The changes of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) and microbial community in the topsoil of the abandoned agricultural land on the semi-arid Loess Plateau in China during the natural succession were evaluated to understand the relationship between microbial community and soil properties. MBC and MBN were measured using fumigation extraction, and microbial community was analyzed by the method of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). The contents of organic C, total N, MBC, MBN, total FAME, fungal FAME, bacterial FAME and Gram-negative bacterial FAME at the natural succession sites were higher than those of the agricultural land, but lower than those of the natural vegetation sites. The MBC, MBN and total FAME were closely correlated with organic C and total N. Furthermore, organic C and total N were found to be positively correlated with fungal FAME, bacterial FAME, fungal/bacterial and Gram-negative bacterial FAME. Natural succession would be useful for improving soil microbial properties and might be an important alternative for sustaining soil quality on the semi-arid Loess Plateau in China.
Selection of tree species with a high capacity to assimilate N and efficiently utilize N resources would facilitate the success of initial tree seedling establishment in infertile soils.The preference for N forms was tested using three pine species(Pinus densata,Pinus tabuliformis and Pinus yunnanensis).Pinus densata is a natural diploid hybrid between P.tabuliformis and P.yunnanensis.Methods Seedlings of three pine species were supplied with nitrate-N,ammonium-N(at two different pH regimes)or combined ammonium and nitrate as a nitrogen source in perlite culture in a controlled environment.Important Findings Seedlings of P.densata had higher total biomass and net photosynthesis when supplied with nitrate-N and ammonium nitrate than with ammonium-N.In parental species,total biomass and net photosynthesis for P.yunnanensis seedlings was higher in ammonium-N than in nitrate-N,whereas the other parental species P.tabuliformis had the highest total biomass among species for all treatments except ammonium with CaCO_(3).Most morphological traits in P.densata seedlings were intermediate between its two parental species.However,N-use efficiency and photosynthetic N-use efficiency of P.densata significantly exceeded both parents when supplied with nitrate-N and ammonium nitrate.The results suggested that the diploid hybrid tree species P.densata has a preference for nitrate and is not well adapted to ammonium-N as a sole nitrogen source regardless of the growth medium pH.Based on changes in environmental conditions,such as predicted future temperature increases in high altitude areas associated with climate change,P.densata is likely to be increasingly competitive and have wide adaptation in high altitude regions.
