Abstract
Parametric and nonparametric analyses were used to investigate the relationships between the populations of viable microbes and 4 edaphic variables — soil moisture, rainfall, temperature, and pH. Microbial populations were sampled over a 2-year period in contrasting grass and moss stands on the subantarctic island of South Georgia. Moisture was found to be the most significant edaphic variable, but there were highly significant correlations between bacterial and fungal populations at both sites. Individual plant species showed clear correlations with both bacterial and fungal populations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker JH (1970) Yeasts, moulds and bacteria from an acid peat on Signy Island. In: Holdgate MW (ed) Antarctic ecology. Vol 2. Academic Press, London, pp 717–722
Bissett J, Parkinson D (1979) The distribution of fungi in some alpine soils. Can J Bot 57: 1609–1629
Bissett J, Parkinson D (1979) Functional relationships between soil fungi and environment in alpine tundra. Can J Bot 57:1642–1659
Bunnell FL, Tait DEN, Flanagan PW, Van Cleve K (1977) Microbial respiration and substrate weight loss. I. A general model of the influences of abiotic variables. Soil Biol Biochem 9:33–40
Bunnell FL, Miller OK, Flanagan PW, Benoit RE (1980) The microflora: composition, biomass and environmental relations. In: Brown J, Miller PC, Tieszel LL, Bunnell FL (eds) An Arctic ecosystem. US/IBP Synthesis Series 12. Dowden Hutchinson and Ross, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, pp 255–291
Callaghan TV (1977) Adaptive strategies in South Georgian graminoid species. In: Llano GA (ed) Adaptations within Antarctic ecosystems. Proceedings of the Third SCAR Symposium on Antarctic Biology. Gulf Publishing Co, Houston, Texas, pp 981–1002
Clarholm M, Lid-Torsvik V, Baker JH (1975) Bacterial populations of some Fennoscandian tundra soils. In: Wielgolaski FE (ed) Fennoscandian tundra ecosystems. Ecological studies 16, Part 1. Plants and microorganisms. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp 251–260
Dowding P, Widden P (1974) Some relationships between fungi and their environment in tundra regions. In: Holding AJ, Heal OW, Maclean SF, Flanagan P (eds) Soil organisms and decomposition in tundra. Tundra Biome Steering Committee, Stockholm, pp 123–150
Greene SW (1964) The vascular flora of South Georgia. Sci Rep Br Antarct Surv 45:1–58
Heal OW, Flanagan PW, French DD, Maclean SF (1981) Decomposition and accumulation of organic matter in tundra. In: Bliss LC, Heal OW, Moore JJ (eds) Tundra ecosystems: a comparative analysis. IBP 25. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 587–633
Holding AJ (1981) The microflora of tundra. In: Bliss LC, Heal OW, Moore JJ (eds) Tundra ecosystems: a comparative analysis. IBP 25. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 561–585
Holding AJ, Collins VG, French DD, D'Sylva BT, Baker JH (1974) Relationships between viable bacterial counts and site characteristics in tundra. In: Holding AJ, Heal OW, Maclean SF, Flanagan PW (eds) Soil organisms and decomposition in tundra. Tundra Biome Steering Committee, Stockholm, pp 49–65
Jones PCT, Mollison JR (1948) A technique for the quantitative estimation of soil microorganisms. J Gen Microbiol 2:54–69
Nie NH, Hull CH, Jenkins JG, Steinbrenner K, Bent DH (eds) (1975) Statistical package for the social sciences, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York
Parinkina OM (1974) Bacterial production in tundra soils. In: Holding AJ, Heal OW, Maclean SF, Flanagan PW (eds) Soil organisms and decomposition in tundra. Tundra Biome Steering Committee, Stockholm, pp 65–78
Parkinson D (1967) Soil microorganisms and plant roots. In: Burgess A, Raw F (eds) Soil biology. Academic Press Inc, New York, pp 449–478
Proctor MCF (1979) Surface waxes on the leaves of some mosses. J Bryol 10:531–538
Smith MJ (1982) Edaphic factors and substrate quality affecting viable bacteria and fungal populations in two South Georgian soils. In: Jouventin M, Massé L, Trehen P (eds) Colloque sur les ecosystèmes subantarctiques. CNFRA 51:257–266
Smith MJ (1983) The microbial ecology of subantarctic tundra soils. PhD thesis, University of Surrey
Smith RIL (1979) Classification of peat and peatland vegetation on South Georgia in the sub-Antarctic. In: Kivinen E, Heikurainen L, Pakarinen P (orgs) Classification of peat and peatlands. International Peat Society, Helsinki, pp 96–108
Smith RIL (1981) Types of peat and peat-forming vegetation on South Georgia. Br Antarct Surv Bull 53:119–140
Smith RIL, Walton DWH (1975) South Georgia, sub-Antarctic. In: Rosswall T, Heal OW (eds) Structure and function of tundra ecosystems. Ecological Bulletin 20, Stockholm, pp 399–423
Smith WH (1977) Tree root exudates and the forest ecosystem: exudate chemistry, biological significance and alteration by stress. In: Marshall JK (ed) The belowground ecosystem: a synthesis of plant association processes. Range Science Department Series 26, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, pp 289–302
Swift MJ, Heal OW, Anderson JM (1979) Decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. Blackwell, Oxford
Walton DWH, Smith RIL (1980) The chemical composition of South Georgian vegetation. Br Antarct Surv Bull 49:117–135
Wynn-Williams DD (1985) Comparative microbiology of moss peat decomposition on the Scotia Ridge and Antarctic Peninsula. In: Siegfried WR, Condy PR, Laws RM (eds) Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Proceedings of the Fourth SCAR Symposium on Antarctic Biology, Springer-Verlag, Berlin
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Smith, M.J., Walton, D.W.H. A statistical analysis of the relationships among viable microbial populations, vegetation, and environment in a subantarctic tundra. Microb Ecol 11, 245–257 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02010603
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02010603