Effects of land uses and soil types on microbial activity and community structure

. This study was conducted in order to understand the effects of land use and soil types on microbial activity and community structure. Soil samples were collected from four different soil types (Solonetz, Solonchak, Chernozem and Gleysol) being used under different land use practices (arable, pasture and meadow). The soil chemical properties, moisture content, microbiological activity and community size were investigated. The principal component analysis results showed that differ - ent land uses and soil types are clearly separated based on the chemical properties of the soil. The canonical correspondence analysis results revealed that more than 78% of variation in the microbiological properties of the samples could be explained by environmental factors. Significant biological differences were observed among the different land use practices and soil types, and also soil cultivation affected the different groups of soil microbes. Sampling sites were separated into two main clusters (Bray-Curtis) based on certain microbiological properties, salt-affected and non-salt-affected soils. The soil types were the main driving factor, with high soil taxonomic distances, however, low taxonomic distances indicated that land use had more pronounced effects on soil microbiological properties.