title: How do microlocal environmental variations affect microbial activities of a Pinus halepensis litter in a Mediterranean coastal area?
abstract: Mediterranean coastal ecosystems suffer many different types of natural and anthropogenic environmental pressure. Microbial communities, major conductors of organic matter decomposition are also subject to these environmental constraints. In this study, our aim was to understand how microbial activities vary at a small spatio-temporal scale in a Mediterranean coastal environment. Microbial activities were monitored in a Pinus halepensis litter collected from two areas, one close to (10 m) and one far from (300 m) the French Mediterranean coast. Litters were transferred from one area to the other using litterbags and studied via different microbial indicators after 2, 5 and 13 months. Microbial Basal Respiration, qCO₂, certain enzyme activities (laccase, cellulase, β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase) and functional diversity via Biolog microplates were assayed in litterbags left in the area of origin as well as in litterbags transferred from one area to the other. Results highlight that microbial activities differ significantly in this short spatial scale over time. The influence of microlocal conditions more intensified for litters situated close to the sea, especially during summer seems to have a stressful effect on microbial communities, leading to less efficient functional activities. However, microbial activities were more strongly influenced by temporal variations linked to seasonality than by location.
authors.affiliation: Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Faculté de St-Jérôme, F-13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qasemian
authors.affiliation: Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Faculté de St-Jérôme, F-13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guiral
authors.affiliation: Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Faculté de St-Jérôme, F-13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France. Electronic address: anne-marie.farnet@imbe.fr.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Farnet
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D028223:Pinus; D012988:Soil Microbiology
keywords: Litter enzyme activities; Litterbags; Micro-climate; Microbial functioning; Osmotic stress