Biodiversity of indigenous tussock grassland sites in Otago, Canterbury and the central North Island of New Zealand III. Soil microorganisms

Bacterial and fungal communities in indigenous tussock grassland soils were studied at four locations, Mt Benger and Deep Stream (Otago), Cass (Canterbury) and Tukino (central North Island). Soil samples collected from inter‐tussock and tussock areas were used to enumerate total culturable bacteria (colony forming units (CFU)) as well as a number of specific groups of bacteria, fungal types and diversity, and soil microbial functional diversity. Soil microbial biomass carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) as well as extractable C and N were also determined. Fungal populations were lowest at Mt Benger while fluorescent Pseudomonas was lowest at Cass. In these indigenous soils, bacterial CFU were c. 30 times lower and fungal populations c. 10 times greater than in developed New Zealand pastoral soils. CFU of bacteria in complex media (r‐strategists) were similar in magnitude to bacteria growing on weak CA medium (K‐strategists). The microbial biomass C in indigenous grassland soils were also significantly gr...