Microbial Communities of Soil Macrofauna as a Source of Ethylene
摘要
The intensity of formation and release of gaseous phytohormone ethylene by microbial associations in the intestines of representatives of various taxonomic groups of soil macrofauna—millipedes (Cylindroiulus caeruleocinctus), woodlice (Porcellio scaber), and earthworms (anecic Lumbricus terrestris, endogeic Aporrectodea caliginosa, and epigeic Lumbricus rubellus and Dendrobaena octaedra)—has been studied. The production of ethylene by the invertebrates developing on leaf litter and on the humus-accumulative horizon of urban soil (Urbic Technosol), as well as the release of ethylene from coprolites of A. caliginosa have been determined. It is found that the production of ethylene by A. caliginosa developing in microcosms enriched in decomposed organic matter increases by an order of magnitude. Other animals assimilating fresh litter increase ethylene emission by 50–60%. Among isolated strains, four strains can be attributed to active ethylene producers: Brevibacillus sp. Ya 2, Arthrobacter sulfonivorans Ya 1, Pseudomonas sp. Ya 6, and P. trivialis Ya 1. The results of this study confirm that the intestinal tract and fresh excrements of animals are significant microlocuses of ethylene release in soil.