Microfloral and faunal interactions in natural and agro-ecosystems

510 Pages·1985·12.97 MB·English

by  Myron J. Mitchell (auth.)

MICROFLORAL AND FAUNAL INTERACTIONS IN NATURAL AND
AGRO-ECOSYSTEMS
DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
CJM Kramer and JC Duinker, eds: Complexation of Trace Metals in Natural Waters. 1984.
ISBN 90-247-2973-4
EM Thurman: Organic Geochemistry of Natural Waters. 1985. ISBN 90-247-3143-7
MJ Mitchell and JP Nakas, eds: Microfloral and Faunal Interactions in Natural and Agro
Ecosystems. 1986. ISBN 90-247-3246-8
Microfloral and faunal interactions
in natural and agro-ecosystems
edited by
MYRON J. MITCHELL and JAMES P. NAKAS
State University of New York
College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Syracuse, New York, USA
1986 MARTINUS NIJHOFF IDR W. JUNK PUBLISHERS ....
"
a member of the KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS GROUP
DORDRECHT / BOSTON / LANCASTER
Distributors
for the United States and Canada: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 190 Old Derby
Street, Hingham, MA 02043, USA
for the UK and Ireland: Kluwer Academic Publishers, MTP Press Limited,
Falcon House, Queen-Square, Lancaster LAI lRN, UK
for all other countries: Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, Distribution Center,
P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, The Netherlands
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Microfloral and faunal interactions in natural and
agro-ecosystems.
(Developments in biogeochemistry)
Includes index.
1. Soil ecology. 2. Biogeochemical cycles.
3. Microbial ecology. 4. Agricultural ecology.
I. Mitchell, Myron J. II. Nakas, James P.
III. Series.
QH541.5.S6M53 1986 574.5'26404 85-21768
ISBN-13: 978-94-010-8789-6 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-5173-0
DOl: 10.1007/978-94-009-5173-0
Copyright
© 1986 by Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1986
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the publishers,
Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W. Junk Publishers, P.O. Box 163, 3300 AD Dordrecht,
The Netherlands.
v
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
by MJ. Mitchell .................................. .
2. Nutrient cycling and decompoisition in natural terrestrial ecosystems
by O.W. Heal and J. Dighton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14
3. Decomposition and nutrient cycling in agro-ecosystems
by N.G. Juma and W.B. McGill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 74
4. Biodegradation of organic residues in soil
by R.G. Burns and J.P. Martin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 137
5. Root and soil microbial interactions which influence the availability
of photoassimilate carbon in the rhizosphere
by A.J.M. Smucker and G.R. Safrr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 203
6. The role of microorganisms in the soil nitrogen cycle
by M.S. Smith and C.W. Rice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 245
7. Role of micro flora in terrestrial sulfur cycling
by J.P. Nakas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 285
8. The role of microfloral and faunal interactions in affecting soil
processes
by D.C. Coleman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 317
9. Effects of management on soil decomposers and decomposition
processes in grasslands and croplands
by J. Curry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 349
10. Recent advances in quantitative soil biology
by D.W. Freckman, K. Cromack and J.A. Wallwork. . . . . . . . . . .. 399
11. The role of modeling in research on micro floral and faunal
interactions in natural and agroecosystems
by H.W. Hunt and W.J. Parton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 443
Index .............................................. 495
INTRODUCTION
MYRON J. MITCHELL*
The biota of soils constitute an integral part of both
natural and agronomic ecosystems. The soil microflora and
fauna in conjunction with the belowground portion of the
Metaphyta or higher plants constitute the living milieu,
components of which are in intimate association with each
other as well as the abiotic constituents of the soil. Since
these associations or interactions are important in regulat
ing both the flux and availability of energy and nutrients,
the central theme of the present book focuses on these
interactions. The effects of microfloral and faunal inter
actions with regard to overall ecosystem dynamics and
specific critical processes will be examined.
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
The coverage of this volume is an extension of a vast
body of literature which dates back to the 18th century. A
brief compendium of major books and reviews published from
1960 to 1983 is given chronologically in Tables 1 and 2,
respectively. Russell (1961) has reviewed work in the 1800's
during which some of the basic tenets on the relationships
between plant nutrition and soil properties became estab
lished. In this period agricultural science was founded and
the study of soil bacteriology began. The evolution of soil
biology up to the early 1970's has been described by
Satch211 in the volume edited by Dickinson and Pugh (1974).
*Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY,
College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse,
NY 13210
2
.
~
~~ g' !
~I
~~
".;;:~ ~8 ..ai J~
22
~~ ~~ !~
~I -
ii f" 1 . , i;
! 'i a;
,; ! H
0 u ~I H
i i0 - .i;. i --. " 11
~ ~ ~ g3'~! :~ g~ ~ " ~ t:: S~::i:: ,f i~-~~
~I -
~
~] h
8
~I ~:~~ ~ ~~ I ~~~~l~~~3 · ~~ .&~~~o,~-!~,~.~1·: 1=~ j~3.~!~ Er ~ J0I2>0s.
~'a JI .!:~
8
~I
~i
; - ~~ .
~~.~~iI i 8f - ~~!-~:g. ~ ~t t.~~";' 0:J~~if~~i<._ !• ~ •~Hii!:~ 3E'-i "-~ u~j;• i, .~~.-. ij~,! ~~~ E"II ~ .~:~~.-"o~~!i i~i I ~"f~..a ~~ nf~:~;
g~~i : i H~1; e~
..• , z~·!~lri~o F 0 i"i :!!-~~
~
:
~I ~ ! if f !. ~j~ E~j. "!~$~0 .~;a LI:.0 ,~. .ji 1;~ :!....J..~.!~.~.3 c! .•g j ~:; ~~ il -
:~~:~~! • .~o~2 ~~~~ i ! !~ ~ ,:~g~.'; ~H=£: ~'~.f:i !g ~'~o5..~~a -~~~. el~,~g~ ~]
.~:.....;;
il - - - II
~ .
! ....
~c
,
l0i_ ! >ai ~ !
~i i ii
~i~~ !...:i ~-; ;•i ~0j_ .J~1~c j ,i!c: ."..'' ~~ f
B ~ ~ ~
3
In this latter period the disciplines of soil microbiology
(~.~. Winogradsky 1925, Waksman 1927, Gray and Parkinson
1967, Alexander 1977), soil zoology (~.~. Bornebush 1930,
Doekson and van der Drift 1963, Burges and Raw 1967, Wallwork
1970), soil organic matter relationships (Waksman 1936,
Kononova 1966, Gieseking 1975, Schnitzer and Khan 1972) and
soil-root interactions (Harley 1969, Garrett 1970, Tousson
et al. 1970) became firmly established.
In much of the early work on ascertaining the biotic
relationships of belowground systems, emphasis was placed
on describing the components of the soil community (~.~.
Jacot 1940). As some of these community relationships have
become better delineated, interest has focused on ascertain
ing how the biotic constituents interact and affect critical
soil processes. One of the major focal points has been to
as~ertain how energy fluxes in the soil are influenced by
the microorganisms and the fauna. The pioneering work of
Bornebush (1930) was a precursor to later studies which
described trophic and energy relationships in the soil
community (Birch and Clark 1953, Burges and Raw 1967,
Dickinson and Pugh 1974). The relative contributions of
specific taxa or functional groups of organisms, the impor
tance of substrate composition and the role of the physical
environment of the soil in affecting organic matter trans
formation and catabolism have been studied. Such considera
tions have led to the recognition and description of the
soil system in an ecosystem context (Fenton 1947, Olson 1963,
Reichle 1970, Weigert et al. 1970, Richards 1979, Swift
et al. 1979).
There has been a rapid advancement during the past twenty
years in the assessment of the relative contribution of
various elements of the soil biota in the direct catabolism
of soil organic matter, including litter inputs; much of
this work was a direct result of research stimulated by the
International Biological Program in which the determination
of ecosystem energy relationships was a primary goal
(Luxton 1982, Petersen 1982, Heal et al. 1981). There is
4
presently available an extensive literature on the relative
contribution of various faunal taxa in the overall net
dissipation of energy in the soil via respiratory metabolism.
The general consensus is that the fauna generally contribute
less than 10% of the net energy flux in the soil (Luxton 1982).
With regards to the microflora the relative contribution of
the fungi and bacteria have been studied (~.~. Jenkenson and
Powlson 1976), but still detailec1. and accurate information on
the specific role of microfloral taxa on decomposition in the
field is often lacking. Furthermore, although energy fluxes
hav2 been estimated, the understanding of the contribution of
both the fauna and microflora as regulators of decomposition
has only recently been a focal point (Coleman et ~~. 1978,
Santos and Whitford 1981). Studying the role of interactions
among the soil microfloral and faunal components in affecting
energy flux is critical to understanding the soil system
(Mitchell and Parkinson 1974, Coleman et al. 1978).
Most recently, attention has shifted to studying the
effects of micro flora and fauna on soil-plant nutrient rela
tionships, especially with regard to the macronutrients N, P
and S (Stout 1980, Clark and Roswall 1981, Coleman et al.
1983, Mitchell et al. 1983, Seastedt 1983). Such studies
have demonstrated that there is a dynamic interchange among
the three biotic components of the soil: microflora, fauna
and higher plants. Furthermore, the importance of the biota
in affecting nutrient dynamics within soils is readily
apparent, especially when it is recognized that the micro
flora and fauna affect both the transformation and transfer
of nutrients. Although it has been known for many years that
microorganisms, especially the bacteria, are important in the
nitrogen cycle, only more recently has the importance of both
the soil fauna and soil micro flora in phosphorus and sulfur
dynamics been recognized. Both phosphorus and sulfur have
important organic forms, the formation of which is attributed
to the biota (David et al. 1983, Newman and Tate 1980). The
mineralization and immobilization of these elements are major
factors in determining their availability for uptake via the
5
roots of higher plants.
The study of the interactions among the roots of higher
plants and surrounding soil is a critical area of investiga
tion since these processes constitute direct linkages to
belowground and aboveground processes. For example, although
it has been generally recognized that belowground processes
are critical to grassland ecosystem dynamics (Innis 1978),
the role of belowground processes in forest systems with
regard to root dynamics has also recently become more estab
lished (McClaugherty et al. 1982). Furthermore, the considera
tion of root-soil interactions requires implicit integration
of the disciplines of physics, chemistry and biology since an
understanding of these processes requires concomitant con
sideration of abiotic and biotic soil components (Carson
1975, Harley and Russell 1979). The study of roots has also
served as a useful interface between basic and applied soil
investigations. Although early studies concentrated almost
entirely on pathogenic relationships, more recently general
aspects of root-soil interactions, including nutrient dynamics
and general biotic relationships have also been emphasized
(Harley and Russell 1979, Krupa and Dommergues 1979).
To unravel the complexities of these intricate interactions,
regarding both nutrients and energy, there has been an in
creased interest in experimental approaches both in the field
and laboratory which often attempt to examine specific
mechanisms or pathways in simplified or manipulated soil
systems (Burns and Slater 1982, Coleman et al. 1983, Ellwood
et ~~. 1980, Santos and Whitford 1981). Furthermore, as the
understanding of the soil system has expanded there has been
a concomitant need for the examination of specific processes
or components which are critical to the functioning of these
systems. Specifically detailed information on degradation
processes and humification biochemical pathways (Kirk et al.
1977, McClaren and Peterson 1967), soil enzymes (Burns 1978)
and nutrient relationships, especially with respect to N
(Broughton 1981, Knowles 1982) has become available.