Soil biological properties in forest and agricultural ecosystems

Abstract

Soil management often results in changes of soil biological properties, particularly, of sc microbial communities. Certainly, the management is closely related to reduction of soil organ matter with reduction not only the nutrient availability but also the soil microbial biomass potential However, the retention of soil could lead to reduction of organic carbon. To understand ho1 management can change soil biological properties, we studied soil microbial abundance, microbi; biomass in soil and content of amino sugars in microbial biomass under agricultural managemer (conventional tillage under different soil genesis). The biological properties in selected agricultur: sites were compared to that of mature forest sites in Lithuania. It was obtained, that management c agricultural soils was evidentially changing the soil microbial abundance. Further, the microbi; abundance was decreasing in correspond to management intensity, on the contrary, increasing in so under the forest sites. It was also reflected, that microbial abundance in managed agricultural site not only increased with soil depth but also with coinciding intensive soil mineralogical change; Either, the soil management influenced on the content of soil microbial biomass. The microbk biomass presented to be high sensible to soil tillage in agricultural sites. Thus, the content of amin< sugars in microbial biomass decreased associated with the intensification of soil management. Thus in forest soils the content of amino sugars was changing not significantly, whereas with different soi genesis, it was more expressed.