Long-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Has Moderate Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities across Three Bioclimatic Domains of the Eastern Canadian Forest
The soil microbiome plays major roles in the below-ground processes and productivity of forest ecosystems. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is predicted to increase globally and might create disturbances in soil microbial communities, essentially by modifying soil chemistry. However, the impacts...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-05-01
|
| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1124 |
| _version_ | 1797594809740820480 |
|---|---|
| author | Marie Renaudin Rim Khlifa Simon Legault Steven W. Kembel Daniel Kneeshaw Jean-David Moore Daniel Houle |
| author_facet | Marie Renaudin Rim Khlifa Simon Legault Steven W. Kembel Daniel Kneeshaw Jean-David Moore Daniel Houle |
| author_sort | Marie Renaudin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The soil microbiome plays major roles in the below-ground processes and productivity of forest ecosystems. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is predicted to increase globally and might create disturbances in soil microbial communities, essentially by modifying soil chemistry. However, the impacts of higher N deposition on the soil microbiome in N-limited northern forests are still unclear. For 16 years, we simulated N deposition by adding ammonium nitrate at rates of 3 and 10 times the ambient N deposition directly into soils located in three bioclimatic domains of the eastern Canadian forest (i.e., sugar maple–yellow birch, balsam fir–white birch, and black spruce–feather moss). We identified changes in the microbial communities by isolating the DNA of the L, F, and H soil horizons, as well as by sequencing amplicons of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal ITS region. We found that long-term increased N deposition had no effect on soil microbial diversity, but had moderate impacts on the composition of the bacterial and fungal communities. The most noticeable change was the increase in ectomycorrhizal fungi ASV abundance, potentially due to increased tree root growth on fertilized plots. Our work suggests that, in N-limited northern forests, extra N is rapidly mobilized by vegetation, thus minimizing impacts on the soil microbiome. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:27:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8f9fbd3c79914992b8bfa09486851294 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:27:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-8f9fbd3c79914992b8bfa094868512942023-11-18T10:26:43ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072023-05-01146112410.3390/f14061124Long-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Has Moderate Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities across Three Bioclimatic Domains of the Eastern Canadian ForestMarie Renaudin0Rim Khlifa1Simon Legault2Steven W. Kembel3Daniel Kneeshaw4Jean-David Moore5Daniel Houle6Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill St., Montréal, QC H2Y 2E7, CanadaDépartement des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 1Y4, CanadaInstitut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H1X 2B2, CanadaDépartement des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 1Y4, CanadaDépartement des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 1Y4, CanadaDirection de la Recherche Forestière, Forêt Québec, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, Québec City, QC G1P 3W8, CanadaScience and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill St., Montréal, QC H2Y 2E7, CanadaThe soil microbiome plays major roles in the below-ground processes and productivity of forest ecosystems. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is predicted to increase globally and might create disturbances in soil microbial communities, essentially by modifying soil chemistry. However, the impacts of higher N deposition on the soil microbiome in N-limited northern forests are still unclear. For 16 years, we simulated N deposition by adding ammonium nitrate at rates of 3 and 10 times the ambient N deposition directly into soils located in three bioclimatic domains of the eastern Canadian forest (i.e., sugar maple–yellow birch, balsam fir–white birch, and black spruce–feather moss). We identified changes in the microbial communities by isolating the DNA of the L, F, and H soil horizons, as well as by sequencing amplicons of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal ITS region. We found that long-term increased N deposition had no effect on soil microbial diversity, but had moderate impacts on the composition of the bacterial and fungal communities. The most noticeable change was the increase in ectomycorrhizal fungi ASV abundance, potentially due to increased tree root growth on fertilized plots. Our work suggests that, in N-limited northern forests, extra N is rapidly mobilized by vegetation, thus minimizing impacts on the soil microbiome.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1124soil microbiomeforest soilsnitrogen atmospheric depositiontemperate forestboreal forestecosystem resilience |
| spellingShingle | Marie Renaudin Rim Khlifa Simon Legault Steven W. Kembel Daniel Kneeshaw Jean-David Moore Daniel Houle Long-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Has Moderate Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities across Three Bioclimatic Domains of the Eastern Canadian Forest Forests soil microbiome forest soils nitrogen atmospheric deposition temperate forest boreal forest ecosystem resilience |
| title | Long-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Has Moderate Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities across Three Bioclimatic Domains of the Eastern Canadian Forest |
| title_full | Long-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Has Moderate Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities across Three Bioclimatic Domains of the Eastern Canadian Forest |
| title_fullStr | Long-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Has Moderate Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities across Three Bioclimatic Domains of the Eastern Canadian Forest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Has Moderate Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities across Three Bioclimatic Domains of the Eastern Canadian Forest |
| title_short | Long-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Has Moderate Impacts on Soil Microbial Communities across Three Bioclimatic Domains of the Eastern Canadian Forest |
| title_sort | long term simulated nitrogen deposition has moderate impacts on soil microbial communities across three bioclimatic domains of the eastern canadian forest |
| topic | soil microbiome forest soils nitrogen atmospheric deposition temperate forest boreal forest ecosystem resilience |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1124 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marierenaudin longtermsimulatednitrogendepositionhasmoderateimpactsonsoilmicrobialcommunitiesacrossthreebioclimaticdomainsoftheeasterncanadianforest AT rimkhlifa longtermsimulatednitrogendepositionhasmoderateimpactsonsoilmicrobialcommunitiesacrossthreebioclimaticdomainsoftheeasterncanadianforest AT simonlegault longtermsimulatednitrogendepositionhasmoderateimpactsonsoilmicrobialcommunitiesacrossthreebioclimaticdomainsoftheeasterncanadianforest AT stevenwkembel longtermsimulatednitrogendepositionhasmoderateimpactsonsoilmicrobialcommunitiesacrossthreebioclimaticdomainsoftheeasterncanadianforest AT danielkneeshaw longtermsimulatednitrogendepositionhasmoderateimpactsonsoilmicrobialcommunitiesacrossthreebioclimaticdomainsoftheeasterncanadianforest AT jeandavidmoore longtermsimulatednitrogendepositionhasmoderateimpactsonsoilmicrobialcommunitiesacrossthreebioclimaticdomainsoftheeasterncanadianforest AT danielhoule longtermsimulatednitrogendepositionhasmoderateimpactsonsoilmicrobialcommunitiesacrossthreebioclimaticdomainsoftheeasterncanadianforest |