Tree species influence the soil by adding above- and below-ground litter, absorbing nutrients and water from different soil layers, and interacting with different soil organisms. In this master thesis, the influence of two tree species on soil chemistry, microbial biomass, and community composition was investigated. Soil was sampled down to parent material in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karsten) stand with the same soil group on the same parent material. In the place of the beech stand, there was a mixed stand of fir, spruce and beech 20-30 years ago, dominated by fir. The contents of total organic C (Corg), total N, soluble Corg, and soluble N in the top 10 cm of soil were significantly higher in the spruce than in the beech stand (11.54 vs. 9.00 %; 0.63 vs. 0.52 %; 15.30 vs. 9.45 mg C kg-1 dry soil; 2.90 vs. 1.65 mg N kg-1 dry soil; respectively). Beech stand was found to have a higher base saturation compared to the spruce stand at this depth (84.60 vs. 43.60 %), mainly Ca. No significant differences in soil pH were observed, indicating a high buffering capacity of the soil and thus a slow response of pH to changes in stand composition. Microbial biomass C, determined by the chloroform fumigation method, was significantly higher in the spruce stand compared to the beech stand in the upper depth (584.66 vs. 491.98 mg C kg-1 dry soil). This is not the case for microbial biomass N and microbial biomass estimated by the total DNA, for which we found no significant differences. The abundance of the total microbial community, bacteria, fungi and Crenarchaea, was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). There were no significant differences in the abundance of bacteria and fungi. Significantly higher abundance was observed for Crenarchaea in the spruce stand at the lower depth, while it was marginal at the upper depth (p = 0.053). The results of this study showed the influence of tree species on selected soil properties, but given that the two stands were not entirely comparable, it would be worthwhile to also check the influence of stand age and the comparability of other environmental conditions. Further, more in-depth studies on the composition of microbial communities, e. g. mycorrhizal fungi, are needed.
|