance of the functional genes (e.g., GH13_10 and GH77) encoding cellulase enzymes involved in soil organic carbon decomposition were more abundant in TL compared to TH, suggesting higher priming effects in TL was mainly due to the nutrient constraints on microbial demands. This study revealed the main microbial groups and their functions in glucose induced soil priming effects under low and high nutrient levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103757"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144655953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pedogenesis of volcanic ash soils determines the soil microbial pool and its contribution to nutrient availability","authors":"John Clunes ,&nbsp;Rebecca Hood-Nowotny ,&nbsp;Celia Férnandez-Balado ,&nbsp;Susan Valle ,&nbsp;Sabine Huber ,&nbsp;Ferdinand Hartmann ,&nbsp;Niklas Bruhn ,&nbsp;Christoph Rosinger ,&nbsp;Dante Pinochet ,&nbsp;Lorena Lagos ,&nbsp;Katharina Keiblinger","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103756","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103756","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pedogenesis is a key factor driving nutrient immobilization and mineralization, particularly relevant in the fertility management of volcanic soils. These processes have a strong effect on plant production, but also on the functionality of a soil microbial pool. This research aimed to determine the effect of substrate addition on soil microbial pool, substrate use and nitrogen availability by performing a double labeling study (¹³C and ¹⁵N isotope labeling) in five different volcanic ash soils under permanent pastures. Disturbed soil samples were collected in five volcanic ash soils between the Andes and Coastal Mountains of Chile to evaluate contrasting pedogenesis. Soils were incubated for 16 days at 20 °C and a 60 % water holding capacity. Destructive sampling was carried out on days 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 16. Labeling was tracked through the consumption by the microbial biomass, functional genes, stoichiometric imbalances between microbial C/N, enzymatic C/N and the release of CO₂ during the incubation period. Ultisol and well-developed Andisol (“Older soils”) with higher organic matter content (∼14 %) showed higher available ¹⁵N contents, higher ¹³C-CO₂ respiration, and immobilization of substrate into microbial biomass (i.e., ¹³C-MBC). This study found that depending on the pedogenesis of the soil, N availability from mineral N and N-acquiring enzyme activities changed as a function of a microbial pool inherent in each soil. Thus, the effect of the initial activity of the soil microbial pool on N availability will allow adjusting fertilization strategies in soils with high levels of organic matter such as volcanic ash soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103756"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic ratios with decomposition of plant residue","authors":"Xiaodong Chen ,&nbsp;Ryoko Senda ,&nbsp;Yuki Mori ,&nbsp;Syuntaro Hiradate","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103755","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103755","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transformation of plant residue into soil organic matter (SOM) plays a crucial role in maintaining the function of ecosystems. To elucidate the formation processes of SOM from plant residue, we examined changes in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents, along with δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values, during the decomposition of <em>Artemisia princeps</em> residue in an incubation experiment using 100 % quartz sand as an artificial soil. The results indicated that plant residue decomposition occurred in two distinct stages: (1) a rapid initial loss of C and N (43–54 % and 36–47 %, respectively) within the early 90 days, followed by (2) a slower loss (4–14 % and 7–15 %, respectively) over the remaining 90–360 days. In the early stage, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values increased similarly to trophic fractionation, with a δ¹⁵N/δ¹³C ratio of 1.54. In the latter stage, this ratio increased significantly to 12.8, probably due to increased C resistance to decomposition, while continuous N metabolism. By integrating data from both the literature and our study, we concluded that C and N in plant residue undergo one to two times the metabolic turnover relative to trophic turnover to form stable SOM. These findings are essential for understanding the preservation of plant residue, particularly labile compounds, in soils. This preservation would occur through microbial transformation. Our study offers a theoretical framework for understanding the SOM dynamics based on δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values, emphasizing the utility of stable C and N isotope analyses in elucidating SOM transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103755"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144581421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of grassland management intensity on associations between bacterial, fungal and plant communities","authors":"Johanna Mayerhofer ,&nbsp;Franziska Richter ,&nbsp;Aaron Fox ,&nbsp;Franco Widmer ,&nbsp;Andreas Lüscher ,&nbsp;Valentin Klaus ,&nbsp;Martin Hartmann","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103754","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103754","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding co-occurrences of different taxa is of both fundamental and applied relevance, for example, to understand ecosystem processes and to design monitoring programs for above- and belowground biodiversity. Plants and microorganisms form complex, interdependent relationships, which are exposed to and may be compromised by agricultural management. Here we assessed the effect of grassland management intensities on bacterial, fungal and plant communities and their associations. We further analyzed the potential of inferring information from taxa of one community on structural changes of the other communities with the aim of potentially enhancing the efficiency of biodiversity assessments by finding common indicator taxa. For that, bacterial, fungal and plant communities as well as environmental factors were assessed in 89 grassland sites of either extensive type (no fertilization, late and infrequent cuttings) or intensive type (fertilization, early and frequent cuttings) of management in the Swiss lowlands.</div><div>Bacterial, fungal and plant community structures as well as plant indicator values for soil nutrients and moisture differed between management types. Also, community homogeneity was significantly higher for all communities in the intensively managed grassland. For bacterial community structures, this was likely related to a smaller soil pH range in intensively managed grassland, while a lower fungal and plant richness may have caused more homogenous fungal and plant community structures in intensively managed grassland. Further, correlation strength among community structures dropped by 25–66 % from extensively to intensively managed grassland. Finally, indicator analysis suggested that future monitoring programs may use plant taxa to estimate expected effects on fungal communities and vice versa, but bacterial communities require additional assessment. Our results revealed a multifaceted and profound effect of management on bacterial, fungal and plant communities, which reinforces the conservation value of extensively managed grassland.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103754"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144581420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracking assimilation of microbial biomass, leaf litter and artificially created soil organic matter by soil fauna using multi-resource stable isotope labelling","authors":"Amelie Hauer ,&nbsp;Andrey Zuev ,&nbsp;Antonis Chatzinotas ,&nbsp;Stephanie Jurburg ,&nbsp;Steffen Kümmel ,&nbsp;Anton Potapov","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103752","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103752","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the resource utilization of soil invertebrates is essential for elucidating nutrient cycling and energy flow in terrestrial ecosystems. The soil environment offers a wide range of resources to its consumers, including microbes, soil organic matter (SOM), and plant litter. Soil invertebrates are small and cryptic, and typically rely on diverse arrays of basal resources, making the determination of its specific contributions to the diets of distinct animal groups challenging. This study investigated the carbon and nitrogen flows from different organic resources to soil meso- and macrofauna using stable isotope dual-labelling (¹³C and ¹⁵N) in an experimental temperate forest mesocosm over a one-month period. Studied resources included bacterial and fungal biomass, leaf litter and artificial mineral-associated organic matter ‘a-MaOM’ made of microbial necromass and vermiculite – a newly developed substrate produced in-house to experimentally mimic stabilized SOM. Our findings indicate that mesofauna incorporated the isotopic label from bacteria and fungi within three days after label introduction, demonstrating their role as primary microbial consumers in soil food webs and highlighting the importance of microbial biomass as nutrient sources for soil mesofauna. In contrast, macrofauna showed no detectable label uptake during the entire experimental period, suggesting either dietary preferences for other, unidentified resources or reflecting physiological factors such as lower metabolic turnover and slower assimilation of labelled materials. No detectable label was found in the studied invertebrate groups in the a-MaOM and litter treatments during the short experimental period, indicating that its consumption by soil fauna was negligible in comparison to microbial biomass. Beyond feeding ecology, our study introduces a methodological innovation by producing stable ¹³C- and ¹⁵N-labelled a-MaOM, offering a new tool for experimentally tracking stabilized SOM pathways in soil food webs while its bioavailability to soil organisms remains to be studied. Overall, our results reveal distinct feeding strategies among soil invertebrates, emphasizing the importance of mesofauna-microorganism interactions in soil nutrient cycling and the differentiated feeding modes of meso- and macrofauna in temperate forest ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103752"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144570658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating DNA extraction methods for eDNA metabarcoding of soil invertebrate diversity","authors":"Rumakanta Sapkota ,&nbsp;Živilė Buivydaitė ,&nbsp;Mille Anna Lilja ,&nbsp;Lea Ellegaard-Jensen ,&nbsp;Anne Winding ,&nbsp;Paul Henning Krogh","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metabarcoding of environmental DNA (eDNA) has been increasingly used in assessing soil biodiversity, primarily for microorganisms but also for invertebrates. Currently, conventional morphological identification (CMI) for detecting microarthropods and earthworms involves extracting them via heat treatment or hand-sorting from soil blocks, and subsequent morphological identification. To compare the soil fauna community composition assessment methods, we compared CMI, DNA metabarcoding of heat-extracted invertebrates (comDNA), and DNA extracted directly from soil (eDNA). For eDNA, two commercially available QIAGEN DNA extraction kits were further compared: DNeasy Powerlyzer PowerSoil kit (eDNA_PS), based on 0.25 g of soil, and DNeasy PowerMax soil kit (eDNA_PM), based on 10 g of soil. PowerMax captured higher richness, while PowerSoil captured diversity comparable to that of comDNA. In eDNA and comDNA samples, arthropods dominated the community composition, followed by annelids. Both eDNA and comDNA methods captured several overlapping species,; however, each method also detected unique ASVs. Interestingly, comDNA captured a higher abundance of several ASVs that were not detected in eDNA. Regardless of the methods used, the location of the soil sampled showed a significant effect on soil fauna community structure. Several species detected or shared in DNA-based methods were also shared with CMI, and a few collembolan species detected by eDNA were also correlated with the abundance data from CMI. Further, the community composition of collembolans varied between the comDNA and two eDNA (eDNA_PS, eDNA_PM) methods; however, more than one-third of the species were detected across all three methods. Our findings show the complementarity of eDNA and comDNA and support the integration of DNA-based methods in future soil fauna biodiversity assessment programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103751"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combining effects of nitrogen fertilizer and biochar on soil N2O emissions and microbial community in a subtropical rapeseed-soybean rotation","authors":"Chi Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhibo Li ,&nbsp;Yulin Miao ,&nbsp;Xiaolin Liao","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103750","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103750","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reducing nitrogen fertilizer application is a key strategy for mitigating soil N₂O emissions in agriculture. Biochar has great potential in reducing excessive fertilizer use. However, the interactive effects of biochar and nitrogen (N) fertilization on N₂O emissions are poorly understood. This study investigated how varying N fertilization (H: 100 %, M: 75 %, and L: 50 % of the conventional urea application rate) and biochar application rates (B0: 0 t ha⁻², B1: 15 t ha⁻², and B2: 60 t ha⁻²) affect N₂O emissions, microbial community, and the abundance of N₂O-related functional genes (<em>amoA</em>, <em>nirS</em>, <em>nirK</em>, and <em>nosZ</em>) in a subtropical oilseed rape (<em>Brassica napus</em> L.)-soybean (<em>Glycine max</em> (L.) Merrill) rotation system. Compared to control treatments (B0), biochar increased soil cumulative N₂O emissions by 55–61.5 % in the oilseed season and 200–245 % in the soybean season. Biochar also significantly increased microbial diversity and altered bacterial community composition, with notable shifts in the relative abundance of key phyla such as Bacillota, Bacteroidota, Armatimonadota, and Nitrospirota. These effects were more pronounced under higher biochar application, likely driven by increases in soil total carbon (TC), nitrogen (TN), and ammonium (NH₄⁺-N). Biochar increased the abundance of N₂O-related genes but had no significant effect on the (<em>nirS</em> + <em>nirK</em>)/<em>nosZ</em> ratio. Co-occurrence network analysis further revealed that biochar altered microbial interactions in a rate- and season-dependent manner, with high rate simplifying the network and potentially disrupting community stability, especially during the soybean season. In contrast, N fertilizer had limited effects on N₂O emissions, microbial diversity or community structure. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) suggested that biochar increased N₂O emissions primarily by enhancing soil TC, TN, pH, and denitrification process, while N fertilizer may affect N₂O emissions through nitrification. These findings highlight the need for optimized biochar and fertilizer management strategies and emphasize the importance of identifying N₂O production pathways and conducting long-term field studies to ensure the sustainable use of biochar in agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 103750"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144472179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}