Manfred Bölter

Enumeration and biovolume determination of microbial cells – a methodological review and recommendations for applications in ecological research

Abstract. A review of direct counts of micro-organisms is presented, which describes the evaluation of different techniques and applications of microscopic methods for enumeration, biovolume and biomass measurement. New staining techniques and their applications are discussed as well as methods to distinguish individual cell properties. Attention is paid to data analysis and error propagation, which is widely neglected during quantitative studies in microbial ecology. Comparisons to other methods are made in order to evaluate methods of direct microscopy with respect to their great importance for environmental descriptions and analyses.

Soil properties and distributions of invertebrates and bacteria from King George Island (Arctowski Station), maritime Antarctic

Abstract Soils of the Admiralty Bay region at King George Island, maritime Antarctic are described and analysed for invertebrates and microorganisms. Results showed a great variety of soils: cambisols, umbrisols, regosols, podzols, leptosols, gleysols and relic ornithogenic soils were found. Surface layers, especially of cambisols, umbrisols and podzols, showed a diverse fauna, governed by nematodes, collemboles and mites. The bacterial flora is analysed for total counts and biomass distribution in different layers using epifluorescence microscopy. Influences of soil organic matter can be described by different patterns of mean bacterial cell volumes related to soil cover and depth distributions.

Soil formation in coastal continental Antarctica (Wilkes Land)

Recent antarctic soil studies suggest that in terrestrial ecosystems of coastal regions soil formation and chemical weathering occur to a greater extent than predicted by former models. This paper summarizes pedogenic findings from the Casey area on the coast of East Antarctica and presents a proposal of soil formation sequences on a large-scale data base. Soil organic matter accumulation and podzolization are important soil forming processes in regions outside the antarctic cold desert of the Ross Sea section. The results suggest some correlations between the soil development and vegetation patterns. Nutrient supply in soil is affected by the high contents and availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium due to an input by seabirds. The US Soil Taxonomy (8th edn.: Gelisol order) and the recently adopted World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB: Cryosol soil group) suggest a different understanding of impact of permafrost on soil formation. According to the WRB and the US Soil Taxonomy, organic permafrost-affected soils are not Cryosols, but Gelisols. Lithic Haplorthels as well as Haploturbels and to some extent Aquaturbels and organic Gelisols are suggested to be representative of the Casey area. In addition Podzols occur to a great extent. However, the recent Keys to Soil Taxonomy do not reflect the podzolization process in an adequate way and a classification is not possible. According to a former version these soils would be Lithic or Pergelic Haplocryods, whereas according to the newly adopted WRB system these soils are Spodic Haplic Cryosols.

Reindeer Management in Northernmost Europe

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Chemical and biological properties, formation, occurrence and classification of Spodic Cryosols in a terrestrial ecosystem of East Antarctica (Wilkes Land)

price are net prices, subject to local VAT. Prices indicated with * include VAT for books; the €(D) includes 7% for Germany, the €(A) includes 10% for Austria. Prices indicated with ** include VAT for electronic products; 19% for Germany, 20% for Austria. All prices exclusive of carriage charges. Prices and other details are subject to change without notice. All errors and omissions excepted. B.C. Forbes, M. Bölter, L. Müller-Wille, J. Hukkinen, F. Müller, N. Gunslay, Y. Konstantinov (Eds.) Reindeer Management in Northernmost Europe

Nutrient and thermal regime, microbial biomass, and vegetation of Antarctic soils in the Windmill Islands region of East Antarctica (Wilkes Land).

Abstract Soils with the morphological features of podzols are widespread in coastal East Antarctica. Neither the World Reference Base of Soil Resources (WRB) nor Soil Taxonomy (ST) adequately classify these soils, so we recommend the addition of Spodic Cryosol at the second hierarchical level in WRB and Spodorthel at the great group level of ST. We divide the Spodic Cryosols into ornithogenic and non-ornithogenic Spodic Cryosols based on inorganic chemistry, soil organic matter composition and microbiology. The occurrence of Spodic Cryosols depends on parent materials, soil texture, surface pattern, solar energy input and vegetation patterns. Antarctic Spodic Cryosols form on solid rocks, outwash sediments and abandoned penguin rookeries, and represent 20% of the soil-landscape of Wilkes Land, with one-third ornithogenic and two-thirds non-ornithogenic. Ornithogenic Spodic Cryosols are related to tectonically uplifted abandoned penguin rookeries. All Spodic Cryosols contain large amounts of carbon and nitrogen. During pedogenesis iron complexed with organic matter in the topsoils has been altered to oxides and crystalline iron minerals, but aluminium remains almost entirely 100% organically bound throughout the profile. Meltwater and a moss cover are essential for podzolization on the non-ornithogenic sites, and at the ornithogenic sites, the chemically aggressive solution from dissolved guano has bleached the uppermost AE horizon and translocated iron and aluminium into the subsoil. The low salinity suggests that downward leaching exceeds upward transport by evaporation. Intensity of podzolization is determined by microclimate, soil microbial effects and parent materials. The permafrost table may cause precipitation of organic matter in the subsoil. Mg and P levels are high. The P level is very high in the ornithogenic soils. K, P, pH, base saturation (BS) and bacterial colonization reflect the influence of guano. In the AE horizon of ornithogenic soils colonization by lichens and/or mosses depresses bacterial activity. The mean C/N ratio of approximately 11 and the abundance of carboxylic carbon compounds probably derive from organic acids and oxidized carbohydrates. Migration of organic acids, non-humified carbohydrates and N-containing compounds is suggested as the main mechanism of podzolization.

Soil organic matter of suggested spodic horizons in relic ornithogenic soils of coastal continental Antarctica (Casey Station, Wilkes Land) in comparison with that of spodic soil horizons in Germany

In the antarctic summer of 1996, permafrost-affected cold soils close to the Australian Casey Station in the Windmill Islands region (Wilkes Land) were investigated to determine in what way the thermal and nutrient regimes in the antarctic soils are related to microbial biomass and vegetation patterns. The soils are characterized by a high content of coarse mineral particles and total organic carbon (TOC) and a low C/N ratio (mean 11). Despite the low pH values (mean 4.0) the soils are rich in nutrients due to an input from seabirds (existing or abandoned nesting sites) and an eolian distribution of fine-grained soil material in the landscape. Vegetation influences TOC storage and the cation exchange capacity in the uppermost soil horizons, whereas total N and most nutrient levels are not affected by the vegetation, but by seabird droppings. The present nutrient level does not affect plant adaptation, because the K, Mg, and P contents are often extraordinarily high. This suggests that nutrient supply is not a limiting factor, whereas microclimate effects, such as moisture availability and ground-level wind speed, have a primary influence on plant growth. Soil-surface temperature measurements indicate a strong variability in microclimate due to small-scale variations in geomorphological surface features. Bacteria are found in all soil horizons, but not algae and yeast. Soil microbial counts are weakly correlated to the C/N ratios and soil surface temperatures. High TOC and clay contents probably improve the soil water-holding capacity and TOC contributes to the microbial food supply. The investigated microbial parameters are weakly correlated to the present vegetation carpet, the lowest counts are found in the soils with scattered or no vegetation cover.

Distribution of bacterial numbers and biomass in soils and on plants from King George Island (Arctowski Station, Maritime Antarctica)

In Antarctica, ornithogenic soils from penguin guano play an important role in nutrient cycles in the ecosystem. Soil organic matter (SOM) degradation and translocation are the main determinants of these dynamics, of which podzolization is probably one, in ornithogenic soil. The purpose of this

A statistical scheme for structural analysis in marine ecosystems

Bacterial numbers and biomass associated with soils and plants from King George Island, Maritime Antarctica, were analysed by epifluorescence microscopy. Sampling was carried out during austral summer 1992/1993 at different sites in the vicinity of Arctewski Station. The sites were located at areas with different plant cover. Soil samples were taken to a depth of 50 cm. All microscopic analyses were carried out in the laboratory immediately after sampling. The bacterial community showed great variations related to soil organic matter and plant cover. Highest values of number and biomass of bacteria were found in the surface layers as well as on leaves of Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis. Lichen (Usnea antarctica, U. aurantiaco-atra) were much less covered with bacteria. Mean cell volume of bacteria can be regarded as an important descriptor of the bacterial community. Changes in this parameter can be related to environmental factors. Fungi and yeasts were seldom observed.

Carbon dioxide fluxes of soils and mosses in wet tundra of Taimyr Peninsula, Siberia: controlling factors and contribution to net system fluxes

Abstract A statistical analysis scheme is presented for handling comprehensive data-sets in structural analyses in ecological investigations. The program bloc for the data analysis depends on the kind of data sampling; i.e. we consider data matrices which involve different stations or different times. The results are mainly either plotted as graphical representations, or printed in symbol-matrices, to allow an extensive and rapid survey of the findings. The scheme is provided as a minimal procedure, and is suitable for most purposes in structural analysis for marine biology. Graph theoretical methods are demonstrated for the structural analysis of data from ecosystem research, and further applications are discussed.