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The Effects of Radiation Pollution on the Population Diversities and Metabolic Characteristics of Soil Microorganisms

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Abstract

The effects of radiation pollution on the population diversities and metabolic characteristics in soil microorganisms from radiation pollution areas were investigated. Microbial diversities were determined by using methods of cultured isolates and carbon source utilization on Biolog EcoPlate™. The results showed that radiation changed soil microbial community structure and function. With the increasing of radiation pollution, the number of bacteria and actinomycetes declined gradually. Carbon utilizations of microbial community were significant ly different from each other (ρ < 0.05). Microbial activity decreased gradually; Simpson index and McIntosh index increased, but Shannon-Wiener index was not significant different; the major utilized substrates indicated that microbes more tend to use carboxylic acids and polymers as carbon sources, instead of carbohydrates. In conclusion, the community composition of microorganisms as well as population diversity in soils was impacted obviously by radiation pollution.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge to be supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2012AA021705 and 2012AA063503) and the Special Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.31340070).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Microbiology, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, 830091, Xinjiang, China

    Meiying Gu, Zhidong Zhang, Wei Wang, Qiyong Tang, Suqing Song, Jing Zhu, Yuqing Xie & Lijuan Zhang

  2. Xinjiang Laboratory of Special Enviromental Microbiology, Urumqi, 830091, Xinjiang, China

    Meiying Gu, Zhidong Zhang & Wei Wang

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  1. Meiying Gu
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Correspondence to Zhidong Zhang.

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Gu, M., Zhang, Z., Wang, W. et al. The Effects of Radiation Pollution on the Population Diversities and Metabolic Characteristics of Soil Microorganisms. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 2133 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2133-4

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