Journal article

Publication year: 1995

Pages: 109-114

Journal: Biology and Fertility of Soils

Volume number: 19

Issue number: 2-3

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336145

Publisher: Springer

Abstract: 

A microcosm was used to study the effect of the endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny) on the use of C by microorganisms in a calcareous beech forest soil and its dependence on temperature (5–25%C). Inclusion of ¹⁴C-labelled beech leaf litter made it possible to differentiate between C use by litter-colonizing microflora and by autochthonous soil microflora. The effect of temperature on the soil microbial biomass ¹²C was confined to a significant increase at 15 and 20°C. The size of the ¹⁴C-labelled microbial biomass, in contrast, was positively correlated with temperature. The ¹²C mineralization increased exponentially with temperature. The relationship between ¹⁴C mineralization and temperature, in contrast, followed a logistic curve. Significant main effects of A. caliginosa were confined to ¹²C mineralization, reflecting an increase in ¹²CO₂−C production in the earthworm treatments. The earthworm effects on ¹²CO₂−C production and on ¹⁴C incorporation of the microflora were not linear. The effect of A. caliginosa on ¹²CO₂−C production was most pronouned at intermediate temperatures. It is concluded that temperature alterations affect the microbial use of different C sources in different ways and that the temperature effects can be significantly modified by endogeic earthworms.

Harvard Citation style: Wolters, V. and Ekschmitt, K. (1995) Earthworm effects on the use of C sources by microorganisms: Non-linear response to temperature alteration, Biology and Fertility of Soils, 19(2-3), pp. 109-114. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336145

APA Citation style: Wolters, V., & Ekschmitt, K. (1995). Earthworm effects on the use of C sources by microorganisms: Non-linear response to temperature alteration. Biology and Fertility of Soils. 19(2-3), 109-114. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336145