Microorganisms are major drivers of elemental cycling in the biosphere. Determining the abundance of microbial functional traits involved in the transformation of nutrients, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S), is critical for assessing microbial functionality in elemental cycling. We developed a high-throughput quantitative-PCR-based chip, Quantitative microbial element cycling (QMEC), for assessing and quantifying the genetic potential of microbiota to mineralize soil organic matter and to release C, N, P and S. QMEC contains 72 primer pairs targeting 64 microbial functional genes for C, N, P, S and methane metabolism. These primer pairs were characterized by high coverage (average of 18–20 phyla covered per gene) and sufficient specificity (>70% match rate) with a relatively low detection limit (7–102 copies per run). QMEC was successfully applied to soil and sediment samples, identifying significantly different structures, abundances and diversities of the functional genes (P<0.05). QMEC was also able to determine absolute gene abundance. QMEC enabled the simultaneous qualitative and quantitative determination of 72 genes from 72 samples in one run, which is promising for comprehensively investigating microbially mediated ecological processes and biogeochemical cycles in various environmental contexts including those of the current global change.

A Gram-stain-negative and rod-shaped bacterial strain, 12-OD1T, with rock phosphate solubilizing ability was isolated from agricultural soil in Hailun, Heilongjiang, PR China. The isolate was affiliated to the genus Massilia , based on 16S rRNA gene sequence alignments, having the highest similarities with Massilia putida 6 NM-7T (98.67 %), Massilia kyonggiensis TSA1T (98.28 %), and Massilia norwichensis NS9T (98.07 %), respectively. The DNA G+C content was 67.72 mol% and DNA–DNA hybridization showed low relatedness values (less than 47 %) between strain 12-OD1T and other phylogenetically related species of the genus Massilia . The predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-8 and the polar lipid profile comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The major fatty acids were C17 : 0 cyclo (25.4 %), C16 : 0 (23.4 %) and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c) (22.5 %), which differentiates it from close relatives within the genus Massilia . Combined genetic, physiological and biochemical properties indicate that strain 12-OD1T is a novel species of the genus Massilia , for which the name Massilia phosphatilytica sp. nov., is proposed, with the type strain 12-OD1T (=CCTCC AB 2016251T=LMG 29956T=KCTC 52513T).