Dataset Information

The role of multiple global change factors in driving soil functions and microbial biodiversity.

ABSTRACT: Soils underpin terrestrial ecosystem functions, but they face numerous anthropogenic pressures. Despite their crucial ecological role, we know little about how soils react to more than two environmental factors at a time. Here, we show experimentally that increasing the number of simultaneous global change factors (up to 10) caused increasing directional changes in soil properties, soil processes, and microbial communities, though there was greater uncertainty in predicting the magnitude of change. Our study provides a blueprint for addressing multifactor change with an efficient, broadly applicable experimental design for studying the impacts of global environmental change.

SUBMITTER: Rillig MC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6941939 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The role of multiple global change factors in driving soil functions and microbial biodiversity.

Rillig Matthias C MC Ryo Masahiro M Lehmann Anika A Aguilar-Trigueros Carlos A CA Buchert Sabine S Wulf Anja A Iwasaki Aiko A Roy Julien J Yang Gaowen G

Science (New York, N.Y.) 20191101 6467

Soils underpin terrestrial ecosystem functions, but they face numerous anthropogenic pressures. Despite their crucial ecological role, we know little about how soils react to more than two environmental factors at a time. Here, we show experimentally that increasing the number of simultaneous global change factors (up to 10) caused increasing directional changes in soil properties, soil processes, and microbial communities, though there was greater uncertainty in predicting the magnitude of chan ...[more]

PMID: 31727838

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Project description:Maintaining stability of ecosystem functions in the face of global change calls for a better understanding regulatory factors of functionally specialized microbial groups and their population response to disturbance. In this study, we explored this issue by collecting soils from 54 managed ecosystems in China and conducting a microcosm experiment to link disturbance, elemental stoichiometry, and genetic resistance. Soil carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry imparted a greater effect on the abundance of microbial groups associated with main C, N, and P biogeochemical processes in comparison with mean annual temperature and precipitation. Nitrogen cycling genes, including bacterial amoA-b, nirS, narG, and norB, exhibited the highest genetic resistance to N deposition. The amoA-a and nosZ genes exhibited the highest resistance to warming and drying-wetting cycles, respectively. Soil total C, N, and P contents and their ratios had a strong direct effect on the genetic resistance of microbial groups, which was dependent on mean annual temperature and precipitation. Specifically, soil C/P ratio was the main predictor of N cycling genetic resistance to N deposition. Soil total C and N contents and their ratios were the main predictors of P cycling genetic resistance to N deposition, warming, and drying-wetting. Overall, our work highlights the importance of soil stoichiometric balance for maintaining the ability of ecosystem functions to withstand global change.IMPORTANCE To be effective in predicting future stability of soil functions in the context of various external disturbances, it is necessary to follow the effects of global change on functionally specialized microbes related to C and nutrient cycling. Our study represents an exploratory effort to couple the stoichiometric drivers to microbial populations related with main C, N, and P cycling and their resistances to global change. The abundance of microbial groups involved in cellulose, starch, and xylan degradation, nitrification, N fixation, denitrification, organic P mineralization, and inorganic P dissolution showed a high stoichiometry dependency. Resistance of these microbial populations to global change could be predicted by soil C:N:P stoichiometry. Our work highlights that stoichiometric balance in soil C and nutrients is instrumental in maintaining the stability and adaptability of ecosystem functions under global change.

Project description:IntroductionHuman concerns about fossil fuel depletion, energy security and environmental degradation have driven the rapid development of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation. Most of the photovoltaic power generation plants are concentrated in desert, grassland and arable land, which means the change of land use type. However, there is still a gap in the research of the PV panel layout on grassland plant species diversity and ecological function.MethodsIn this study, Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the effects of PV panel arrangement on grassland plant species diversity and soil microbial diversity. In view of the differences in the microclimate at different sites of the PV panels, quadrates were arranged in front edge (FE), beneath the center of each panel (BP), back edge (BE), the uncovered interspace adjacent to each panel (IS) and the undisturbed grassland around the PV panels (Control), respectively.ResultsPV panels (especially FE) significantly increased the total aboveground productivity (total AGB) and plant species diversity in grasslands. FE increased precipitation accumulation and plant species diversity directly and indirectly changed the diversity of soil bacterial and fungal communities. PV panels decreased the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, while increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Methylomirabilota. EC, Margalef' s richness and total AGB were the main factors affecting the composition of bacterial communities, while alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen (AN) and available phosphorus (AP) were the main factors affecting the composition of fungal communities.DiscussionIn conclusion, the arrangement of PV panels increased the plant species diversity and soil microorganisms in grassland. This study provides important information for further understanding the impact of PV panels on grassland ecosystem function and is of great significance for maintaining grassland ecosystem function.

Dataset Information

The role of multiple global change factors in driving soil functions and microbial biodiversity.

Publications

The role of multiple global change factors in driving soil functions and microbial biodiversity.

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