Effect of long-term plant biomass management on phosphatase-producing bacterial populations in soils under temperate grassland

Abstract Organic forms of phosphorus (P) account for over half of the total P present in most soils and make a significant contribution to P cycling and plant nutrition through the actions of various plant and microbial phosphatase enzymes. However, not much is known about the bacterial communities harbouring phosphatase genes, either in composition, abundance, or transcriptional activity. Thus a grassland trial was selected that was undergoing long-term management of plant biomass removal/retention. Treatment plots were sampled after 22 years to examine the impact of prolonged nutrient depletion on bacterial communities helping to mediate organic P turnover. Total bacteria, total fungi, alkaline phosphatase (phoD) and the three classes (A, B, C) of non-specific acid phosphatases (NSAPs) were quantified and amplicons of the phoD and NSAP genes were sequenced. Of the genes quantified, class B (CBAP) genes were positively impacted by biomass removal (p