Characteristics of soil microbial populations and biomass under different ecosystems in a canyon karst region

Determining the relationship between soil microbial populations and soil microbial biomass in ecosystems can provide useful information for vegetation restoration in the canyon Karst region. Therefore, based on a combination of field investigation and laboratory analysis, we analyzed soil microbial populations and soil microbial biomass at different soil depths as well as their fractal relationships under six typical ecosystems, i.e., paddy field, dry land, grassland, Shrubbery, plantation forest, and secondary forest, in the canyon Karst region in southwest China. Moreover, both soil microbial populations and soil microbial biomass in the six ecosystems decreased as an increase in soil depth. As a result, exploring soil microbial activities could provide the basis for improving the soil fertility of lime soil and boosting vegetation restoration in karst regions.