Abstract
Effects of land-use change in tropical peatlands on the microbial population and emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were studied in the field and laboratory. The study area covered secondary forest, paddy field and paddy-soybean rotation field in Indonesia. ATP content, and numbers of viable bacteria and fungi, cellulolytic bacteria and fungi, NH4+ oxidizers and denitrifiers in a paddy-soybean rotation field and paddy field were reduced to 1-30% and 3-90% of those in secondary forest, respectively. The field measurements of greenhouse gas emissions showed that significantly more CH4 was emitted from paddy field than secondary forest, but no significant difference in the emission of either N2O or CO2. The laboratory incubation experiment showed that the soil moisture level and land-use change significantly affected the emission of N2O, CH4 and CO2. These results suggested that land-use change significantly affected the microbial population and emissions of greenhouse gases.
