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Agricultural intensification reduces microbial network complexity and the abundance of keystone taxa in roots.

ABSTRACT: Root-associated microbes play a key role in plant performance and productivity, making them important players in agroecosystems. So far, very few studies have assessed the impact of different farming systems on the root microbiota and it is still unclear whether agricultural intensification influences the structure and complexity of microbial communities. We investigated the impact of conventional, no-till, and organic farming on wheat root fungal communities using PacBio SMRT sequencing on samples collected from 60 farmlands in Switzerland. Organic farming harbored a much more complex fungal network with significantly higher connectivity than conventional and no-till farming systems. The abundance of keystone taxa was the highest under organic farming where agricultural intensification was the lowest. We also found a strong negative association (R² = 0.366; P < 0.0001) between agricultural intensification and root fungal network connectivity. The occurrence of keystone taxa was best explained by soil phosphorus levels, bulk density, pH, and mycorrhizal colonization. The majority of keystone taxa are known to form arbuscular mycorrhizal associations with plants and belong to the orders Glomerales, Paraglomerales, and Diversisporales. Supporting this, the abundance of mycorrhizal fungi in roots and soils was also significantly higher under organic farming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report mycorrhizal keystone taxa for agroecosystems, and we demonstrate that agricultural intensification reduces network complexity and the abundance of keystone taxa in the root microbiome.

SUBMITTER: Banerjee S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6591126 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Human activity has extensively transformed the land surface by agricultural intensification and urbanization. In soil, nematodes are the most abundant invertebrates. The effect of human interventions was assessed on overall richness, overall abundance, richness and abundance of nematodes of each trophic group and colonizer-persister (c-p) guild by comparing urban, agriculture and disturbed grassland (DGL) with natural grassland (NGL) and forest ecosystems. Meta-analyses were conducted to generate quantitative summaries from 111 published articles that met the inclusion criteria, 91 expressed data in grams and 20 expressed data in cm3. Results from data expressed per 100?g of soil indicated that overall richness was higher in forest than in NGL, DGL, urban, and agriculture ecosystems. The richness of all c-p guilds and of all trophic groups except herbivores was highest in forest ecosystems. In contrast, overall abundance was highest in DGL, agriculture and forest ecosystems. The abundance of c-p 1, c-p 2 and c-p 3 guilds and bacterivores, fungivores and herbivores was highest in disturbed ecosystems, while the abundance of c-p 4 and c-p 5 guilds and predators and omnivores was highest in relatively undisturbed ecosystems. Results from data expressed as nematodes per 100?cm3 of soil indicated that abundance followed a similar pattern, but richness often differed between the two methodologies. These meta-analyses strengthen the concept that human interventions adversely impact both richness and abundance using nematodes as soil health bioindicators.Human activity has extensively transformed the land surface by agricultural intensification and urbanization. In soil, nematodes are the most abundant invertebrates. The effect of human interventions was assessed on overall richness, overall abundance, richness and abundance of nematodes of each trophic group and colonizer-persister (c-p) guild by comparing urban, agriculture and disturbed grassland (DGL) with natural grassland (NGL) and forest ecosystems. Meta-analyses were conducted to generate quantitative summaries from 111 published articles that met the inclusion criteria, 91 expressed data in grams and 20 expressed data in cm3. Results from data expressed per 100?g of soil indicated that overall richness was higher in forest than in NGL, DGL, urban, and agriculture ecosystems. The richness of all c-p guilds and of all trophic groups except herbivores was highest in forest ecosystems. In contrast, overall abundance was highest in DGL, agriculture and forest ecosystems. The abundance of c-p 1, c-p 2 and c-p 3 guilds and bacterivores, fungivores and herbivores was highest in disturbed ecosystems, while the abundance of c-p 4 and c-p 5 guilds and predators and omnivores was highest in relatively undisturbed ecosystems. Results from data expressed as nematodes per 100?cm3 of soil indicated that abundance followed a similar pattern, but richness often differed between the two methodologies. These meta-analyses strengthen the concept that human interventions adversely impact both richness and abundance using nematodes as soil health bioindicators.

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Agricultural intensification reduces microbial network complexity and the abundance of keystone taxa in roots.

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