Effects of four years of elevated ozone on microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme activities in a semi-natural grassland

Wang, Jinyang; Hayes, Felicity ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1037-5725; Turner, Robert; Chadwick, David R.; Mills, Gina; Jones, Davey L.. 2019 Effects of four years of elevated ozone on microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme activities in a semi-natural grassland. Science of the Total Environment, 660. 260-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.040

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Abstract/Summary

Reduced belowground carbon (C) allocation by plants exposed to ozone may change properties and activities of the microbial community in soils. To investigate how soil microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme activities respond to elevated ozone, we collected soils from a temperate grassland after four years of ozone exposure under fully open-air field conditions. We measured soil microbial biomass, the metabolism of low molecular weight C substrates and hydrolytic extracellular enzyme activities in both bulk soil and isolated aggregates to assess changes in microbial activity and community function. After four years of elevated ozone treatment, soil total organic C was reduced by an average of 20% compared with ambient condition. Elevated ozone resulted in a small but insignificant reduction (4–10%) in microbial biomass in both bulk soil and isolated aggregates. Activities of extracellular enzymes were generally not affected by elevated ozone, except β-glucosidase, whose activity in bulk soil was significantly lower under elevated ozone than ambient condition. Activities of β-glucosidase, leucine aminopeptidase and acid phosphatase were higher in microaggregates (<0.25 mm) as compared to macroaggregates (>0.25 mm). Elevated ozone had no effects on mineralization rates of low molecular weight C substrates in both bulk soil and isolated aggregates. We therefore conclude that the size and activity rather than function of the soil microbial community in this semi-natural grassland are altered by elevated ozone.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.040
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Soils and Land Use (Science Area 2017-) UKCEH Fellows
ISSN:	0048-9697
Additional Keywords:	(semi-)natural vegetation, climate change, hydrolytic enzymes, FACE, soil aggregates
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Agriculture and Soil Science
Date made live:	06 Feb 2019 16:16 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/522201

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