Mineral fertilization and soil depth slightly affected aggregate structures despite significantly altered microbial prop

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SOILS, SEC 1 • SOIL ORGANIC MATTER DYNAMICS AND NUTRIENT CYCLING • RESEARCH ARTICLE

Mineral fertilization and soil depth slightly affected aggregate structures despite significantly altered microbial properties in surface forest soils Yun Niu 1,2 & Manyun Zhang 3,4 & Shahla Hosseini Bai 4 & Zhihong Xu 4 & Yuanqiu Liu 1 & Fusheng Chen 1 & Xiaomin Guo 1 & Ling Zhang 1 & Handong Luo 1 & Qiang Zhang 1 Received: 17 March 2020 / Accepted: 9 August 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020

Abstract Purpose Successive mineral fertilization might have side effects on soil environmental quality, such as aggregate structure, contamination, and enzyme activity. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the influences of mineral fertilization on biotic and abiotic properties of forest soils, we investigated the effects of successive nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on physical structures, contaminant contents, and microbial communities of forest soils with different sampling depths. Materials and methods Mineral nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were applied, alone or together, at different rates to provide nutrients to economic tree species (Chinese fir) in a forest plantation since 2011. Surface soil samples were taken at different sampling depths, and soil aggregate, contaminant content, and microbial properties were determined and comprehensively linked. Results and discussion Our results showed that successive fertilization, sampling depths, and their interactions had negligible impacts on soil aggregate ratios and cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) contents. Contrastingly, soil β-glucosidase, phosphate, and fungal and actinomycetal biomass were significantly affected by the mineral fertilization, and sampling depth was a key factor determining the responses of microbial communities to the mineral fertilization. Conclusions In the surface (0–20 cm) soils, abiotic properties had resistance to different fertilization and sampling depths, but biotic properties were markedly or significantly affected by the mineral fertilization or sampling depths. Simultaneously, sampling depths should be considered to reveal the impacts of managements on microbial properties in the surface forest soils. Keywords Soil physical structure . Contaminants . Soil enzyme activities . Microbial biomass . Microbial community Responsible editor: Yongfu Li Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02752-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Manyun Zhang [email protected] * Fusheng Chen [email protected] 1

Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Silviculture, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China

2

Key Laboratory Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China, Ministry of Education, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China

3

College of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China

4

Environmental Futures