Dataset Information

Effects of habitat constraints on soil microbial community function.

ABSTRACT: An underlying assumption of most soil carbon (C) dynamics models is that soil microbial communities are functionally similar; in other words, that microbial activity under given conditions is not dependent on the composition or diversity of the communities. Although a number of studies have indicated that microbial communities are not intrinsically functionally similar, most soil C dynamics models can adequately describe C dynamics without explicitly describing microbial functioning. Here, we provide a mechanistic basis for reconciling this apparent discrepancy. In a reciprocal transplant experiment, we show that the environmental context (soil and pore-network properties) of microbial communities can constrain the activity of functionally different communities to such an extent that their activities are indistinguishable. The data also suggest that when microbial activity is less constrained, the intrinsic functional differences among communities can be expressed. We conclude that soil C dynamics may depend on microbial community structure or diversity in environments where their activity is less constrained, such as the rhizosphere or the litter layer, but not in oligotrophic environments such as the mineral layers of soil.

SUBMITTER: Nunan N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5487364 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of habitat constraints on soil microbial community function.

Nunan Naoise N Leloup Julie J Ruamps Léo S LS Pouteau Valérie V Chenu Claire C

Scientific reports 20170627 1

An underlying assumption of most soil carbon (C) dynamics models is that soil microbial communities are functionally similar; in other words, that microbial activity under given conditions is not dependent on the composition or diversity of the communities. Although a number of studies have indicated that microbial communities are not intrinsically functionally similar, most soil C dynamics models can adequately describe C dynamics without explicitly describing microbial functioning. Here, we pr ...[more]

PMID: 28655916

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Project description:Declining soil quality and microecological imbalances were evaluated in larch plantations in this study. One potential solution to this problem is the cultivation of mixed coniferous and broad-leaved plantations. However, it is unclear whether and how soil microbial community structure and nutrient cycling function would be affected by mixed plantations and soil depths. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing technology to investigate bacterial 16S and fungal ITS regions for comparisons of soil microbial diversity among plantation types (a Larix gmelinii pure plantation, a Fraxinus mandshurica pure plantation, a Larix-Fraxinus mixed plantation within the Larix row, the Fraxinus row, and between the Larix and Fraxinus rows) and soil depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm). These data were used to evaluate variations in microbial communities and nutrient cycling function with the determining environmental factors. Our results indicated that bacteria had a stronger spatial dependence than did fungi, while plantation types significantly affected the fungal community. The relative abundance of Gaiellaceae, as well as bacterial ligninolysis, nitrate ammonification, and nitrite ammonification functions significantly increased with increasing soil depth. Compared with other plantations, the relative abundance of Inocybaceae was significantly higher in the Larix plantation. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) showed that Gaiellaceae and Inocybaceae abundances were positively correlated with ammonium nitrogen content, available phosphorus content, and phosphatase activity. Our findings indicate that variations in soil available phosphorus are closely related to the relative abundances of Gaiellaceae at different soil depths and Inocybaceae in different plantation types. Mixed plantations might change the availability of soil phosphorus by controlling the relative abundance of Inocybaceae. We recommend that fungal community changes be considered in the sustainable management of mixed plantations.

Project description:Soil microbes have critical influence on the productivity and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems, yet the magnitude and direction to which management practices affect the soil microbial community remain unclear. This work aimed to examine the impacts of three farming systems, conventional grain cropping (CON), organic grain cropping (ORG), and grain cropping-pasture rotation (ICL), on the soil microbial community structure and putative gene abundances of N transformations using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene and ITS sequencing approaches. Two additional systems, a forest plantation (PF) and an abandoned agricultural field subject to natural succession (SUC), were also included for better assessment of the soil microbial community in terms of variation scale and regulatory importance of management intensity vs. plant type. Farming systems significantly affected the biodiversity of soil fungi but not bacteria, with Shannon index being the lowest in ORG. Bacterial and fungal communities in three cropping systems clustered and separated from those in PF and SUC, suggesting that management practices as such played minor roles in shaping the soil microbial community compared to plant type (i.e., woody vs. herbaceous plants). However, management practices prominently regulated habitat-specific taxa. Lecanoromycetes, a class of Ascomycota accounted for ∼10% of total fungal population in ORG, but almost nil in the other four systems. ORG also enriched bacteria belonging to the phyla, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Gemmatimonadetes. Further, PICRUSt predicted that N-cycle community compositions varied with farming systems; compared to CON, ORG and ICL were more divergent from PF and SUC. Soil pH, together with inorganic N, extractable organic C, and soil organic C:N ratio explained < 50% of the total variations in both bacterial and fungal communities. Our data indicates that while moderately affecting the overall structure of the soil microbial community, management practices, particularly fertilization and the source of N (synthetic vs. organic), were important in regulating the presence and abundance of habitat-specific taxa.

Dataset Information

Effects of habitat constraints on soil microbial community function.

Publications

Effects of habitat constraints on soil microbial community function.

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