Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. II. Change in microbial function impacts carbon composition.
Climate model projections for tropical regions show clear perturbation of precipitation patterns leading to increased frequency and severity of drought in some regions. Previous work has shown declining soil moisture to be a strong driver of changes in microbial trait distribution, however the feedb...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2016-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00323/full |
| _version_ | 1819230962198773760 |
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| author | Nick eBouskill Tana E Wood Richard eBaran Zhao eHao Zaw eYe Benjamin P Bowen HsiaoChien eLim Peter eNico Hoi-Ying eHolman Benjamin eGilbert Whendee eSilver Trent R Northen Eoin L Brodie Eoin L Brodie |
| author_facet | Nick eBouskill Tana E Wood Richard eBaran Zhao eHao Zaw eYe Benjamin P Bowen HsiaoChien eLim Peter eNico Hoi-Ying eHolman Benjamin eGilbert Whendee eSilver Trent R Northen Eoin L Brodie Eoin L Brodie |
| author_sort | Nick eBouskill |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate model projections for tropical regions show clear perturbation of precipitation patterns leading to increased frequency and severity of drought in some regions. Previous work has shown declining soil moisture to be a strong driver of changes in microbial trait distribution, however the feedback of any shift in functional potential on ecosystem properties related to carbon cycling are poorly understood. Here we show that drought-induced changes in microbial functional diversity and activity shape, and are in turn shaped by, the composition of dissolved and soil-associated carbon. We also demonstrate that a shift in microbial functional traits that favor the production of hygroscopic compounds alter the efflux of carbon dioxide following soil rewetting. Under drought the composition of the dissolved organic carbon pool changed in a manner consistent with a microbial metabolic response. We hypothesize that this microbial ecophysiological response to changing soil moisture elevates the intracellular carbon demand stimulating extracellular enzyme production, that prompts the observed decline in more complex carbon compounds (e.g., cellulose and lignin). Furthermore, a metabolic response to drought appeared to condition (biologically and physically) the soil, notably through the production of polysaccharides, particularly in experimental plots that had been pre-exposed to a short-term drought. This hysteretic response, in addition to an observed drought-related decline in phosphorus concentration, may have been responsible for a comparatively modest CO2 efflux following wet-up in drought plots relative to control plots. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T11:37:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae925b0b322b41098163cffdb3df931a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T11:37:24Z |
| publishDate | 2016-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae925b0b322b41098163cffdb3df931a2022-12-21T17:48:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2016-03-01710.3389/fmicb.2016.00323183812Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. II. Change in microbial function impacts carbon composition.Nick eBouskill0Tana E Wood1Richard eBaran2Zhao eHao3Zaw eYe4Benjamin P Bowen5HsiaoChien eLim6Peter eNico7Hoi-Ying eHolman8Benjamin eGilbert9Whendee eSilver10Trent R Northen11Eoin L Brodie12Eoin L Brodie13Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryUSDA Forest ServiceLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryUniversity of California, BerkeleyLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryUniversity of California, BerkeleyClimate model projections for tropical regions show clear perturbation of precipitation patterns leading to increased frequency and severity of drought in some regions. Previous work has shown declining soil moisture to be a strong driver of changes in microbial trait distribution, however the feedback of any shift in functional potential on ecosystem properties related to carbon cycling are poorly understood. Here we show that drought-induced changes in microbial functional diversity and activity shape, and are in turn shaped by, the composition of dissolved and soil-associated carbon. We also demonstrate that a shift in microbial functional traits that favor the production of hygroscopic compounds alter the efflux of carbon dioxide following soil rewetting. Under drought the composition of the dissolved organic carbon pool changed in a manner consistent with a microbial metabolic response. We hypothesize that this microbial ecophysiological response to changing soil moisture elevates the intracellular carbon demand stimulating extracellular enzyme production, that prompts the observed decline in more complex carbon compounds (e.g., cellulose and lignin). Furthermore, a metabolic response to drought appeared to condition (biologically and physically) the soil, notably through the production of polysaccharides, particularly in experimental plots that had been pre-exposed to a short-term drought. This hysteretic response, in addition to an observed drought-related decline in phosphorus concentration, may have been responsible for a comparatively modest CO2 efflux following wet-up in drought plots relative to control plots.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00323/fullCarbon Dioxidedroughtmicrobial functionssoil carbonTropical Forest |
| spellingShingle | Nick eBouskill Tana E Wood Richard eBaran Zhao eHao Zaw eYe Benjamin P Bowen HsiaoChien eLim Peter eNico Hoi-Ying eHolman Benjamin eGilbert Whendee eSilver Trent R Northen Eoin L Brodie Eoin L Brodie Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. II. Change in microbial function impacts carbon composition. Frontiers in Microbiology Carbon Dioxide drought microbial functions soil carbon Tropical Forest |
| title | Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. II. Change in microbial function impacts carbon composition. |
| title_full | Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. II. Change in microbial function impacts carbon composition. |
| title_fullStr | Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. II. Change in microbial function impacts carbon composition. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. II. Change in microbial function impacts carbon composition. |
| title_short | Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. II. Change in microbial function impacts carbon composition. |
| title_sort | belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil ii change in microbial function impacts carbon composition |
| topic | Carbon Dioxide drought microbial functions soil carbon Tropical Forest |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00323/full |
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