Soil Microbial Biomass Under the Canopy of Coastal Sand Dune Shrubs

Coastal sand dunes are affected by seasonal fuctuations in salinity due to seawater spray and precipitation. Salinity was found to be very high in summer soil samples and was about 15­20 times lower in the preceding rainy winter. High microbial biomass values of 234.6 and 173.1 µgC gˉ¹ dry soil were found under Artemisia monosperma and Retama raetam, respectively, even at elevated salinity. The metabolic quotient for CO2 which may serve as an indicator for changes in microbial diversity or environmental stress, was unexpectedly high (58.5 and 48.8 µg mg ˉ¹ d ˉ¹ under A. monosperma and R. raetam, respectively) in low-saline samples from the winter when compared to the summer (a maximal value of 20 µg mg ˉ¹ d ˉ¹), probably indicating a shift in community structure. It may be concluded that even under hostile conditions in poor sandy soils and with high salinity the presence of perennial shrubs creates favorable niches for microorganisms and affects their activity.

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