| Long-term agricultural management alters soil organic matter, nutrient status, and potentially the decomposer community. We measured the abundance and activity of cellulose, chitin, and protease degrading bacteria, and total soil extra-cellular enzyme activity for cellulose (β-glucosidase), chitinase (N-acetyl-glucosaminidase), xylosidase, and phosphatase activity. By combining these methods, we could determine how bacterial decomposer abundance and function were altered by long-term management, and how the bacterial decomposer community relates to overall soil enzyme activity. We also measured microbial total fungal and bacterial biomass, soil organic carbon pools, and extractable nitrogen for supplementary comparisons. Soil samples were taken... |
