scholarly journals Pairing litter decomposition with microbial community structures using the Tea Bag Index (TBI)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Daebeler ◽  
Eva Petrová ◽  
Elena Kinz ◽  
Susanne Grausenburger ◽  
Helene Berthold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Green Tea ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Community Structures ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Tea Bag Index ◽  
Decomposition Dynamics

Abstract. Including information about soil microbial communities into global decomposition models is critical for predicting and understanding how ecosystem functions may shift in response to global change. Here we combined a standardised litter bag method for estimating decomposition rates, Tea Bag Index (TBI), with high-throughput sequencing of the microbial communities colonising the plant litter in the bags. Together with students of the Federal College for Viticulture and Fruit Growing, Klosterneuburg, Austria, acting as citizen scientists, we used this approach to investigate the diversity of prokaryotes and fungi colonising recalcitrant (rooibos) and labile (green tea) plant litter buried in three different soil types and during four seasons with the aim of (i) comparing litter decomposition [decomposition rates (k) and stabilisation factors (S)] between soil types and seasons, (ii) comparing the microbial communities colonising labile and recalcitrant plant litter between soil types and seasons (iii) correlating microbial diversity and taxa relative abundance patterns of colonisers with litter decomposition rates (k)and stabilisation factors (S). Stabilisation factor (S), but not decomposition rate (k), correlated with the season and was significantly lower in the summer. This finding highlights the necessity to include colder seasons in the efforts of determining decomposition dynamics in order to quantify nutrient cycling in soils accurately. With our approach, we further showed selective colonisation of plant litter by fungal and prokaryotic taxa sourced from the soil. The community structures of these microbial colonisers differed most profoundly between summer and winter, and rooibos litter was generally a stronger selector than green tea litter. Moreover, this study indicates an equal, if not higher, importance of fungal versus prokaryotic degraders for recalcitrant and labile plant litter decomposition. Our results collectively demonstrate the importance of analysing decomposition dynamics over multiple seasons and isolating the effect of the active component of the microbial community.

Soil processes and microbial community structures in 45- and 135-year-old lodgepole pine stands

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 2263-2271 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chatterjee ◽  
L.J. Ingram ◽  
G.F. Vance ◽  
P.D. Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Tree Biomass ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Live Tree

As forests develop, changes in soil organic matter quantity and quality affect both nutrient dynamics and microbial community structure. Litter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in association with soil microbial communities were compared between 45- and 135-year-old lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta var. latifolia (Englem.)) stands in southeastern Wyoming, USA. Compared with the 45-year-old stand, the 135-year-old stand was found to have greater live-tree biomass, litter decomposition rates (264 versus 135 mg·(g litter)–1·year–1), soil nitrification rates (0.38 versus 0.19 µg NO3–·(g soil)–1 after 265 days of field incubation), and total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations (25 versus 9.2 nmol·(g soil)–1 at 0–5 cm depth). Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that variation of PLFA profiles within the 45-year-old stand was explained by soil pH and bulk density, whereas soil process rates explained the distributions of PLFA profiles within the 135-year-old stand. The results of these studies indicate that stand age influences live-tree biomass and soil properties that can lead to changes in litter decomposition rates and soil microbial communities in lodgepole pine forests.

scholarly journals Microbial community-level features linked to divergent carbon flows during early litter decomposition in a constant environment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Johansen ◽  
Michaeline Albright ◽  
Deanna Lopez ◽  
La Verne Gallegos-Graves ◽  
Andreas Runde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Carbon Flow ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
Plant Litter Decomposition ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

AbstractDuring plant litter decomposition in soils, carbon has two general fates: return to the atmosphere via microbial respiration or transport into soil where long-term storage may occur. Discovering microbial community features that drive carbon fate from litter decomposition may improve modeling and management of soil carbon. This concept assumes there are features (or underlying processes) that are widespread among disparate communities, and therefore amenable to modeling. We tested this assumption using an epidemiological approach in which two contrasting patterns of carbon flow in laboratory microcosms were delineated as functional states and diverse microbial communities representing each state were compared to discover shared features linked to carbon fate. Microbial communities from 206 soil samples from the southwestern United States were inoculated on plant litter in microcosms, and carbon flow was measured as cumulative carbon dioxide (CO2) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) after 44 days. Carbon flow varied widely among the microcosms, with a 2-fold range in cumulative CO2efflux and a 5-fold range in DOC quantity. Bacteria, not fungi, were the strongest drivers of DOC variation. The most significant community-level feature linked to DOC abundance was bacterial richness—the same feature linked to carbon fate in human-gut microbiome studies. This proof-of-principle study under controlled conditions suggests common features driving carbon flow in disparate microbial communities can be identified, motivating further exploration of underlying mechanisms that may influence carbon fate in natural ecosystems.

scholarly journals Tea Bag Index to Assess Carbon Decomposition Rate in Cranberry Agroecosystems

Soil Systems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Wilfried Dossou-Yovo ◽  
Serge-Étienne Parent ◽  
Noura Ziadi ◽  
Élizabeth Parent ◽  
Léon-Étienne Parent
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Green Tea ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Rooibos Tea ◽  
Tea Bag Index ◽  
Stabilization Factor

In cranberry production systems, stands are covered by 1–5 cm of sand every 2–5 years to stimulate plant growth, resulting in alternate layers of sand and litter in soil upper layers. However, almost intact twigs and leaves remain in subsurface layers, indicating a slow decomposition rate. The Tea Bag Index (TBI) provides an internationally standardized methodology to compare litter decomposition rates (k) and stabilization (S) among terrestrial ecosystems. However, TBI parameters may be altered by time-dependent changes in the contact between litter and their immediate environment. The aims of this study were to determine the TBI of cranberry agroecosystems and compare it to the TBI of other terrestrial ecosystems. Litters were standardized green tea, standardized rooibos tea, and cranberry residues collected on the plantation floor. Litter decomposition was monitored during two consecutive years. Added N did not affect TBI parameters (k and S) due to possible N leaching and strong acidic soil condition. Decomposition rates (k) averaged (mean ± SD) 9.7 × 10−3 day−1 ± 1.6 × 10−3 for green tea, 3.3 × 10−3 day−1 ± 0.8 × 10−5 for rooibos tea, and 0.4 × 10−3 day−1 ± 0.86 × 10−3 for cranberry residues due to large differences in biochemical composition and tissue structure. The TBI decomposition rate (k) was 0.006 day−1 ± 0.002 in the low range among terrestrial ecosystems, and the stabilization factor (S) was 0.28 ± 0.08, indicating high potential for carbon accumulation in cranberry agroecosystems. Decomposition rates of tea litters were reduced by fractal coefficients of 0.6 for green tea and 0.4 for rooibos tea, indicating protection mechanisms building up with time in the tea bags. While the computation of the TBI stabilization factor may be biased because the green tea was not fully decomposed, fractal kinetics could be used as additional index to compare agroecosystems.

scholarly journals Dynamics of microbial communities during decomposition of litter from pioneering plants in initial soil ecosystems

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 5115-5124 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Esperschütz ◽  
C. Zimmermann ◽  
A. Dümig ◽  
G. Welzl ◽  
F. Buegger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Degradation Process ◽  
Mining Area ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Litter Addition ◽  
Fungal Abundance ◽  
Soil Ecosystems

Abstract. In initial ecosystems, concentrations of all macro- and micronutrients can be considered as extremely low. Plant litter therefore strongly influences the development of a degrader's food web and is an important source for C and N input into soil in such ecosystems. In the present study, a 13C litter decomposition field experiment was performed for 30 weeks in initial soils from a post-mining area near the city of Cottbus (Germany). Two of this region's dominant but contrasting pioneering plant species (Lotus corniculatus L. and Calamagrostis epigejos L.) were chosen to investigate the effects of litter quality on the litter decomposing microbial food web in initially nutrient-poor substrates. The results clearly indicate the importance of litter quality, as indicated by its N content, its bioavailability for the degradation process and the development of microbial communities in the detritusphere and soil. The degradation of the L. corniculatus litter, which had a low C / N ratio, was fast and showed pronounced changes in the microbial community structure 1–4 weeks after litter addition. The degradation of the C. epigejos litter material was slow and microbial community changes mainly occurred between 4 and 30 weeks after litter addition to the soil. However, for both litter materials a clear indication of the importance of fungi for the degradation process was observed both in terms of fungal abundance and activity (13C incorporation activity)

scholarly journals High-throughput amplicon sequencing reveals the spatiotemporal effects, abiotic and biotic shaping factors for the microbial communities in tropical mangrove sediments in Sanya, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu Qu ◽  
Boliang Gao ◽  
Jie Wu ◽  
Min Jin ◽  
Jianxin Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Biotic Factors ◽  
Community Structures ◽  
Mangrove Sediments ◽  
Element Cycling ◽  
Microbial Community Structures

Abstract Background Microbial roles in element cycling and nutrient providing are crucial for mangrove ecosystems and serve as important regulators for climate change in Earth ecosystem. However, some key information about the spatiotemporal influences and abiotic and biotic shaping factors for the microbial communities in mangrove sediments remains lacking. Methods In this work, 22 sediment samples were collected from multiple spatiotemporal dimensions, including three locations, two depths, and four seasons, and the bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community structures in these samples were studied using amplicon sequencing. Results The microbial community structures were varied in the samples from different depths and locations based on the results of LDA effect size analysis, principal coordinate analysis, the analysis of similarities, and permutational multivariate ANOVA. However, these microbial community structures were stable among the seasonal samples. Linear fitting models and Mantel test showed that among the 13 environmental factors measured in this study, the sediment particle size (PS) was the key abiotic shaping factor for the bacterial, archaeal, or fungal community structure. Besides PS, salinity and humidity were also significant impact factors according to the canonical correlation analysis (p ≤ 0.05). Co-occurrence networks demonstrated that the bacteria assigned into phyla Ignavibacteriae, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria were the key biotic factors for shaping the bacterial community in mangrove sediments. Conclusions This work showed the variability on spatial dimensions and the stability on temporal dimension for the bacterial, archaeal, or fungal microbial community structure, indicating that the tropical mangrove sediments are versatile but stable environments. PS served as the key abiotic factor could indirectly participate in material circulation in mangroves by influencing microbial community structures, along with salinity and humidity. The bacteria as key biotic factors were found with the abilities of photosynthesis, polysaccharide degradation, or nitrogen fixation, which were potential indicators for monitoring mangrove health, as well as crucial participants in the storage of mangrove blue carbons and mitigation of climate warming. This study expanded the knowledge of mangroves for the spatiotemporal variation, distribution, and regulation of the microbial community structures, thus further elucidating the microbial roles in mangrove management and climate regulation.

scholarly journals Fungal Communities on Standing Litter Are Structured by Moisture Type and Constrain Decomposition in a Hyper-Arid Grassland

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Robert Logan ◽  
Kathryn M. Jacobson ◽  
Peter J. Jacobson ◽  
Sarah E. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Plant Litter Decomposition ◽  
Moisture Regimes ◽  
Local Moisture ◽  
Frequency Magnitude

Non-rainfall moisture (fog, dew, and water vapor; NRM) is an important driver of plant litter decomposition in grasslands, where it can contribute significantly to terrestrial carbon cycling. However, we still do not know whether microbial decomposers respond differently to NRM and rain, nor whether this response affects litter decomposition rates. To determine how local moisture regimes influence decomposer communities and their function, we examined fungal communities on standing grass litter at an NRM-dominated site and a rain-dominated site 75 km apart in the hyper-arid Namib Desert using a reciprocal transplant design. Dominant taxa at both sites consisted of both extremophilic and cosmopolitan species. Fungal communities differed between the two moisture regimes with environment having a considerably stronger effect on community composition than did stage of decomposition. Community composition was influenced by the availability of air-derived spores at each site and by specialization of fungi to their home environment; specifically, fungi from the cooler, moister NRM Site performed worse (measured as fungal biomass and litter mass loss) when moved to the warmer, drier rain-dominated site while Rain Site fungi performed equally well in both environments. Our results contribute to growing literature demonstrating that as climate change alters the frequency, magnitude and type of moisture events in arid ecosystems, litter decomposition rates may be altered and constrained by the composition of existing decomposer communities.

scholarly journals Microsites and early litter decomposition patterns in the soil and forest canopy at regional scale

2020 ◽  
Vol 151 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30
Author(s):  
Yonatan Aguilar-Cruz ◽  
José G. García-Franco ◽  
Gerhard Zotz
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Green Tea ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Standard Material ◽  
Rooibos Tea

Abstract Plant litter decomposition is a key ecological process that is mostly studied at the forest floor. However, decomposition generally starts in the canopy. In this study, we evaluated the effect of litter composition and climate on the initial phase of decomposition in the soil and two contrasting types of canopy microsites along an elevational gradient (0–2200 m a.s.l.). To this end, we incubated standard material composed by green (fast decomposing) and rooibos (slow decomposing) tea bags for three months. Tea bags were placed in soil (buried at 5 cm) and in the canopy at ca. 5 m above the ground in “micro-wetlands” (tank bromeliads) and dry crown microsites (branches). Along the elevational gradient, green tea decomposed faster than rooibos tea in all microsites and forests. Mass loss for both tea types was lowest on branches at all sites, except for green tea in a wet forest where decomposition did not significantly differ among microsites. In wet forests, decomposition did not differ between bromeliads and soil, while in a dry forest, decomposition was faster in bromeliads. We found that the effects of climatic variables [monthly average temperature (TEMP) and total precipitation (PREC) for the incubation months] on decomposition differed between microsites. Along the elevational gradient, the mass loss in soil was positively correlated with TEMP but not with PREC, whereas on branches, mass loss was negatively correlated with TEMP and positively correlated with PREC. Unlike on branches, mass loss in bromeliads slightly decreased with PREC and increased with TEMP. Our study shows that microsite conditions interact with climate (TEMP and PREC) leading to differences in the general decomposition patterns in the forest canopy.

scholarly journals TeaTime4Schools: Using Data Mining Techniques to Model Litter Decomposition in Austrian Urban School Soils

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taru Sandén ◽  
Anna Wawra ◽  
Helene Berthold ◽  
Julia Miloczki ◽  
Agnes Schweinzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Classification Trees ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Attribute Selection ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Soil Attributes ◽  
Tea Bag Index ◽  
Stabilization Factor

Litter decomposition plays a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle, but is difficult to measure on a global scale, especially by citizen scientists. Here, citizen scientists, i.e., school students with their teachers, used the globally applied and standardized Tea Bag Index (TBI) method to collect data on litter decomposition in urban areas in Austria. They also sampled soils to investigate the linkages between litter decomposition and soil attributes. For this study, 54 sites were selected from the school experiments and assembled into a TBI dataset comprising litter decomposition rates (k), stabilization factors (S), as well as soil and environmental attributes. An extensive pre-processing procedure was applied to the dataset, including attribute selection and discretization of the decomposition rates and stabilization factors into three categories each. Data mining analyses of the TBI data helped reveal trends in litter decomposition. We generated predictive models (classification trees) that identified the soil attributes governing litter decomposition. Classification trees were developed for both of the litter decomposition parameters: decomposition rate (k) and stabilization factor (S). The main governing factor for both decomposition rate (k) and stabilization factor (S) was the sand content of the soils. The data mining models achieved an accuracy of 54.0 and 66.7% for decomposition rates and stabilization factors, respectively. The data mining results enhance our knowledge about the driving forces of litter decomposition in urban soils, which are underrepresented in soil monitoring schemes. The models are very informative for understanding and describing litter decomposition in urban settings in general. This approach may also further encourage participatory researcher-teacher-student interactions and thus help create an enabling environment for cooperation for further citizen science research in urban school settings.

scholarly journals Testing the Tea Bag Index as a potential indicator for assessing litter decomposition in aquatic ecosystems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taiki Mori ◽  
Kenji Ono ◽  
Yoshimi Sakai
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Green Tea ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Validation Data ◽  
Standard Material ◽  
Tea Bag Index ◽  
Potential Indicator

AbstractThe Tea Bag Index (TBI) approach is a standardized method for assessing litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. This method allows determination of the stabilized portion of the hydrolysable fraction during the decomposition process, and derivation of a decomposition constant (k) using single measurements of the mass-loss ratios of green and rooibos teas. Although this method is being applied to aquatic systems, it has not been validated in these environments, where initial leaching tends to be higher than in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we first validated a critical assumption of the TBI method that green tea decomposition plateaus during the standard incubation period of 90 days, and then tested the accuracy of a TBI-based asymptote model using a second model obtained from fitting actual decomposition data. Validation data were obtained by incubating tea bags in water samples taken from a stream, a pond, and the ocean in Kumamoto, Japan. We found that green tea decomposition did not plateau during the 90-day period, contradicting a key assumption of the TBI method. Moreover, the TBI-based asymptote models disagreed with actual decomposition data. Subtracting the leachable fraction from the initial tea mass improved the TBI-based model, but discrepancies with the actual decomposition data remained. Thus, we conclude that the TBI approach, which was developed for a terrestrial environment, is not appropriate for aquatic ecosystems. However, the use of tea bags as a standard material in assessments of aquatic litter decomposition remains beneficial.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document