Community structure characters and differences of N2-fixing and CO2-fixingbacteria under longterm fertilization in paddy soils of Taihu Lake region, China
Abstract:Both CO2-fixing and N2-fixing bacteria are important microbes involved in soil carbon and nitrogen cycles, respectively. It is helpful for us to know the effect of fertilization on carbon and nitrogen cycles in farmland soils and to analyze the relationship between the soil organic carbon (SOC) and community structures of N2fixing and CO2-fixing bacteria. The topsoil (0-20 cm) samples were collected from a paddy field under a longterm different fertilization trials initiated in 1987 from Taihu Lake region, China. There were four treatments, no fertilizer application (NF), application of NPK fertilizers only (CF), combined application of NPK fertilizers and pig manure (CFM) and combined application of NPK fertilizers and straw return (CFS). Community structures were analyzed using PCRDGGE and realtime PCR with nifH gene and cbbLR gene as indicators of N2-fixing and CO2-fixing bacteria, respectively. Cloning forming unit (CFU) of autotrophic azotobacter was evaluated using plating colonycounting method. Nitrogenase activity was detected using acetylene reduction method as well. The results show that the abundances of nifH gene in the CF treatment, CFM treatment and CFS treatment are increased by 213%, 1079 % and 344%, respectively compared with the NF treatment, and CFUs of autotrophic azotobacter are increased by 58%, 66% and 106%. Nitrogenase activities in CF and CFM treatments are significantly higher than those in NF and CFS treatments. The diversity of cbbLR gene is increased after the fertilizer application. The abundances of cbbLR gene in the CF treatment, CFM treatment and CFS treatment are increased by 465%, 1827% and 758%, respectively compared with the NF treatment. The statistical analysis reveals there are significant correlations between the two abundances and soil nutrient richness normalized (SNRN) of SOC, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) and between the CFU of autotrophic azotobacter and SOC. These results indicate that nutrient balances of the combined inorganic/organic fertilization treatments can preserve higher abundances of N2-fixing and CO2-fixing bacteria.