Abstract
The present study was undertaken to determine the seasonal changes in soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the temperate forest of Uttarakhand Himalaya. Seasonally, the microbial biomass C and N were recorded maximum in the rainy season and minimum during winter whereas the microbial biomass P was minimum in summer and maximum in winter. Microbial biomass C, N and P ranged from 192–6210 µg/g, 8.61–229 µg/g to 0.20–68.25 µg/g respectively. Microbial biomass C contributed 6% of the total soil organic C, the maximum during the rainy season and the minimum in summer. The percentage contribution of microbial biomass N and P to total N and total P ranged from 1.07 to 0.67% respectively. Microbial biomass N was contributed maximum in winter and minimum during rainy whereas microbial biomass P was contributed maximum during summer and minimum in winter. The microbial C/N, C/P and N/P ratio were 54.35, 2329 and 94.25 respectively. Overall, this study determined the seasonal variations in microbial biomass C, N and P and its relationship with soil physicochemical properties for better understanding the microbial biomass contribution in organic matter and nutrient dynamics in the temperate forest of Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. Determining these interactions between soil physicochemical properties and microbial dynamics support for stabilization of soil organic carbon, provide information on microbe turnover and eventually improve the ecosystem function. Soil moisture, organic carbon and potassium have had a strong influence on the microbial biomass C. Simultaneously, soil total C influences soil microbial biomass N, and the soil moisture on the microbial biomass P. All these trends seems to be unique to this temperate forest and may have a bearing on its ecological functioning, as the soil C dynamics through organic matter and the labile microbial biomass are inter-linked for the inclusive health of the soil.
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We gratefully acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, for providing the financial support through the INSPIRE Fellowship to MR. Laboratory facilities at Doon University were used for analytical work.
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Rawat, M., Arunachalam, K. & Arunachalam, A. Seasonal dynamics in soil microbial biomass C, N and P in a temperate forest ecosystem of Uttarakhand, India. Trop Ecol 62, 377–385 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00153-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00153-6