EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL BIOLOGY(2010)--Soil microbial community composition under Eucalyptus plantations of different age in subtropical China-河南省大气污染综合防治与生态安全重点实验室

Eucalyptus is one of the fastest growing woody plants in the world, but few studies have reported the soil microbial community composition in Eucalyptus ecosystems. This study investigated the soil microbial communities in plantations of 3-, 7-, 10- and 13-year-old Eucalyptus in subtropical China based on phospholipid fatty acids (PLEA) analysis. The variation in soil microbial biomass and community compositions were influenced by sampling site and season and the interaction of both, which were consistent with the variation in soil total nitrogen (TN), soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil moisture. The number and abundances of PLFAs, and the amount of soil TN and SOC were higher in plantation of 13-year-old Eucalyptus than those in other younger plantations, suggesting that the soil properties and the soil microbial community composition is not negatively affected by the planting of Eucalyptus. The ratio of monounsaturated-to-branched fatty acids, the proportional abundance (mol%) of bacterial PLEA and fungal PLEA varied significantly with Eucalyptus plantations of different age, suggesting that the individual PLEA signatures might be sensitive indicators of soil properties associated with forest plantations. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.