Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/29722
Title: Spatial distribution of soil microbial activity and soil properties associated with Eucalyptus and Acacia plantings in NSW, Australia
Contributor(s): Amarasinghe, A (author); Fyfe, C  (author); Knox, O G G  (author)orcid ; Lobry De Bruyn, L A  (author)orcid ; Kristiansen, P  (author)orcid ; Wilson, B R  (author)orcid 
Publication Date: 2021
Early Online Version: 2020-10-05
DOI: 10.1071/SR19393
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/29722
Abstract: Although much work has been completed in Australia to examine the effects on aboveground ecology of environmental plantings using mixed species of native trees, only limited attention has been focused on their effects on soils and soil microbial population. A study was conducted to determine the spatial distribution of microbial activity, total soil organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and extractable phosphorus (P) in soils under Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Acacia pendula. A 13-year-old environmental planting with mixed native tree species at Gunnedah, New South Wales, was used as a study site. Soil samples were taken from both inside and outside the tree canopy at each of the four compass points (N, S, E and W) at depths of 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-50 cm. The soil was tested for heterotrophic respiration (MicroRespTM), TOC and TN (LECO) and P (Colwell). Microbes were more active inside compared with outside the tree canopy in both A. pendula and E. camaldulensis. The basal respiration rate was significantly higher under A. pendula canopy compared with E. camaldulensis canopy. The relative activity of the microbes and concentrations of TOC, TN and P declined with soil depth. Further, TOC, TN and P contents under the canopy of A. pendula were higher than those of E. camaldulensis and showed a significant positive correlation with basal respiration. However, no difference was detected in the various soil properties measured and microbial activity at four compass points around trees. Changes in soil TOC, TN and extractable P due to the tree plantings were significant only for the 0-5 cm soil depth and changes in microbial activity were mostly confined to the upper 20 cm depth. The improved levels of soil microbial activity and soil nutrients under the tree canopy could be used to measure restoration success of environmental plantings.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Soil Research, 59(6), p. 609-618
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Place of Publication: Australia
ISSN: 1838-6768
1838-675X
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 050301 Carbon Sequestration Science
050303 Soil Biology
050302 Land Capability and Soil Degradation
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 410405 Environmental rehabilitation and restoration
410603 Soil biology
410203 Ecosystem function
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 829899 Environmentally Sustainable Plant Production not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 260199 Environmentally sustainable plant production not elsewhere classified
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

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