Effects of Biological Soil Crusts on the Amount and Activities of Soil Microbes in Desert Areas

Yang Hangyu; Liu Yanmei; Wang Tingpu; Hui Rong

doi:10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2016.00071

Journal of Desert Research >

2017 , Vol. 37 >Issue 5: 950 - 960

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2016.00071

Effects of Biological Soil Crusts on the Amount and Activities of Soil Microbes in Desert Areas

Yang Hangyu ,
Liu Yanmei ,
Wang Tingpu ,
Hui Rong

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1. College of Grassland Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China;
2. Gansu Forestry Technology College, Tianshui 741020, Gansu, China;
3. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microorganisms of Universities in Gansu Province, School of Biological Engineering and Technology, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741001, Gansu, China;
4. Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China

Received date: 2016-03-25

Revised date: 2016-05-26

Online published: 2017-09-20

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Abstract

As an important component, biological soil crusts (BSCs) play an important role in maintaining and improving in desert ecosystems. Soil microbes could be used as significant biological indices to reflect soil quality and important biological properties in measuring sandy ecological restoration. However, so far little was known on the relationship of BSCs with soil microbes in desert areas. To completely understand how BSCs affect soil microbes, the study was designed two groups of test. Sand soil under BSCs was served as the object in revegetated areas at the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert as one group test. The revegetated areas were divided into four areas by sand-fixing time stabilized in 1956, 1964, 1981 and 1991, respectively. Soil of mobile sand dunes and natural vegetation areas were served as the contrast. Soil under BSCs caused by human disturbance was acted as the research object and soil underneath non-disturbed crust was the reference as another group test. Our results showed that cyanobacteria-lichen and moss crusts could significantly increase the amount of soil culturable microbes and soil basal respiration(P<0.05). Moderate disturbance to BSCs has no obvious effect on the amount of soil culturable microbes and soil basal respiration. However,serious disturbance to BSCs could obviously decrease the amount of soil culturable microbes and soil basal respiration, indicating the decline of soil quality in desert regions. The succession stages of crust significantly affected the amount of soil culturable microbes and soil basal respiration which late-stage moss crusts had significantly higher the amount of soil culturable microbes and soil basal respiration than early-stage cyanobacteria-lichen crusts(P<0.05). The sand-fixing age was linear correlated with the amount of culturable microbes and soil basal respiration. Along with the increasement of the sand-fixing age, crust thickness increased and the amount of soil culturable microbes and soil basal respiration under crusts also significantly increased. There were seasonal changes of the amount of soil culturable microbes and soil basal respiration under crusts, follow orders:summer > autumn and spring > winter. Therefore, BSCs increased the amount and activities of soil microbes. The results indicate that BSCs could improve soil quality and the recovery of desert ecosystems in desert areas.

Key words： biological soil crusts; soil microbes; human disturbance; succession stages of crust; sand-fixing age

Cite this article

Yang Hangyu , Liu Yanmei , Wang Tingpu , Hui Rong . Effects of Biological Soil Crusts on the Amount and Activities of Soil Microbes in Desert Areas[J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2017 , 37(5) : 950 -960 . DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2016.00071

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