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Microbial Community Structure and Density Under Different Tree Species in an Acid Forest Soil (Morvan, France)

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Abstract

Overexploitation of forests to increase wood production has led to the replacement of native forest by large areas of monospecific tree plantations. In the present study, the effects of different monospecific tree cover plantations on density and composition of the indigenous soil microbial community are described. The experimental site of “Breuil-Chenue” in the Morvan (France) was the site of a comparison of a similar mineral soil under Norway spruce (Picea abies), Douglas fir (Pseudotuga menziesii), oak (Quercus sessiflora), and native forest [mixed stand dominated by oak and beech (Fagus sylvatica)]. Sampling was performed during winter (February) at three depths (0–5, 5–10, and 10–15 cm). Abundance of microorganisms was estimated via microbial biomass measurements, using the fumigation–extraction method. The genetic structure of microbial communities was investigated using the bacterial- and fungal-automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (B-ARISA and F-ARISA, respectively) DNA fingerprint. Only small differences in microbial biomass were observed between tree species, the highest values being recorded under oak forest and the lowest under Douglas fir. B- and F-ARISA community profiles of the different tree covers clustered separately, but noticeable similarities were observed for soils under Douglas fir and oak. A significant stratification was revealed under each tree species by a decrease in microbial biomass with increasing depths and by distinct microbial communities for each soil layer. Differences in density and community composition according to tree species and depth were related to soil physicochemical characteristics and organic matter composition.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the GIP-Ecofor for the financial support of the study within the framework of the program “Biodiversité et Gestion forestière” (Contract GIP Ecofor-INRA No. 2001-24). Thanks are also extended to F. Andreux, J.C. Lata and P.A. Maron for their comments on the manuscript. This work is dedicated to the memory of François Gourbière, who studied forest ecosystem and soil ecology all his life.

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  1. UMR Microbiologie et Géochimie des sols, INRA/Université de Bourgogne, CMSE, 17 rue de Sully, BP 86510, 21065, Dijon Cedex, France

    David P. H. Lejon, Rémi Chaussod & Lionel Ranjard

  2. UR Biogéochimie des Ecosystèmes Forestiers, Laboratoire INRA, Nancy, France

    Jacques Ranger

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  1. David P. H. Lejon
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  2. Rémi Chaussod
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  3. Jacques Ranger
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  4. Lionel Ranjard
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Correspondence to Lionel Ranjard.

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Lejon, D.P.H., Chaussod, R., Ranger, J. et al. Microbial Community Structure and Density Under Different Tree Species in an Acid Forest Soil (Morvan, France). Microb Ecol 50, 614–625 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-005-5130-8

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