Comparing field and lab quantitative stable isotope probing for nitrogen assimilation in agricultural soil microbes

Soil microbial communities play crucial roles in nutrient cycling and can help retain nitrogen in agricultural soils. Quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) is a useful method for investigating taxon-specific microbial growth and utilization of specific nutrients, such as nitrogen (N). Typically, qSIP is performed in a highly controlled lab setting. However, the field relevance of lab qSIP studies remains unknown. We conducted and compared tandem lab and field qSIP to quantify the assimilation of 15N by maize-associated soil prokaryotic communities at two agricultural sites.

土壤微生物群落在养分循环中发挥关键作用，且可助力农田土壤留存氮素。定量稳定性同位素探针（quantitative stable isotope probing, qSIP）是一种用于研究类群特异性微生物生长及特定养分（如氮（N））利用情况的有效方法。通常，qSIP实验会在高度受控的实验室环境中开展。然而，实验室qSIP研究的野外适用性仍未明确。本研究在两处农田站点开展了实验室与野外同步的qSIP实验并进行对比，以量化玉米关联土壤原核生物群落对¹⁵N的同化量。