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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2016, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (5): 37-44.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.20160505

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Impacts of Biochar Input on Soil Carbon Emission and Microbial Community Composition in Cunninghamia lanceolata Plantation

Lei Haidi, Yin Yunfeng, Zhang Peng, Wan Xiaohua, Ma Hongliang, Gao Ren, Yang Yusheng   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Mountain Ecology College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University Fuzhou 350007
  • Received:2015-06-02 Revised:2016-03-31 Online:2016-05-25 Published:2016-06-01

Abstract:

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the impacts of biochar input on soil carbon (CO2) emission and soil microbial community composition in Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation, which provided the valuable information for the biomass resources use and the carbon sequestration management for plantations in subtropical China. [Method] Soil was collected from the C. lanceolata plantation at Wanmulin Nature Reserve of Fujian province. Biochars, produced by charring C. lanceolata at three different temperatures (350℃, 550℃ and 750℃), were mixed with soils with or without addition of C. lanceolata litter, respectively, and then the mixture was incubated in the dark at 25℃ for 364 d. We used the alkali absorption method to observe soil CO2 emission dynamic and utilized phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis to characterize the soil microbial community composition. [Result] Soil CO2 emission rates declined with the incubation time and tended to be stable at the late stages of incubation with biochar addition. However soil CO2 emission rates increased at the early stages and reached the maximum at 7 d and then decreased with biochar and litter addition. Regardless with or without litter addition, the pyrolysis temperature of biochar only significantly influenced soil CO2 emission at the early stages of incubation (P<0.05), and the soil CO2 emission rates with addition of BC350 (biochar produced at 350℃) were higher than with BC550 (biochar produced at 550℃) and BC750 (biochar produced at 750℃), and biochar produced at lower temperature (BC350) resulted in more cumulative soil CO2 emission. The cumulative soil CO2 emission with biochar was higher than that without biochar at the early stages of incubation, however, it was lower at the late stages. PLFA analysis showed that the biochar input influenced the soil microbial community composition. The abundance of Gram-negative bacteria significantly decreased in soils with biochar but without litter addition, while the abundance of actinomycetes significantly increased in soils with both biochar and litter. The biochars produced at different temperatures significantly influenced microbial community composition in soils only with litter addition (P<0.05). The high temperature biochar (BC750) resulted in more abundance of Gram-positive bacteria and less abundance of fungi than the lower temperature biochar (BC350). There was extremely significant positive correlation between cumulative soil CO2 emission and the total PLFAs (P<0.01). [Conclusion] Biochars stimulated the soil CO2 emission at the early stages of incubation but suppressed the soil CO2 emission at the late stages, and biochars could alter microbial community composition in C. lanceolata plantation soil.

Key words: biochar, Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation, soil CO2 emission, microbial community

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