Dataset Information

Effects of Fertilization and Sampling Time on Composition and Diversity of Entire and Active Bacterial Communities in German Grassland Soils.

ABSTRACT: Soil bacteria are major players in driving and regulating ecosystem processes. Thus, the identification of factors shaping the diversity and structure of these communities is crucial for understanding bacterial-mediated processes such as nutrient transformation and cycling. As most studies only target the entire soil bacterial community, the response of active community members to environmental changes is still poorly understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of fertilizer application and sampling time on structure and diversity of potentially active (RNA-based) and the entire (DNA-based) bacterial communities in German grassland soils. Analysis of more than 2.3 million 16S rRNA transcripts and gene sequences derived from amplicon-based sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed that fertilizer application and sampling time significantly altered the diversity and composition of entire and active bacterial communities. Although the composition of both the entire and the active bacterial community was correlated with environmental factors such as pH or C/N ratio, the active community showed a higher sensitivity to environmental changes than the entire community. In addition, functional analyses were performed based on predictions derived from 16S rRNA data. Genes encoding the uptake of nitrate/nitrite, nitrification, and denitrification were significantly more abundant in fertilized plots compared to non-fertilized plots. Hence, this study provided novel insights into changes in dynamics and functions of soil bacterial communities as response to season and fertilizer application.

SUBMITTER: Herzog S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4687936 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Effects of Fertilization and Sampling Time on Composition and Diversity of Entire and Active Bacterial Communities in German Grassland Soils.

Herzog Sarah S Wemheuer Franziska F Wemheuer Bernd B Daniel Rolf R

PloS one 20151222 12

Soil bacteria are major players in driving and regulating ecosystem processes. Thus, the identification of factors shaping the diversity and structure of these communities is crucial for understanding bacterial-mediated processes such as nutrient transformation and cycling. As most studies only target the entire soil bacterial community, the response of active community members to environmental changes is still poorly understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ferti ...[more]

PMID: 26694644

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Project description:BackgroundLoss of biodiversity and increased nutrient inputs are two of the most crucial anthropogenic factors driving ecosystem change. Although both received considerable attention in previous studies, information on their interactive effects on ecosystem functioning is scarce. In particular, little is known on how soil biota and their functions are affected by combined changes in plant diversity and fertilization.Methodology/principal findingsWe investigated the effects of plant diversity, functional community composition, and fertilization on the biomass and respiration of soil microbial communities in a long-term biodiversity experiment in semi-natural grassland (Jena Experiment). Plant species richness enhanced microbial basal respiration and microbial biomass, but did not significantly affect microbial specific respiration. In contrast, the presence of legumes and fertilization significantly decreased microbial specific respiration, without altering microbial biomass. The effect of legumes was superimposed by fertilization as indicated by a significant interaction between the presence of legumes and fertilization. Further, changes in microbial stoichiometry (C-to-N ratio) and specific respiration suggest the presence of legumes to reduce N limitation of soil microorganisms and to modify microbial C use efficiency.Conclusions/significanceOur study highlights the role of plant species and functional group diversity as well as interactions between plant community composition and fertilizer application for soil microbial functions. Our results suggest soil microbial stoichiometry to be a powerful indicator of microbial functioning under N limited conditions. Although our results support the notion that plant diversity and fertilizer application independently affect microbial functioning, legume effects on microbial N limitation were superimposed by fertilization, indicating significant interactions between the functional composition of plant communities and nutrient inputs for soil processes.

Project description:The cultivation of grasslands can modify both bacterial community structure and impact on nutrient cycling as well as the productivity and diversity of plant communities. In this study, two pristine New Zealand grassland sites dominated by indigenous tall tussocks (Chionochloa pallens or C. teretifolia) were examined to investigate the extent and predictability of variation of the bacterial community. The contribution of free-living bacteria to biological nitrogen fixation is predicted to be ecologically significant in these soils; therefore, the diazotrophic community was also examined. The C. teretifolia site had N-poor and poorly-drained peaty soils, and the C. pallens had N-rich and well-drained fertile soils. These soils also differ in the proportion of organic carbon (C), Olsen phosphorus (P) and soil pH. The nutrient-rich soils showed increased relative abundances of some copiotrophic bacterial taxa (including members of the Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phyla). Other copiotrophs, Actinobacteria and the oliogotrophic Acidobacteria showed increased relative abundance in nutrient-poor soils. Greater diversity based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and the Tax4Fun prediction of enhanced spore formation associated with nutrient-rich soils could indicate increased resilience of the bacterial community. The two sites had distinct diazotrophic communities with higher diversity in C. teretifolia soils that had less available nitrate and ammonium, potentially indicating increased resilience of the diazotroph community at this site. The C. teretifolia soils had more 16S rRNA gene and nifH copies per g soil than the nutrient rich site. However, the proportion of the bacterial community that was diazotrophic was similar in the two soils. We suggest that edaphic and vegetation factors are contributing to major differences in the composition and diversity of total bacterial and diazotrophic communities at these sites. We predict the differences in the communities at the two sites will result in different responses to environmental change.

Dataset Information

Effects of Fertilization and Sampling Time on Composition and Diversity of Entire and Active Bacterial Communities in German Grassland Soils.

Publications

Effects of Fertilization and Sampling Time on Composition and Diversity of Entire and Active Bacterial Communities in German Grassland Soils.

Similar Datasets

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