<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Fioretto, A.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Papa, S.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Pellegrino, A.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ferrigno, a.</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Microbial activities in soils of a Mediterranean ecosystem in different successional stages</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Soil Biology and Biochemistry</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ATP</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">High maquis</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Meadow</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Mediterranean ecosystem</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Shrubland</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Soil enzyme activities</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Successional stages</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2009</style></year></dates><publisher><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Elsevier Ltd</style></publisher><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">41</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2061-2068</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">This study reports a comparative analysis of soil enzyme activities (b-glucosidase, protease, urease, arylsulphatase, phosphatase and ﬂuorescein diacetate hydrolase), ATP, total N and organic matter contents in three vegetal successional stages (meadow, low shrubland and high maquis) of a Mediterranean ecosystem in the Natural Reserve of Castel Volturno (Campania, Italy). Because water availability is a major limiting factor of soil microbial activity in Mediterranean ecosystems, the analysis was performed in late spring (May), after the rainy period, and in early autumn (October), after the long dry summer. A signiﬁcant decrease in protease, arylsulphatase, urease and b-glucosidase activities was observed in meadow soil in the autumn sampling, probably due to the prolonged summer drought. Combining the values measured in the two sampling dates, the high maquis tended to have higher levels of enzymes activities than shrubland and meadow. Notably, high maquis had signiﬁcantly higher phosphatase and arylsulphatase activities than shrubland and meadow and, in addition, a higher ATP content compared to meadow. Drastic changes were observed in EA/ATP ratios between the sampling periods in the meadow and shrubland, suggesting changes in the efﬁciency of microbial community more likely linked to climatic ﬂuctuations than to the successional stage. The more stable EA/ATP ratio in the maquis probably reﬂects a constant contribution of microbial biomass to enzyme secretion. In conclusion, our results point to an increase in soil microbial activity accompanying the succession from meadow to high maquis that probably reﬂects a parallel increase in soil functions. Nevertheless, spatial heterogeneity and, more important, temporal variations in soil activities often may obscure differences related to the plant cover type.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>