Paper Details

Abstract

Nitrogen and phosphorus application to forest nursery seedlings is known to influence various above-ground growth factors, such as plant composition and productivity, and the below-ground microbial community. In this study, we added N and P to forest nursery seedlings in a temperate forest region in China to examine how nutrient additions influence the plant biomass and soil microbial community composition through phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) analysis. The results showed that N had a significant effect on plant biomass, increasing the below-ground and the above-ground biomass, by 34 and 39%, respectively, and enhancing microbial community markers including fungal PLFAs (50%) and the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs (35%) at 100 g nitrogen/1.3m2, but didn’t change or negatively affect total PLFAs, bacterial PLFAs, gram-positive and gram-negative PLFAs and the ratio G-: G+, or actinomycete PLFAs. Similarly, P increased the below-ground and above-ground biomass by 11.96 and 13%, respectively, and fungal PLFAs (35%) and the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFAs (21%), at 80 g phosphorous/1.3m2 but didn’t change or negatively affect total PLFAs, bacterial PLFAs, gram-positive and gram-negative PLFAs and the ratio G-:G+, or actinomycete PLFAs. Principal component analysis explains 77% and 56% of total variations in PLFA composition in N and P treatment. In conclusion, N and P improved the seedling growth without negative effect on total PLFAs.

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