Microbially Available Phosphorus in Boreal Forests: Effects of Aluminum and Iron Accumulation in the Humus Layer

Small molecules dominate organic phosphorus in NaOH-EDTA extracts of soils as determined by 31P NMR

Understanding the composition of organic phosphorus (P) in soils is relevant to various disciplines, from agricultural sciences to ecology. Despite past efforts, the precise nature of soil organic P remains an enigma, especially that of the orthophosphate monoesters, which dominate 31P NMR spectra of NaOH-EDTA extracts of soils worldwide. The monoester region often exhibits an unidentified, broad background believed to represent high molecular weight (MW) P. We investigated this monoester background using 1D 31P NMR and 2D 1H31P NMR, as well as 31P transverse relaxation (T2) measurements to calculate its intrinsic linewidth and relate it to MW. Analyzing seven soils from different ecosystems, we observed linewidths of 0.5 to 3 Hz for resolved monoester signals and the background, indicating that it consists of many, possibly >100, sharp signals associated with small (<1.5 kDa) organic P molecules. This result was further supported by 2D 1H31P NMR spectra revealing signals not resolved in the 1D spectra. Our findings align with 31P NMR studies detecting background signals in soil-free samples and modern evidence that alkali-soluble soil organic matter consists of self-assemblies of small organic compounds mimicking large molecules.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi integrate nitrogen mobilisation and mineral weathering in boreal forest soil

Tree growth in boreal forests is driven by ectomycorrhizal fungal mobilisation of organic nitrogen and mineral nutrients in soils with discrete organic and mineral horizons. However, there are no studies of how ectomycorrhizal mineral weathering and organic nitrogen mobilisation processes are integrated across the soil profile. We studied effects of organic matter (OM) availability on ectomycorrhizal functioning by altering the proportions of natural organic and mineral soil in reconstructed podzol profiles containing Pinus sylvestris plants, using 13CO2 pulse labelling, patterns of naturally occurring stable isotopes (26Mg and 15N) and high-throughput DNA sequencing of fungal amplicons. Reduction in OM resulted in nitrogen limitation of plant growth and decreased allocation of photosynthetically derived carbon and mycelial growth in mineral horizons. Fractionation patterns of 26Mg indicated that magnesium mobilisation and uptake occurred primarily in the deeper mineral horizon and was driven by carbon allocation to ectomycorrhizal mycelium. In this horizon, relative abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi, carbon allocation and base cation mobilisation all increased with increased OM availability. Allocation of carbon through ectomycorrhizal fungi integrates organic nitrogen mobilisation and mineral weathering across soil horizons, improving the efficiency of plant nutrient acquisition. Our findings have fundamental implications for sustainable forest management and belowground carbon sequestration.

Bioavailable soil phosphorus decreases with increasing elevation in a subarctic tundra landscape

Phosphorus (P) is an important macronutrient in arctic and subarctic tundra and its bioavailability is regulated by the mineralization of organic P. Temperature is likely to be an important control on P bioavailability, although effects may differ across contrasting plant communities with different soil properties. We used an elevational gradient in northern Sweden that included both heath and meadow vegetation types at all elevations to study the effects of temperature, soil P sorption capacity and oxalate-extractable aluminium (Al_ox) and iron (Fe_ox) on the concentration of different soil P fractions. We hypothesized that the concentration of labile P fractions would decrease with increasing elevation (and thus declining temperature), but would be lower in meadow than in heath, given that N to P ratios in meadow foliage are higher. As expected, labile P in the form of Resin-P declined sharply with elevation for both vegetation types. Meadow soils did not have lower concentrations of Resin-P than heath soils, but they did have 2–fold and 1.5–fold higher concentrations of NaOH-extractable organic P and Residual P, respectively. Further, meadow soils had 3-fold higher concentrations of Al_ox + Fe_ox and a 20% higher P sorption index than did heath soils. Additionally, Resin-P expressed as a proportion of total soil P for the meadow was on average half that in the heath. Declining Resin-P concentrations with elevation were best explained by an associated 2.5–3.0°C decline in temperature. In contrast, the lower P availability in meadow relative to heath soils may be associated with impaired organic P mineralization, as indicated by a higher accumulation of organic P and P sorption capacity. Our results indicate that predicted temperature increases in the arctic over the next century may influence P availability and biogeochemistry, with consequences for key ecosystem processes limited by P, such as primary productivity.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of organic phosphates adsorbed on mineral surfaces

Esters of phosphoric acid constitute a sizable fraction of the total phosphorus supply in the environment and thus play an important role in the global phosphorus cycle. Enzymatic hydrolysis of these esters to produce orthophosphate is often a required reaction preceding phosphorus uptake by plants and microorganisms. Generally, adsorption to environmental particles is assumed to limit this process. Here we show, however, that the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of glucose-1-phosphate (G1P) adsorbed on goethite by acid phosphatase (AcPase) can be of the same order of magnitude as in aqueous solution. The surface process releases carbon to the solution whereas orthophosphate remains adsorbed on goethite. This hydrolysis reaction is strictly an interfacial process governed by the properties of the interface. A high surface concentration of substrate mediates the formation of a catalytically active layer of AcPase, and although adsorption likely reduces the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme, this reduction is almost balanced by the fact that enzyme and substrate are concentrated at the mineral surfaces. Our results suggest that mineral surfaces with appropriate surface properties can be very effective in concentrating substrates and enzymes thereby creating microchemical environments of high enzymatic activity. Hence, also strongly adsorbed molecules in soils and aquatic environments may be subjected to biodegradation by extracellular enzymes.

Effects of fungicides mancozeb and dinocap on carbon and nitrogen mineralization in soils

In our study, effects of fungicides mancozeb and dinocap on C and N mineralization were measured in arable and grassland soil. The soils were treated with these fungicides at the application and 10 times lower doses and then incubated at 20 degrees C for 2 weeks. Carbon mineralization (basal and substrate-induced respiration) and nitrogen mineralization (potential ammonification and nitrification) were evaluated 1 and 14 days after the treatment. After 14 days, ammonification was decreased to 48% and 83% at dinocap application dose in arable and grassland soil, respectively. Application dose of mancozeb caused significant decrease of nitrification to 11.2% and 5.6% in arable and grassland soil, respectively. Basal respiration and substrate-induced growth were rather stimulated by fungicides, especially at lower application doses. To conclude, potential risk may exist to soil microorganisms and their activities in soils treated routinely by mancozeb or dinocap.

Effects of surface sorption on microbial degradation of glyphosate

Sorption may affect the bioavailability and biodegradation of pesticides in soils. The aim of this study was to test the effect of surface sorption on microbial utilization of the herbicide glyphosate as a source of phosphorus, nitrogen, or carbon. We added goethite to a humus soil to manipulate the soil's glyphosate sorption capacity. The addition of glyphosate generally either decreased microbial CO2 production or produced no effect. Additions of glyphosate, in combination with glucose and N, did not change the respiration rate in comparison with the same treatment but without glyphosate. In contrast, glyphosate additions combined with glucose and P decreased microbial growth, whereas the combination with goethite counteracted the negative effect. The different treatments were examined using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy; the results suggest that glyphosate was de-carboxylated in the sorbed state. Stimulating microbial growth by the addition of glucose and nitrogen resulted in further oxidation of glyphosate and only phosphate was detectable on the goethite surface after 13 days incubation. Our results show that sorbed glyphosate is microbially degradable, and it retards microbial activity. This study emphasizes the importance of combining quantitative measurements with a molecular-level examination, to better understand biogeochemical processes.