scholarly journals Spatial heterogeneity of belowground microbial communities linked to peatland microhabitats with different plant dominants

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alica Chroňáková ◽  
Jiří Bárta ◽  
Eva Kaštovská ◽  
Zuzana Urbanová ◽  
Tomáš Picek
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Photosynthetic Activity ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Anaerobic Bacteria ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Total N ◽  
Methane Cycling ◽  
Soil Microbial

ABSTRACT Peatland vegetation is composed mostly of mosses, graminoids and ericoid shrubs, and these have a distinct impact on peat biogeochemistry. We studied variation in soil microbial communities related to natural peatland microhabitats dominated by Sphagnum, cotton-grass and blueberry. We hypothesized that such microhabitats will be occupied by structurally and functionally different microbial communities, which will vary further during the vegetation season due to changes in temperature and photosynthetic activity of plant dominants. This was addressed using amplicon-based sequencing of prokaryotic and fungal rDNA and qPCR with respect to methane-cycling communities. Fungal communities were highly microhabitat-specific, while prokaryotic communities were additionally directed by soil pH and total N content. Seasonal alternations in microbial community composition were less important; however, they influenced the abundance of methane-cycling communities. Cotton-grass and blueberry bacterial communities contained relatively more α-Proteobacteria but less Chloroflexi, Fibrobacteres, Firmicutes, NC10, OD1 and Spirochaetes than in Sphagnum. Methanogens, syntrophic and anaerobic bacteria (i.e. Clostridiales, Bacteroidales, Opitutae, Chloroflexi and Syntrophorhabdaceae) were suppressed in blueberry indicating greater aeration that enhanced abundance of fungi (mainly Archaeorhizomycetes) and resulted in the highest fungi-to-bacteria ratio. Thus, microhabitats dominated by different vascular plants are inhabited by unique microbial communities, contributing greatly to spatial functional diversity within peatlands.

scholarly journals Responses of soil microbial communities and enzyme activities to nitrogen and phosphorus additions in Chinese fir plantations of subtropical China

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 10359-10387 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Y. Dong ◽  
X. Y. Zhang ◽  
X. Y. Liu ◽  
X. L. Fu ◽  
F. S. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Chinese Fir ◽  
Subtropical China ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Nutrient Additions

Abstract. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions to forest ecosystems are known to influence various above-ground properties, such as plant productivity and composition, and below-ground properties, such as soil nutrient cycling. However, our understanding of how soil microbial communities and their functions respond to nutrient additions in subtropical plantations is still not complete. In this study, we added N and P to Chinese fir plantations in subtropical China to examine how nutrient additions influenced soil microbial community composition and enzyme activities. The results showed that most soil microbial properties were responsive to N and/or P additions, but responses often varied depending on the nutrient added and the quantity added. For instance, there were more than 30 % greater increases in the activities of β-Glucosidase (βG) and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) in the treatments that received nutrient additions compared to the control plot, whereas acid phosphatase (aP) activity was always higher (57 and 71 %, respectively) in the P treatment. N and P additions greatly enhanced the PLFA abundanceespecially in the N2P treatment, the bacterial PLFAs (bacPLFAs), fungal PLFAs (funPLFAs) and actinomycic PLFAs (actPLFAs) were about 2.5, 3 and 4 times higher, respectively, than in the CK. Soil enzyme activities were noticeably higher in November than in July, mainly due to seasonal differences in soil moisture content (SMC). βG or NAG activities were significantly and positively correlated with microbial PLFAs. There were also significant relationships between gram-positive (G+) bacteria and all three soil enzymes. These findings indicate that G+ bacteria is the most important microbial community in C, N, and P transformations in Chinese fir plantations, and that βG and NAG would be useful tools for assessing the biogeochemical transformation and metabolic activity of soil microbes. We recommend combined additions of N and P fertilizer to promote soil fertility and microbial activity in this kind of plantation.

scholarly journals   Effects of tillage and residue management on soil microbial communities in North China

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.J. Wang ◽  
X.Y. Li ◽  
A.N. Zhu ◽  
X.K. Zhang ◽  
H.W. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
North China ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Biomass Carbon ◽  
Total N ◽  
Soil Microbial

The impacts of tillage system (conventional tillage and no-tillage) and residue management (0, 50, and 100%) on soil properties and soil microbial community structure were determined in the Fengqiu State Key Agro-Ecological Experimental Station, North China. The microbial community structure was investigated by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles. The results showed that tillage had significant effects on soil properties and soil microbial communities. In no-tillage (NT), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), total N, microbial biomass carbon/soil organic carbon (MBC/SOC), total microbes, and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi increased, while actinomycetes, G<sup>+</sup>/G<sup>&ndash;</sup> bacteria ratio and monounsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (MUFA/STFA) decreased, compared with those in conventional tillage (CT). Residue had a significant positive effect on C/N ratio and MUFA/STFA. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that tillage explained 76.1%, and residue management explained 0.6% of the variations in soil microbial communities, respectively. Soil microbial communities were significantly correlated with MBC, total N, C/N ratio and MBC/SOC. Among the six treatments, NT with 100% residue application obviously improved soil microbiological properties, and could be a proper management practice in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China. &nbsp;

scholarly journals Effects of Spatial Variability and Relic DNA Removal on the Detection of Temporal Dynamics in Soil Microbial Communities

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Carini ◽  
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo ◽  
Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley ◽  
Hannah Holland‐Moritz ◽  
Tess E. Brewer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Environmental Preferences ◽  
Soil Microbial

ABSTRACT Few studies have comprehensively investigated the temporal variability in soil microbial communities despite widespread recognition that the belowground environment is dynamic. In part, this stems from the challenges associated with the high degree of spatial heterogeneity in soil microbial communities and because the presence of relic DNA (DNA from dead cells or secreted extracellular DNA) may dampen temporal signals. Here, we disentangle the relationships among spatial, temporal, and relic DNA effects on prokaryotic and fungal communities in soils collected from contrasting hillslopes in Colorado, USA. We intensively sampled plots on each hillslope over 6 months to discriminate between temporal variability, intraplot spatial heterogeneity, and relic DNA effects on the soil prokaryotic and fungal communities. We show that the intraplot spatial variability in microbial community composition was strong and independent of relic DNA effects and that these spatial patterns persisted throughout the study. When controlling for intraplot spatial variability, we identified significant temporal variability in both plots over the 6-month study. These microbial communities were more dissimilar over time after relic DNA was removed, suggesting that relic DNA hinders the detection of important temporal dynamics in belowground microbial communities. We identified microbial taxa that exhibited shared temporal responses and show that these responses were often predictable from temporal changes in soil conditions. Our findings highlight approaches that can be used to better characterize temporal shifts in soil microbial communities, information that is critical for predicting the environmental preferences of individual soil microbial taxa and identifying linkages between soil microbial community composition and belowground processes. IMPORTANCE Nearly all microbial communities are dynamic in time. Understanding how temporal dynamics in microbial community structure affect soil biogeochemistry and fertility are key to being able to predict the responses of the soil microbiome to environmental perturbations. Here, we explain the effects of soil spatial structure and relic DNA on the determination of microbial community fluctuations over time. We found that intensive spatial sampling was required to identify temporal effects in microbial communities because of the high degree of spatial heterogeneity in soil and that DNA from nonliving sources masks important temporal patterns. We identified groups of microbes with shared temporal responses and show that these patterns were predictable from changes in soil characteristics. These results provide insight into the environmental preferences and temporal relationships between individual microbial taxa and highlight the importance of considering relic DNA when trying to detect temporal dynamics in belowground communities.

scholarly journals Heavy and wet: The consequences of violating assumptions of measuring soil microbial growth efficiency using the 18O water method

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Pold ◽  
Luiz A. Domeignoz-Horta ◽  
Kristen M. DeAngelis
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Growth ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Microbial Growth Efficiency

Soils store more carbon than the biosphere and atmosphere combined, and the efficiency to which soil microorganisms allocate carbon to growth rather than respiration is increasingly considered a proxy for the soil capacity to store carbon. This carbon use efficiency (CUE) is measured via different methods, and more recently, the 18O-H2O method has been embraced as a significant improvement for measuring CUE of soil microbial communities. Based on extrapolating 18O incorporation into DNA to new biomass, this measurement makes various implicit assumptions about the microbial community at hand. Here we conducted a literature review to evaluate how viable these assumptions are and then developed a mathematical model to test how violating them affects estimates of the growth component of CUE in soil. We applied this model to previously collected data from two kinds of soil microbial communities. By changing one parameter at a time, we confirmed our previous observation that CUE was reduced by fungal removal. Our results also show that depending on the microbial community composition, there can be substantial discrepancies between estimated and true microbial growth. Of the numerous implicit assumptions that might be violated, not accounting for the contribution of sources of oxygen other than extracellular water to DNA leads to a consistent underestimation of CUE. We present a framework that allows researchers to evaluate how their experimental conditions may influence their 18O-H2O-based CUE measurements and suggest the parameters that need further constraining to more accurately quantify growth and CUE.

scholarly journals Activation of the SA-Associated Plant Defense Pathway Alters the Composition of Soil Bacterial Communities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Peter G.L. Klinkhamer ◽  
Klaas Vrieling ◽  
T. Martijn Bezemer
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Rhizosphere Soil ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Core Microbiome ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Soil Bacterial ◽  
Sa Signaling

Abstract Background and aimsMany plant species grow better in sterilized than in live soil. Foliar application of SA mitigates this negative effect of live soil on the growth of the plant Jacobaea vulgaris. To examine what causes the positive effect of SA application on plant growth in live soils, we analyzed the effects of SA application on the composition of active rhizosphere bacteria in the live soil. Methods We studied this over four consecutive plant cycles (generations), using mRNA sequencing of the microbial communities in the rhizosphere of J. vulgaris. ResultsOur study shows that the composition of the rhizosphere bacterial communities of J. vulgaris greatly differed among generations. Application of SA resulted in both increases and decreases in a number of active bacterial genera in the rhizosphere soil, but the genera that were affected by the treatment differed among generations. In the first generation, there were no genera that were significantly affected by the SA treatment, indicating that induction of the SA defense pathway in plants does not lead to immediate changes in the soil microbial community. 89 species out of the total 270 (32.4%) were present in all generations in all soils of SA-treated and control plants suggesting that these make up the “core” microbiome. On average in each generation, 72.9% of all genera were present in both soils. Application of SA to plants significantly up-regulated genera of Caballeronia, unclassified Cytophagaceae, Crinalium and Candidatus Thermofonsia Clade 2, and down-regulated genera of Thermomicrobiales, unclassified Rhodobacterales, Paracoccus and Flavihumibacter. While the functions of many of these bacteria are poorly understood, bacteria of the genus Caballeronia play an important role in fixing nitrogen and promoting plant growth, and hence this suggests that activation of the SA signaling pathway in J. vulgaris plants may select for bacterial genera that are beneficial to the plant. ConclusionsOverall, our study shows that aboveground activation of defenses in the plant affects soil microbial communities and, as soil microbes can greatly influence plant performance, this implies that induction of plant defenses can lead to complex above-belowground feedbacks. Further studies should examine how activation of the SA signaling pathway in the plant changes the functional genes of the rhizosphere soil bacterial community.

scholarly journals Extreme drought triggers transition to an alternative soil microbial state

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Cordero ◽  
Ainara Leizeaga ◽  
Lettice C Hicks ◽  
Johannes Rousk ◽  
Richard D Bardgett
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Extreme Drought ◽  
Alternative States ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Fungal Community Structure ◽  
Functional States

Soil microbial communities play a pivotal role in regulating ecosystem functioning but they are increasingly threatened by human-driven perturbations, including climate extremes, which are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. It has been demonstrated that soil microbial communities are sensitive to climate extremes, such as drought, and that effects can be long-lasting. However, considerable uncertainties remain concerning the response of soil microbial communities to increases in the intensity and frequency of climate extremes, and their potential to trigger transitions to alternative, and potentially deleterious, taxonomic and functional states. Here we demonstrate that extreme, frequent drought induces a shift to an alternative soil microbial state characterised by strongly altered bacterial and fungal community structure of reduced complexity and functionality. Moreover, we found that this drought-induced alternative microbial state persisted after returning soil to its previous moisture status. However, bacterial communities were able to adapt by increasing their growth capacity, despite being of reduced diversity. Abrupt transitions to alternative states are well documented in aquatic and terrestrial plant communities in response to human-induced perturbations, including climate extremes. Our results provide experimental evidence that such transitions also occur in soil microbial communities in response to extreme drought with potentially deleterious consequences for soil health.

scholarly journals Spatial Diversity in Bacterial Communities across Barren and Vegetated, Native and Invasive, Coastal Dune Microhabitats

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
Brianna L. Boss ◽  
Bianca R. Charbonneau ◽  
Javier A. Izquierdo
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Spatial Diversity ◽  
Microbial Composition

The microbial community composition of coastal dunes can vary across environmental gradients, with the potential to impact erosion and deposition processes. In coastal foredunes, invasive plant species establishment can create and alter environmental gradients, thereby altering microbial communities and other ecogeomorphic processes with implications for storm response and management and conservation efforts. However, the mechanisms of these processes are poorly understood. To understand how changing microbial communities can alter these ecogeomorphic dynamics, one must first understand how soil microbial communities vary as a result of invasion. Towards this goal, bacterial communities were assessed spatially along foredune microhabitats, specifically in barren foredune toe and blowout microhabitats and in surrounding vegetated monocultures of native Ammophila breviligulata and invasive Carex kobomugi. Across dune microhabitats, microbial composition was more dissimilar in barren dune toe and blowout microhabitats than among the two plant species, but it did not appear that it would favor the establishment of one plant species over the other. However, the subtle differences between the microbial community composition of two species could ultimately aid in the success of the invasive species by reducing the proportions of bacterial genera associated exclusively with A. breviligulata. These results suggest that arrival time may be crucial in fostering microbiomes that would further the continued establishment and spread of either plant species.

scholarly journals Distinct effects of short-term reconstructed topsoil on soya bean and corn rhizosphere bacterial abundance and communities in Chinese Mollisol

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 181054
Author(s):  
Zhenhua Yu ◽  
Jian Jin ◽  
Yansheng Li ◽  
Yue Yang ◽  
Yue Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Bacterial Abundance ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soya Bean ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Topsoil Layer

Eroded black soils (classified as Mollisols) lead to a thinner topsoil layer, reduced organic carbon storage and declined crop productivity. Understanding the changes in soil microbial communities owing to soil erosion is of vital importance as soil microbial communities are sensitive indicators of soil condition and are essential in soil nutrient cycling. This study used the reconstructed facility with 10, 20 and 30 cm topsoil thickness under no-till soya bean–corn rotation in black soil region of Northeast China. Illumina MiSeq sequencing targeting 16S rRNA, q PCR and soil respiration measurement were performed to assess the changes in soya bean and corn rhizosphere bacterial communities, as well as their abundance and activities due to the topsoil thickness. The results showed that soil bacterial communities from both soya bean and corn were more sensitive to topsoil removal than to soil biogeochemical characteristics. Topsoil depths significantly influenced both soya bean and corn bacterial communities, while they only significantly influenced the bacterial abundance and respiration in corn. We also found that the topsoil depths significantly induced the changes in phyla and genera from both soya bean and corn rhizosphere bacterial community, which aid further understandings on how topsoil layer influences the global nutrient cycling of Mollisols by influencing the change in microbial communities.

scholarly journals Functional Gene Differences in Soil Microbial Communities from Conventional, Low-Input, and Organic Farmlands

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 1284-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Xue ◽  
Liyou Wu ◽  
Ye Deng ◽  
Zhili He ◽  
Joy Van Nostrand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Functional Gene ◽  
Functional Genes ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Low Input ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Denitrification Genes

ABSTRACTVarious agriculture management practices may have distinct influences on soil microbial communities and their ecological functions. In this study, we utilized GeoChip, a high-throughput microarray-based technique containing approximately 28,000 probes for genes involved in nitrogen (N)/carbon (C)/sulfur (S)/phosphorus (P) cycles and other processes, to evaluate the potential functions of soil microbial communities under conventional (CT), low-input (LI), and organic (ORG) management systems at an agricultural research site in Michigan. Compared to CT, a high diversity of functional genes was observed in LI. The functional gene diversity in ORG did not differ significantly from that of either CT or LI. Abundances of genes encoding enzymes involved in C/N/P/S cycles were generally lower in CT than in LI or ORG, with the exceptions of genes in pathways for lignin degradation, methane generation/oxidation, and assimilatory N reduction, which all remained unchanged. Canonical correlation analysis showed that selected soil (bulk density, pH, cation exchange capacity, total C, C/N ratio, NO3−, NH4+, available phosphorus content, and available potassium content) and crop (seed and whole biomass) variables could explain 69.5% of the variation of soil microbial community composition. Also, significant correlations were observed between NO3−concentration and denitrification genes, NH4+concentration and ammonification genes, and N2O flux and denitrification genes, indicating a close linkage between soil N availability or process and associated functional genes.

scholarly journals Erosion reduces soil microbial diversity, network complexity and multifunctionality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Qiu ◽  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Hansong Zhu ◽  
Peter B. Reich ◽  
Samiran Banerjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Soil Microbial Diversity ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Relative Abundances ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWhile soil erosion drives land degradation, the impact of erosion on soil microbial communities and multiple soil functions remains unclear. This hinders our ability to assess the true impact of erosion on soil ecosystem services and our ability to restore eroded environments. Here we examined the effect of erosion on microbial communities at two sites with contrasting soil texture and climates. Eroded plots had lower microbial network complexity, fewer microbial taxa, and fewer associations among microbial taxa, relative to non-eroded plots. Soil erosion also shifted microbial community composition, with decreased relative abundances of dominant phyla such as Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Gemmatimonadetes. In contrast, erosion led to an increase in the relative abundances of some bacterial families involved in N cycling, such as Acetobacteraceae and Beijerinckiaceae. Changes in microbiota characteristics were strongly related with erosion-induced changes in soil multifunctionality. Together, these results demonstrate that soil erosion has a significant negative impact on soil microbial diversity and functionality.

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