SCOTS PINE ROOTS MODIFY THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE ON SOIL BACTERIA AND FUNGI

Root-delivered exudates affect soil microbial communities and may modify effects of environmental factors such as temperature and moisture on soil microbial communities functioning. There were tested the effects of 1-week incubation under different combinations of temperature (5, 15, 30 C) and moisture (15, 50, 100% Water Holding Capacity) on the soil planted with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and of unplanted soil. After incubation, microbial activity and metabolic (functional) diversity using Biolog (R) ECO plates for bacteria and Biolog (R) SF-N2 plates for fungi were compared. Temperature and moisture affected microbial activity and metabolic diversity of the communities. In suboptimal combinations of temperature and moisture, the cultivable bacteria of planted soil exhibited higher activity and metabolic diversity than those of unplanted soil, and the cultivable fungi of planted soil exhibited higher metabolic diversity than those of unplanted soil.