Dataset Information

The influence of soil age on ecosystem structure and function across biomes.

ABSTRACT: The importance of soil age as an ecosystem driver across biomes remains largely unresolved. By combining a cross-biome global field survey, including data for 32 soil, plant, and microbial properties in 16 soil chronosequences, with a global meta-analysis, we show that soil age is a significant ecosystem driver, but only accounts for a relatively small proportion of the cross-biome variation in multiple ecosystem properties. Parent material, climate, vegetation and topography predict, collectively, 24 times more variation in ecosystem properties than soil age alone. Soil age is an important local-scale ecosystem driver; however, environmental context, rather than soil age, determines the rates and trajectories of ecosystem development in structure and function across biomes. Our work provides insights into the natural history of terrestrial ecosystems. We propose that, regardless of soil age, changes in the environmental context, such as those associated with global climatic and land-use changes, will have important long-term impacts on the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems across biomes.

SUBMITTER: Delgado-Baquerizo M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7501311 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The influence of soil age on ecosystem structure and function across biomes.

Delgado-Baquerizo Manuel M Reich Peter B PB Bardgett Richard D RD Eldridge David J DJ Lambers Hans H Wardle David A DA Reed Sasha C SC Plaza César C Png G Kenny GK Neuhauser Sigrid S Berhe Asmeret Asefaw AA Hart Stephen C SC Hu Hang-Wei HW He Ji-Zheng JZ Bastida Felipe F Abades Sebastián S Alfaro Fernando D FD Cutler Nick A NA Gallardo Antonio A García-Velázquez Laura L Hayes Patrick E PE Hseu Zeng-Yei ZY Pérez Cecilia A CA Santos Fernanda F Siebe Christina C Trivedi Pankaj P Sullivan Benjamin W BW Weber-Grullon Luis L Williams Mark A MA Fierer Noah N

Nature communications 20200918 1

The importance of soil age as an ecosystem driver across biomes remains largely unresolved. By combining a cross-biome global field survey, including data for 32 soil, plant, and microbial properties in 16 soil chronosequences, with a global meta-analysis, we show that soil age is a significant ecosystem driver, but only accounts for a relatively small proportion of the cross-biome variation in multiple ecosystem properties. Parent material, climate, vegetation and topography predict, collective ...[more]

PMID: 32948775

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Project description:Soil microbial communities can form links between forest trees and functioning of forest soils, yet the impacts of converting diverse native forests to monoculture plantations on soil microbial communities are limited. This study tested the hypothesis that conversion from a diverse native to monoculture ecosystem would be paralleled by a reduction in the diversity of the soil microbial communities. Soils from Teak (Tectona grandis) plantations and adjacent native forest were examined at two locations in Trinidad. Microbial community structure was determined via Illumina sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, and by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Functional characteristics of microbial communities were assessed by extracellular enzyme activity (EEA). Conversion to Teak plantation had no effect on species richness or evenness of bacterial or fungal communities, and no significant effect on EEA. However, multivariate analyses (nested and two-way crossed analysis of similarity) revealed significant effects (p < 0.05) of forest type (Teak vs. native) upon the composition of the microbial communities as reflected in all three assays of community structure. Univariate analysis of variance identified two bacterial phyla that were significantly more abundant in the native forest soils than in Teak soils (Cyanobacteria, p = 0.0180; Nitrospirae, p = 0.0100) and two more abundant in Teak soils than in native forest (candidate phyla TM7, p = 0.0004; WS6, p = 0.044). Abundance of an unidentified class of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was significantly greater in Teak soils, notable because Teak is colonized by AMF rather than by ectomycorrihzal fungi that are symbionts of the native forest tree species. In conclusion, microbial diversity indices were not affected in the conversion of native forest to teak plantation, but examination of specific bacterial taxa showed that there were significant differences in community composition.

Dataset Information

The influence of soil age on ecosystem structure and function across biomes.

Publications

The influence of soil age on ecosystem structure and function across biomes.

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