高纬度多年冻土区是全球变化的敏感区域,揭示不同雪被覆盖条件下土壤微生物群落结构的演变规律,对于预测寒区森林生态系统对全球变化的响应具有重要意义。以大兴安岭多年冻土区白桦次生林为研究对象,采用磷脂脂肪酸法(PLFA)对比分析自然积雪和遮雪处理土壤微生物群落结构的动态变化特征。结果表明:土壤总磷脂脂肪酸含量在植被生长季初期最高,积雪稳定期最低,其中含量较高的PLFA为18:2ω6,9c、a15:0、i16:0、17:1ω8c、18:1ω9c和16:1ω5c,不同时期各优势PLFA含量存在一定差异。遮雪显著降低积雪稳定期细菌PLFA含量、增加真菌PLFA含量(P<0.05),但对其他时期土壤微生物群落结构和多样性均未产生显著影响。冗余分析(RDA)表明,土壤总磷脂脂肪酸、真菌、真菌/细菌和革兰氏阴性菌与土壤含水量、pH和铵态氮均呈显著正相关,细菌和革兰氏阳性菌受土壤总磷、总氮和硝态氮影响较大。

Seasonal snow cover provides essential insulation for mountain ecosystems, but expected changes in precipitation patterns and snow cover duration due to global warming can influence the activity of soil microbial communities. In turn, these changes have the potential to create new dynamics of soil organic matter cycling. To assess the effects of experimental snow removal and advanced spring conditions on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics, and on the biomass and structure of soil microbial communities, we performed an in situ study in a subalpine grassland in the Austrian Alps, in conjunction with soil incubations under controlled conditions. We found substantial winter C-mineralisation and high accumulation of inorganic and organic N in the topsoil, peaking at snowmelt. Soil microbial biomass doubled under the snow, paralleled by a fivefold increase in its C:N ratio, but no apparent change in its bacteria-dominated community structure. Snow removal led to a series of mild freeze-thaw cycles, which had minor effects on in situ soil CO2 production and N mineralisation. Incubated soil under advanced spring conditions, however, revealed an impaired microbial metabolism shortly after snow removal, characterised by a limited capacity for C-mineralisation of both fresh plant-derived substrates and existing soil organic matter (SOM), leading to reduced priming effects. This effect was transient and the observed recovery in microbial respiration and SOM priming towards the end of the winter season indicated microbial resilience to short-lived freeze-thaw disturbance under field conditions. Bacteria showed a higher potential for uptake of plant-derived C substrates during this recovery phase. The observed temporary loss in microbial C-mineralisation capacity and the promotion of bacteria over fungi can likely impede winter SOM cycling in mountain grasslands under recurrent winter climate change events, with plausible implications for soil nutrient availability and plant-soil interactions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alterations in snow cover driven by climate change may impact ecosystem functioning, including biogeochemistry and soil (microbial) processes. We elucidated the effects of snow cover manipulation (SCM) on above-and belowground processes in a temperate peatland. In a Swiss mountain-peatland we manipulated snow cover (addition, removal and control), and assessed the effects on Andromeda polifolia root enzyme activity, soil microbial community structure, and leaf tissue and soil biogeochemistry. Reduced snow cover produced warmer soils in our experiment while increased snow cover kept soil temperatures close-to-freezing. SCM had a major influence on the microbial community, and prolonged 'close-to-freezing' temperatures caused a shift in microbial communities toward fungal dominance. Soil temperature largely explained soil microbial structure, while other descriptors such as root enzyme activity and pore-water chemistry interacted less with the soil microbial communities. We envisage that SCM-driven changes in the microbial community composition could lead to substantial changes in trophic fluxes and associated ecosystem processes. Hence, we need to improve our understanding on the impact of frost and freeze-thaw cycles on the microbial food web and its implications for peatland ecosystem processes in a changing climate; in particular for the fate of the sequestered carbon.