Microbial activities and biomass along an altitudinal profile in the Northern Tyrolean Limestone Alps

Soil microbiological properties were investigated along an altitudinal gradient of forest stands in the Calcareous Alps in Austria (1050 m, 1250 m and 1400 m sea level). The parameters studied were organic carbon, microbial biomass (substrate-induced-respiration) and basal respiration. The microbial biomass C ranged from 1340 -2253 mu g C-mic g(-1) dry soil. Basal respiration reached 7 to 13 mu g CO2 g(-1) dry soil h(-1). Neither of these parameters, nor the metabolic quotient of CO2 (13 to 16 (mu g CO2-C mu g(-1) C-mic h(-1))*10(-4)) and the C-mic/C-org ratio (14 to 19 mg C-mic g(-1) C-org) were influenced by altitude. The altitudinal effects were superimposed by other site properties (humidity, topography).