Award details

Carbon, nutrient and energy flows through the soil microbial biomass and soil ecosystem functioning

Reference	BBS/E/C/00004968
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Philip Charles Brookes
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Rothamsted Research
Department	Rothamsted Research Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	518,649
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2008
End date	25/03/2011
Duration	35 months

Abstract

Studying the soil microbial community as a single organic matter pool (biomass) can give information on soil organic carbon (C) and nutrient dynamics which is unobtainable by other approaches. With this approach, using isotopic studies, the microbial turnover and fluxes of soil C, P and S can be determined and related to soil nutrient a dynamics. Objectives: 1. Study soil organic matter, soil microbial biomass, microbial community structure interactions and trophic energy flows (including ATP/ADP/ AMP and adenylate energy charge transformations) in soils ranging from highly degraded i.e. 60 year fallow to grassland and arable, and their reversal, using unique Rothamsted soils, in a multi-disciplinary project 2. Investigate the hypothesis (based on published data) that microbial mineralisation of humified soil organic matter is regulated by abiotic processes (hitherto not identified) 3. Investigate survival strategies of the soil microbial biomass. Why does this normally dormant population maintain ATP and adenylate energy charge at levels characteristic of exponentially growing microorganisms? What are the implications for energy flows through the soil microbial community? What is the role of humified soil organic matter versus fresh substrates? 4. Investigate role of microbial extracellular polysacharides in regulating soil aggregate dynamics and soil resilience by determining the role of the biomass and changes in microbial community structure (e.g. PLFAs, ergosterol, molecular techniques) during soil perturbations e.g. substrate additions, air-drying-rewetting, freeze-thaw. We will develop and apply novel analytical techniques e.g. near and IR spectroscopy and GC-MS 5. Investigate soil organic, inorganic and microbial dynamics in relation to soil pH and movement of soil P to surface and ground waters and implications for eutrophication. Investigate biomass P as a reservoir of P which is protected from fixation in strongly P-fixing soils

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	Microbiology, Soil Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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