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Nests of the yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus) occur at high densities in grasslands worldwide. Although many studies have shown that L. flavus nests influence soil nutrient contents, little is known about their effect on soil nutrient cycling rates. The aim of this study was to examine the role of nest-mounds inhabited by L. flavus as potential 'hot spots' for soil nutrient cycling. Six pairs of nest-mounds and control soils were selected at a grassland site at the plateau of the Alter Gleisberg (Thuringia, Central Germany). L. flavus significantly modified the soil environment within the nest. In comparison to the control soils, nest-mounds were characterized by slightly higher soil temperatures during the summer months. In addition, we found that nests were related to decreased potential C mineralization rates and increased potential net N mineralization rates. Nest-mound soil exhibited lower amounts of SOC, hot-water extractable DOC and DN, and higher concentrations of leachable DOC and DN. Moreover, ants promoted the enrichment of base cations in the nest. Differences in the soil environment between nests and control soils were possibly a result of the burrowing activity of ants, soil mixing, accumulation of aphid honeydew, and decreased plant-derived nutrient inputs into the nest-mound soil. In conclusion, L. flavus nest-mounds had a significant but element dependent effect on the soil nutrient cycling and may represent cold spots for C cycling and hot spots for N cycling. Thus, L. flavus nests increase the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties and create unique micro-sites within grassland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living roots and their rhizodeposits affect microbial activity and soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization. This so-called rhizosphere priming effect (RPE) has been increasingly recognized recently. However, the magnitude of the RPE and its driving mechanisms remain elusive. Here we investigated the RPE of two plant species (soybean and sunflower) grown in two soil types (a farm or a prairie soil) and sampled at two phenological stages (vegetative and mature stages) over an 88-day period in a greenhouse experiment. We measured soil C mineralization using a continuous 13C-labeling method, and quantified gross N mineralization with a 15N-pool dilution technique. We found that living roots significantly enhanced soil C mineralization, by 27-245%. This positive RPE on soil C mineralization did not vary between the two soils or the two phenological stages, but was significantly greater in sunflower compared to soybean. The magnitude of the RPE was positively correlated with rhizosphere respiration rate across all treatments, suggesting the variation of RPE among treatments was likely caused by variations in root activity and rhizodeposit quantity. Moreover, living roots stimulated gross N mineralization rate by 36-62% in five treatments, while they had no significant impact in the other three treatments. We also quantified soil microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme activity when plants were at the vegetative stage. Generally, living roots increased microbial biomass carbon by 0-28%, β-glucosidase activity by 19-56%, and oxidative enzyme activity by 0-46%. These results are consistent with the positive rhizosphere effect on soil C (45-79%) and N (10-52%) mineralization measured at the same period. We also found significant positive relationships between β-glucosidase activity and soil C mineralization rates and between oxidative enzyme activity and gross N mineralization rates across treatments. These relationships provide clear evidence for the microbial activation hypothesis of RPE. Our results demonstrate that root-soil-microbial interactions can stimulate soil C and N mineralization through rhizosphere effects. The relationships between the RPE and rhizosphere respiration rate and soil enzyme activity can be used for explicit representations of RPE in soil organic matter models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly recognized that a detailed understanding of the impacts of land use on soil carbon pools and microbially mediated carbon dynamics is required in order to accurately describe terrestrial carbon budgets and improve soil carbon retention. Toward this understanding, we analyzed the levels of biomarkers including phospholipid fatty acids, amino acids, monosaccharides, amino sugars, and several indicators of labile and stabilized carbon in soil samples from a long-term agricultural field experiment. Our results imply that the composition of soil organic carbon (SOC) strongly depends on both the applied fertilization regime and the cultivated crop. In addition, our approach allowed us to identify possible mechanisms of microbial growth and contributions to soil carbon storage under different long-term agricultural management regimes. Amino acids and monosaccharides were quantitatively the most dominant biomarkers and their levels correlated strongly positively with microbial biomass. The relative contributions of the studied biomarkers to the total SOC varied only slightly among the treatments except in cases of extreme fertilization and without any fertilizer. In case of extreme fertilization and with alfalfa as crop type, we found evidence for accumulation of microbially derived monosaccharides and amino acids within the labile OC pool, probably resulting from soil C saturation. Interestingly, we also found an accumulation of microbially derived monosaccharides and amino acids in completely unfertilized plots, which we assumed to be caused by the smaller pore space volume and subsequent oxygen limitation for microbial growth. Mineral fertilization also had substantial effects on soil organic N when applied to plots containing alfalfa, a leguminous plant. Our results demonstrate that over-fertilization, fertilizer type, and the cultivated crop type can have major impacts on the turnover and composition of soil organic carbon, and should be considered when assessing management effects on soil C dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]