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Rembelski M, Fraterrigo J. Drought reduces invasive grass performance by disrupting plant-microbe interactions that enhance plant nitrogen supply. Oecologia 2023; 201:549-564. [PMID: 36598562 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05307-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Non-native invasive plants can promote their dominance in novel ecosystems by accelerating soil nutrient cycling via interactions with decomposer microbes. Changes in abiotic conditions associated with frequent or prolonged drought may disrupt these interactions, but the effects of disruption on invasive plant performance and the underpinning mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we used rainout shelters in an experimental field setting to test the hypothesis that drought reduces invasive plant performance by reducing microbial metabolic activity, resulting in decreased nitrogen flow to plants. We imposed growing season drought on populations of the exotic grass Microstegium vimineum, a widespread invasive plant in eastern deciduous forests, and quantified effects on aboveground and belowground biomass, and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling among plants, decomposers, and soil. Drought resulted in a 24% decrease in soil respiration, a 16% decrease in phenol oxidase enzyme activity, a 12% decrease in dissolved organic N concentration, and a decrease in the C:N ratio of particulate organic matter, suggesting reduced microbial metabolic activity and nutrient mining of soil organic matter. Drought also reduced aboveground Microstegium biomass 33% and increased Microstegium leaf C:N ratio, consistent with a decline in plant N uptake. We conclude that drought can reduce the performance of existing invasive species populations by suppressing plant-microbe interactions that increase nitrogen supply to plants, which may have consequences for the persistence of invasive plants under hydrologic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Rembelski
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Jennifer Fraterrigo
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA. .,Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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Meena M, Yadav G, Sonigra P, Nagda A, Mehta T, Swapnil P, Marwal A, Kumar S. Multifarious Responses of Forest Soil Microbial Community Toward Climate Change. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022:10.1007/s00248-022-02051-3. [PMID: 35657425 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-022-02051-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Forest soils are a pressing subject of worldwide research owing to the several roles of forests such as carbon sinks. Currently, the living soil ecosystem has become dreadful as a consequence of several anthropogenic activities including climate change. Climate change continues to transform the living soil ecosystem as well as the soil microbiome of planet Earth. The majority of studies have aimed to decipher the role of forest soil bacteria and fungi to understand and predict the impact of climate change on soil microbiome community structure and their ecosystem in the environment. In forest soils, microorganisms live in diverse habitats with specific behavior, comprising bulk soil, rhizosphere, litter, and deadwood habitats, where their communities are influenced by biotic interactions and nutrient accessibility. Soil microbiome also drives multiple crucial steps in the nutrient biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur cycles). Soil microbes help in the nitrogen cycle through nitrogen fixation during the nitrogen cycle and maintain the concentration of nitrogen in the atmosphere. Soil microorganisms in forest soils respond to various effects of climate change, for instance, global warming, elevated level of CO2, drought, anthropogenic nitrogen deposition, increased precipitation, and flood. As the major burning issue of the globe, researchers are facing the major challenges to study soil microbiome. This review sheds light on the current scenario of knowledge about the effect of climate change on living soil ecosystems in various climate-sensitive soil ecosystems and the consequences for vegetation-soil-climate feedbacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukesh Meena
- Laboratory of Phytopathology and Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India.
| | - Garima Yadav
- Laboratory of Phytopathology and Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India
| | - Priyankaraj Sonigra
- Laboratory of Phytopathology and Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India
| | - Adhishree Nagda
- Laboratory of Phytopathology and Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India
| | - Tushar Mehta
- Laboratory of Phytopathology and Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India
| | - Prashant Swapnil
- Department of Botany, School of Biological Science, Central University of Punjab, Bhatinda, Punjab, 151401, India
| | - Avinash Marwal
- Department of Biotechnology, Vigyan Bhawan - Block B, New Campus, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India
| | - Sumit Kumar
- Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India
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