Legacy effects of invasive grass impact soil microbes and native shrub growth

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Pickett ◽  
Irina C. Irvine ◽  
Eric Bullock ◽  
Keshav Arogyaswamy ◽  
Emma Aronson
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Survival Rate ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Coastal Sage Scrub ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Legacy Effects ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Invasive Grass ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Invasive Grasses

AbstractIn California, invasive grasses have displaced native plants, transforming much of the endemic coastal sage scrub (CSS) to nonnative grasslands. This has occurred for several reasons, including increased competitive ability of invasive grasses and long-term alterations to the soil environment, called legacy effects. Despite the magnitude of this problem, however, it is not well understood how these legacy effects have altered the soil microbial community and, indirectly, native plant restoration. We assessed the microbial composition of soils collected from an uninvaded CSS community (uninvaded soil) and a nearby 10-ha site from which the invasive grass Harding grass (Phalaris aquaticaL.) was removed after 11 yr of growth (postinvasive soil). We also measured the survival rate, biomass, and length of three CSS species andP. aquaticagrown in both soil types (uninvaded and postinvasive). Our findings indicate thatP. aquaticamay create microbial legacy effects in the soil that likely cause soil conditions inhibitory to the survival rate, biomass, and length of coastal sagebrush, but not the other two native plant species. Specifically, coastal sagebrush growth was lower in the postinvasive soil, which had more Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria,Agrobacterium,Bradyrhizobium,Rhizobium(R. leguminosarum),Candidatus koribacter,Candidatus solibacter, and rhizophilic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and fewer Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria,Nitrospira, andRubrobactercompared with the uninvaded soil. Shifts in soil microbial community composition such as these can have important implications for restoration strategies in postinvasive sites.

scholarly journals New Soil, Old Plants, and Ubiquitous Microbes: Evaluating the Potential of Incipient Basaltic Soil to Support Native Plant Growth and Influence Belowground Soil Microbial Community Composition

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Sengupta ◽  
Priyanka Kushwaha ◽  
Antonia Jim ◽  
Peter A. Troch ◽  
Raina Maier
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Soil Microbial

The plant-microbe-soil nexus is critical in maintaining biogeochemical balance of the biosphere. However, soil loss and land degradation are occurring at alarmingly high rates, with soil loss exceeding soil formation rates. This necessitates evaluating marginal soils for their capacity to support and sustain plant growth. In a greenhouse study, we evaluated the capacity of marginal incipient basaltic parent material to support native plant growth, and the associated variation in soil microbial community dynamics. Three plant species, native to the Southwestern Arizona-Sonora region were tested with three soil treatments including basaltic parent material, parent material amended with 20% compost, and potting soil. The parent material with and without compost supported germination and growth of all the plant species, though germination was lower than the potting soil. A 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing approach showed Proteobacteria to be the most abundant phyla in both parent material and potting soil, followed by Actinobacteria. Microbial community composition had strong correlations with soil characteristics but not plant attributes within a given soil material. Predictive functional potential capacity of the communities revealed chemoheterotrophy as the most abundant metabolism within the parent material, while photoheterotrophy and anoxygenic photoautotrophy were prevalent in the potting soil. These results show that marginal incipient basaltic soil has the ability to support native plant species growth, and non-linear associations may exist between plant-marginal soil-microbial interactions.

scholarly journals Soil Microbial Community and Its Interaction with Soil Carbon Dynamics Following a Wetland Drying Process in Mu Us Sandy Land

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4199
Author(s):  
Huan He ◽  
Yixuan Liu ◽  
Yue Hu ◽  
Mengqi Zhang ◽  
Guodong Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Respiration ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Drying Process ◽  
Soil Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Soil Microbial

Increasing drought globally is a severe threat to fragile desert wetland ecosystem. It is of significance to study the effects of wetland drying on microbial regulation of soil carbon (C) in the desert. In this study, we examined the impacts of wetland drying on microbial biomass, microbial community (bacteria, fungi) and microbial activity [basal microbial respiration, microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2)]. Relationships of microbial properties with biotic factors [litter, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)], abiotic factors (soil moisture, pH and clay content) and biological processes (basal microbial respiration, qCO2) were also developed. Results showed that the drying of wetland led to a decrease of soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content, microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) content and fungi and bacterial abundance, and an increase of the fungi:bacteria ratio. Wetland drying also led to increased soil basal respiration and increased qCO2, which was attributed to lower soil clay content and litter N concentration. The MBC:SOC ratios were higher under drier soil conditions than under virgin wetland, which was attributed to stronger C conserve ability of fungi than bacteria. The wetland drying process exacerbated soil C loss by strengthening heterotrophic respiration; however, the exact effects of soil microbial community structure on microbial C mineralization were not clear in this study and need further research.

scholarly journals Toxicity of phthalate esters to lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and the soil microbial community under different soil conditions

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. e0208111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Ma ◽  
Wei Zhou ◽  
Like Chen ◽  
Longhua Wu ◽  
Peter Christie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Lactuca Sativa ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Phthalate Esters ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Soil Microbial

scholarly journals New Soil, Old Plants, and Ubiquitous Microbes: Evaluating the Potential of Incipient Basaltic Soil to Support Native Plant Growth and Influence Belowground Soil Microbial Community Composition

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4209
Author(s):  
Aditi Sengupta ◽  
Priyanka Kushwaha ◽  
Antonia Jim ◽  
Peter A. Troch ◽  
Raina Maier
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Soil Microbial

The plant–microbe–soil nexus is critical in maintaining biogeochemical balance of the biosphere. However, soil loss and land degradation are occurring at alarmingly high rates, with soil loss exceeding soil formation rates. This necessitates evaluating marginal soils for their capacity to support and sustain plant growth. In a greenhouse study, we evaluated the capacity of marginal incipient basaltic parent material to support native plant growth and the associated variation in soil microbial community dynamics. Three plant species, native to the Southwestern Arizona-Sonora region, were tested with three soil treatments, including basaltic parent material, parent material amended with 20% compost, and potting soil. The parent material with and without compost supported 15%, 40%, and 70% germination of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Tarahumara Norteño’), Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens Benth), and Panic Grass (Panicum Sonorum Beal), respectively, though germination was lower than in the potting soil. Plant growth was also sustained over the 30 day period, with plants in parent material (with and without amendment) reaching 50% height compared to those in the potting soil. A 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing approach showed Proteobacteria to be the most abundant phyla in both parent material and potting soil, followed by Actinobacteria. The potting soil showed Gammaproteobacteria (19.6%) to be the second most abundant class, but its abundance was reduced in the soil + plants treatment (5.6%–9.6%). Within the basalt soil type, Alphaproteobacteria (42.7%) and Actinobacteria (16.3%) had a higher abundance in the evaluated bean plant species. Microbial community composition had strong correlations with soil characteristics, but not plant attributes within a given soil material. Predictive functional potential capacity of the communities revealed chemoheterotrophy as the most abundant metabolism within the parent material, while photoheterotrophy and anoxygenic photoautotrophy were prevalent in the potting soil. These results show that marginal incipient basaltic soil, both with and without compost amendments, can support native plant species growth, and non-linear associations may exist between plant–marginal soil–microbial interactions.

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