Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115548
Title (Primary) Oxygen matters: Short- and medium-term effects of aeration on hydrolytic enzymes in a paddy soil
Author Wang, C.; Dippold, M.A.; Blagodatskaya, E.; Dorodnikov, M.
Source Titel Geoderma
Year 2022
Department BOOEK
Volume 407
Page From art. 115548
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Keywords Anaerobes; Aerobes; Microbial community shift; Enzyme system; Suppression by oxygen; Adaptation to oxygen
Abstract

Rapid exposure of anoxic microbial communities to oxygen (O2) can have unpredictable effects, including strong suppression of their enzymatic activity. Nonetheless, most medium- and long-term incubation studies on soil organic matter transformations fail to consider aeration effects during sample post-processing and/or assays. Moreover, it remains unclear whether anoxic enzymatic systems are adapted to quick switch to oxic conditions. We evaluated the effects of short-term (2-h oxic (+O2) vs. anoxic (–O2) assays) and medium-term aeration (after 10-day oxic vs. anoxic pre-incubation) on the kinetic parameters (Vmax, Km) of phosphomonoesterase, β-glucosidase, and leucine aminopeptidase in top bulk, rooted, and bottom bulk paddy soil of flooded rice mesocosms. We hypothesized contrasting short- and medium-term responses of hydrolytic enzyme activities to aeration (i) a negative short-term effect caused by reactive O2 species toxicity and/or other mechanisms, and (ii) adaptation of anoxic microbial communities to medium-term aeration reducing the impact of ongoing O2 exposure.

Overall, 2-h aeration suppressed Vmax values by 7–43% and catalytic efficiency Ka (Vmax/Km) by 3–22%, and extended the substrate turnover time Tt (7–33%) of three tested enzymes in all soil compartments pre-incubated without O2. In contrast, no short-term suppressive effect of O2 was observed on three tested enzymes after oxic pre-incubation. Medium-term aeration increased Vmax (by 12–253%) and Ka (by 3–78%) of the enzymes and shortened Tt (4–42%) as compared to the anoxic counterpart. These findings support our hypothesis about anoxic microbial community adaptation over the medium-term aeration. Accordingly, the sensitivity of anoxic hydrolytic enzymes to a short-term O2 exposure and the O2 adaptation mechanisms require strong consideration (i) for enzyme assays of anoxic soils and (ii) for understanding the soil organic matter dynamics in environments with O2 fluctuations.

Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=25482
Wang, C., Dippold, M.A., Blagodatskaya, E., Dorodnikov, M. (2022):
Oxygen matters: Short- and medium-term effects of aeration on hydrolytic enzymes in a paddy soil
Geoderma 407 , art. 115548 10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115548