Identification of biomass utilizing bacteria in a carbon‐depleted glacier forefield soil by the use of 13C DNA stable isotope probing

Summary As Alpine glaciers are retreating rapidly, bare soils with low organic C and N contents are becoming exposed. Carbon availability is a key factor regulating microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning in these soils. The aim of this study was to investigate how bacterial activity, community structure and com- position are influenced by organic carbon availability. Bare soils were supplied with 13 C-labelled fungal (Penicillium sp.) and green algal (Chlorella sp.) biomass and the CO2 evolution and its d 13 C signature were monitored up to 60 days. These organisms have previously been isolated near the glacier terminus. DNA stable isotope probing followed by T-RFLP profiling and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes was employed to identify consumers able to assimilate carbon from these biomass amendments. Higher respiration and higher bacterial activity indicated a more efficient utilization of algal cells than fungal cells. Flavobacterium sp. predominantly incorporated fungal-derived C, whereas the algal-derived C was mainly incorporated by Acidobacteria and Proteobac- teria. This study emphasizes the important role of both fungal and algal biomass in increasing the carbon pool in recently deglaciated bare soils, as only 20% of the added C was respired as CO2, and the rest, we presume, remained in the soil.