Microbial biomass and microbial biodiversity in some soils from New South Wales, Australia
Nargis A. Banu A B , Balwant Singh A and Les Copeland AA Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: banu_nargis@hotmail.com
Australian Journal of Soil Research 42(7) 777-782 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR03132
Submitted: 27 August 2003 Accepted: 3 May 2004 Published: 12 November 2004
Abstract
Eight surface soils (0–15 cm) including 1 Ferrosol, 2 Tenosols, 2 Kurosols, 1 Sodosol, 1 Chromosol, and 1 Kandosol were collected from mainly pasture sites in New South Wales. The soils had different physico-chemical properties and there were some differences between the sites in climatic conditions. Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) was estimated by the chloroform-fumigation extraction method, and substrate utilisation patterns determined by the Biolog method were used to assess the amount, functional diversity, substrate richness and evenness, and community structure of the microorganisms in these soils. The amount of MBC (585 µg C/g) and the microbial diversity (H´ = 3.24) were high in soils that had high clay (33%), organic C (5.96%), total N (0.45%), free iron (7.06%), moisture content (50%), and cation exchange capacitiy (133.5 mmolc/kg). These soil properties, e.g. soil moisture (r2 = 0.72), organic C (r2 = 0.58), total N (r2 = 0.63), free iron (r2 = 0.44), and EC (r2 = 0.53), were positively correlated with MBC and microbial diversity index, whereas pH and sand and silt content showed negative correlations. The climatic factors (temperature and rainfall) had no significant influence on either MBC or diversity.
Additional keywords: carbon substrate utilisation pattern, microbial functional diversity, principal component analysis.
Acknowledgments
Nargis A. Banu was the recipient of an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) and grateful to the Australian Government for the financial support. We thank Mr Chris Conoley for his help with soil sampling.
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