Erosion reduces soil microbial diversity, network complexity and multifunctionality.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Qiu L
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8319411 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:IntroductionLong-term grazing profoundly affects grassland ecosystems, whereas how the soil microbiome and multiple soil ecosystem functions alter in response to two-decades of grazing, especially how soil microbiome (diversity, composition, network complexity, and stability) forms soil multifunctionality is rarely addressed.MethodsWe used a long-term buffalo grazing grassland to measure the responses of soil physicochemical attributes, stoichiometry, enzyme activities, soil microbial niche width, structure, functions, and networks to grazing in a subtropical grassland of Guizhou Plateau, China.ResultsThe evidence from this work suggested that grazing elevated the soil hardness, available calcium content, and available magnesium content by 6.5, 1.9, and 1.9 times (p = 0.00015-0.0160) and acid phosphatase activity, bulk density, pH by 59, 8, and 0.5 unit (p = 0.0014-0.0370), but decreased the soil water content, available phosphorus content, and multifunctionality by 47, 73, and 9-21% (p = 0.0250-0.0460), respectively. Grazing intensified the soil microbial carbon limitation (+78%, p = 0.0260) as indicated by the increased investment in the soil β-glucosidase activity (+90%, p = 0.0120). Grazing enhanced the complexity and stability of the bacterial and fungal networks but reduced the bacterial Simpson diversity (p < 0.05). The bacterial diversity, network complexity, and stability had positive effects, while bacterial and fungal compositions had negative effects on multifunctionality.DiscussionsThis work is an original attempt to show that grazing lowered multifunctionality via the reduced bacterial diversity and shifted soil bacterial and fungal compositions rather than the enhanced bacterial and fungal network complexities and stability by grazing. Protecting the bacterial diversity from decreasing, optimizing the composition of bacteria and fungi, and enhancing the complexity and stability of bacterial network may be conducive to improving the soil multifunction of grazing grassland, on a subtropical grassland.
| S-EPMC9849757 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background Anthropogenic activities have increased the inputs of atmospheric reactive nitrogen (N) into terrestrial ecosystems, affecting soil carbon stability and microbial communities. Previous studies have primarily examined the effects of nitrogen deposition on microbial taxonomy, enzymatic activities, and functional processes. Here, we examined various functional traits of soil microbial communities and how these traits are interrelated in a Mediterranean-type grassland administrated with 14 years of 7 g m−2 year−1 of N amendment, based on estimated atmospheric N deposition in areas within California, USA, by the end of the twenty-first century. Results Soil microbial communities were significantly altered by N deposition. Consistent with higher aboveground plant biomass and litter, fast-growing bacteria, assessed by abundance-weighted average rRNA operon copy number, were favored in N deposited soils. The relative abundances of genes associated with labile carbon (C) degradation (e.g., amyA and cda) were also increased. In contrast, the relative abundances of functional genes associated with the degradation of more recalcitrant C (e.g., mannanase and chitinase) were either unchanged or decreased. Compared with the ambient control, N deposition significantly reduced network complexity, such as average degree and connectedness. The network for N deposited samples contained only genes associated with C degradation, suggesting that C degradation genes became more intensely connected under N deposition. Conclusions We propose a conceptual model to summarize the mechanisms of how changes in above- and belowground ecosystems by long-term N deposition collectively lead to more soil C accumulation. Video Abstract Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40168-022-01309-9.
| S-EPMC9330674 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Microorganisms are critical in mediating carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling processes in soils. Yet, it has long been debated whether the processes underlying biogeochemical cycles are affected by the composition and diversity of the soil microbial community or not. The composition and diversity of soil microbial communities can be influenced by various environmental factors, which in turn are known to impact biogeochemical processes. The objectives of this study were to test effects of multiple edaphic drivers individually and represented as the multivariate soil environment interacting with microbial community composition and diversity, and concomitantly on multiple soil functions (i.e. soil enzyme activities, soil C and N processes). We employed high-throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) to analyze bacterial/archaeal and fungal community composition by targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the ITS1 region of soils collected from three land uses (cropland, grassland and forest) deriving from two bedrock forms (silicate and limestone). Based on this data set we explored single and combined effects of edaphic variables on soil microbial community structure and diversity, as well as on soil enzyme activities and several soil C and N processes. We found that both bacterial/archaeal and fungal communities were shaped by the same edaphic factors, with most single edaphic variables and the combined soil environment representation exerting stronger effects on bacterial/archaeal communities than on fungal communities, as demonstrated by (partial) Mantel tests. We also found similar edaphic controls on the bacterial/archaeal/fungal richness and diversity. Soil C processes were only directly affected by the soil environment but not affected by microbial community composition. In contrast, soil N processes were significantly related to bacterial/archaeal community composition and bacterial/archaeal/fungal richness/diversity but not directly affected by the soil environment. This indicates direct control of the soil environment on soil C processes and indirect control of the soil environment on soil N processes by structuring the microbial communities. The study further highlights the importance of edaphic drivers and microbial communities (i.e. composition and diversity) on important soil C and N processes.
| S-EPMC6837881 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionPetroleum pollution resulting from spills and leakages in oil refinery areas has been a significant environmental concern for decades. Despite this, the effects of petroleum pollutants on soil microbial communities and their potential for pollutant biodegradation still required further investigation.MethodsIn this study, we collected 75 soil samples from 0 to 5 m depths of 15 soil profiles in an abandoned refinery to analyze the effect of petroleum pollution on soil microbial diversity, community structure, and network co-occurrence patterns.ResultsOur results suggested soil microbial a-diversity decreased under high C10-C40 levels, coupled with significant changes in the community structure of soil profiles. However, soil microbial network complexity increased with petroleum pollution levels, suggesting more complex microbial potential interactions. A module specific for methane and methyl oxidation was also found under high C10-C40 levels of the soil profile, indicating stronger methanotrophic and methylotrophic metabolic activities at the heavily polluted soil profile.DiscussionThe increased network complexity observed may be due to more metabolic pathways and processes, as well as increased microbial interactions during these processes. These findings highlight the importance of considering both microbial diversity and network complexity in assessing the effects of petroleum pollution on soil ecosystems.
| S-EPMC10242060 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Biodiversity plays a crucial role in driving multiple ecosystem functions in temperate grasslands. However, our understanding of how biodiversity regulates the impacts of desertification processes on ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) remains limited. In this study, we investigate plant diversity, soil microbial diversity (fungal, bacterial, archaeal, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) diversity), soil properties (soil water content, pH, and soil clay content), and multiple ecosystem functions (soil N mineralization, soil phosphatase activity, AMF infection rate, microbial biomass, plant biomass, and soil C and nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Fe, Na, Cu, Mg, and Mn)) at six different grassland desertification intensities. The random forest model was conducted to assess the importance of soil properties, plant diversity, and soil microbial diversity in driving EMF. Furthermore, a structural equation model (SEM) was employed to analyze the indirect and direct impacts of these predictors on EMF. Our study showed that plant, soil bacterial, fungal, and archaeal diversity gradually decreased with increasing desertification intensity. However, only AMF diversity was found to be less sensitive to desertification. Similarly, EMF also showed a significant decline with increasing desertification. Importantly, both plant and soil microbial diversity were positively associated with EMF during desertification processes. The random forest model and SEM revealed that both plant and soil microbial diversity were identified as important and direct predictors of EMF during desertification processes. This highlights the primary influence of above- and below-ground biodiversity in co-regulating the response of EMF to grassland desertification. These findings have important implications for planned ecosystem restoration and sustainable grassland management.
| S-EPMC10649343 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Despite the importance of microbial communities for ecosystem services and human welfare, the relationship between microbial diversity and multiple ecosystem functions and services (that is, multifunctionality) at the global scale has yet to be evaluated. Here we use two independent, large-scale databases with contrasting geographic coverage (from 78 global drylands and from 179 locations across Scotland, respectively), and report that soil microbial diversity positively relates to multifunctionality in terrestrial ecosystems. The direct positive effects of microbial diversity were maintained even when accounting simultaneously for multiple multifunctionality drivers (climate, soil abiotic factors and spatial predictors). Our findings provide empirical evidence that any loss in microbial diversity will likely reduce multifunctionality, negatively impacting the provision of services such as climate regulation, soil fertility and food and fibre production by terrestrial ecosystems.
| S-EPMC4738359 | biostudies-literature
Project description:It is known that the dynamics of multiple ecosystem functions (i. e., multifunctionality) are positively associated with microbial diversity and/or biodiversity. However, how the relationship between microbial species affects ecosystem multifunctionality remains unclear, especially in the case of changes in precipitation patterns. To explore the contribution of biodiversity and microbial co-occurrence networks to multifunctionality, we used rainfall shelters to simulate precipitation enhancement in a cold steppe in Northeast China over two consecutive growing seasons. We showed that an increased 50% precipitation profoundly reduced bacterial diversity and multidiversity, while inter-annual differences in precipitation did not shift microbial diversity, plant diversity, or multidiversity. Our analyses also revealed that increased annual precipitation significantly increased ecosystem, soil, nitrogen, and phosphorous cycle multifunctionality. Neither increased precipitation nor inter-annual differences in precipitation had a significant effect on carbon cycle multifunctionality, probably due to the relatively short period (2 years) of our experiment. The co-occurrence network of bacterial and fungal communities was the most dominant factor affecting multifunctionality, the numbers of negative interactions but not positive interactions were linked to multifunctionality. In particular, our results provided evidence that microbial network topological features are crucial for maintaining ecosystem functions in grassland ecosystems, which should be considered in related studies to accurately predict the responses of ecosystem multifunctionality to predicted changes in precipitation patterns.
| S-EPMC10814129 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Studies on microbial communities associated with foliage in natural ecosystems have grown in number in recent years yet have rarely focused on urban ecosystems. With urbanization, phyllosphere microorganisms in the urban environment have come under pressures from increasing human activities. To explore the effects of urbanization on the phyllosphere microbial communities of urban ecosystems, we investigated the phyllosphere microbial structure and the diversity of camphor trees in eight parks along a suburban-to-urban gradient. The results showed that the number of ASVs (amplicon sequence variants), unique on the phyllosphere microbial communities of three different urbanization gradients, was 4.54 to 17.99 times higher than that of the shared ASVs. Specific microbial biomarkers were also found for leaf samples from each urbanization gradient. Moreover, significant differences (R2 = 0.133, p = 0.005) were observed in the phyllosphere microbial structure among the three urbanization gradients. Alpha diversity and co-occurrence patterns of bacterial communities showed that urbanization can strongly reduce the complexity and species richness of the phyllosphere microbial network of camphor trees. Correlation analysis with environmental factors showed that leaf total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S), as well as leaf C/N, soil pH, and artificial light intensity at night (ALIAN) were the important drivers in determining the divergence of phyllosphere microbial communities across the urbanization gradient. Together, we found that urbanization can affect the composition of the phyllosphere bacterial community of camphor trees, and that the interplay between human activities and plant microbial communities may contribute to shaping the urban microbiome.
| S-EPMC9966171 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Soil bacteria and fungi play key roles in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, yet our understanding of their responses to climate change lags significantly behind that of other organisms. This gap in our understanding is particularly true for drylands, which occupy ?41% of Earth´s surface, because no global, systematic assessments of the joint diversity of soil bacteria and fungi have been conducted in these environments to date. Here we present results from a study conducted across 80 dryland sites from all continents, except Antarctica, to assess how changes in aridity affect the composition, abundance, and diversity of soil bacteria and fungi. The diversity and abundance of soil bacteria and fungi was reduced as aridity increased. These results were largely driven by the negative impacts of aridity on soil organic carbon content, which positively affected the abundance and diversity of both bacteria and fungi. Aridity promoted shifts in the composition of soil bacteria, with increases in the relative abundance of Chloroflexi and ?-Proteobacteria and decreases in Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. Contrary to what has been reported by previous continental and global-scale studies, soil pH was not a major driver of bacterial diversity, and fungal communities were dominated by Ascomycota. Our results fill a critical gap in our understanding of soil microbial communities in terrestrial ecosystems. They suggest that changes in aridity, such as those predicted by climate-change models, may reduce microbial abundance and diversity, a response that will likely impact the provision of key ecosystem services by global drylands.
| S-EPMC4697385 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Plant diversity has a positive influence on the number of ecosystem functions maintained simultaneously by a community, or multifunctionality. While the presence of multiple trophic levels beyond plants, or trophic complexity, affects individual functions, the effect of trophic complexity on the diversity-multifunctionality relationship is less well known. To address this issue, we tested whether the independent or simultaneous manipulation of both plant diversity and trophic complexity impacted multifunctionality using a mesocosm experiment from Cedar Creek, Minnesota, USA. Our analyses revealed that neither plant diversity nor trophic complexity had significant effects on single functions, but trophic complexity altered the diversity-multifunctionality relationship in two key ways: It lowered the maximum strength of the diversity-multifunctionality effect, and it shifted the relationship between increasing diversity and multifunctionality from positive to negative at lower function thresholds. Our findings highlight the importance to account for interactions with higher trophic levels, as they can alter the biodiversity effect on multifunctionality.
| S-EPMC8207441 | biostudies-literature