Soil Bacterial Community Responds to Land-Use Change in Riparian Ecosystems
Riparian forests were frequently cleared and converted to agricultural pastures, but in recent times these pastures are often revegetated in an effort to return riparian forest structure and function. We tested if there is a change in the soil bacterial taxonomy and function in areas of riparian for...
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/2/157 |
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| author | Vicky Waymouth Rebecca E. Miller Sabine Kasel Fiona Ede Andrew Bissett Cristina Aponte |
| author_facet | Vicky Waymouth Rebecca E. Miller Sabine Kasel Fiona Ede Andrew Bissett Cristina Aponte |
| author_sort | Vicky Waymouth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Riparian forests were frequently cleared and converted to agricultural pastures, but in recent times these pastures are often revegetated in an effort to return riparian forest structure and function. We tested if there is a change in the soil bacterial taxonomy and function in areas of riparian forest cleared for agricultural pasture then revegetated, and if soil bacterial taxonomy and function is related to vegetation and soil physicochemical properties. The study was conducted in six riparian areas in south-eastern Australia, each comprising of three land-use types: remnant riparian forest, cleared forest converted to pasture, and revegetated pastures. We surveyed three strata of vegetation and sampled surface soil and subsoil to characterize physicochemical properties. Taxonomic and functional composition of soil bacterial communities were assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequences and community level physiological profiles, respectively. Few soil physiochemical properties differed with land use despite distinct vegetation in pasture relative to remnant and revegetated areas. Overall bacterial taxonomic and functional composition of remnant forest and revegetated soils were distinct from pasture soil. Land-use differences were not consistent for all bacterial phyla, as Acidobacteria were more abundant in remnant soils; conversely, Actinobacteria were more abundant in pasture soils. Overall, bacterial metabolic activity and soil carbon and nitrogen content decreased with soil depth, while bacterial metabolic diversity and evenness increased with soil depth. Soil bacterial taxonomic composition was related to soil texture and soil fertility, but functional composition was only related to soil texture. Our results suggest that the conversion of riparian forests to pasture is associated with significant changes in the soil bacterial community, and that revegetation contributes to reversing such changes. Nevertheless, the observed changes in bacterial community composition (taxonomic and functional) were not directly related to changes in vegetation but were more closely related to soil attributes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:23:00Z |
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| id | doaj.art-f31aa061a9c14898a84388640fe741ed |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:23:00Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-f31aa061a9c14898a84388640fe741ed2023-12-03T15:06:48ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072021-01-0112215710.3390/f12020157Soil Bacterial Community Responds to Land-Use Change in Riparian EcosystemsVicky Waymouth0Rebecca E. Miller1Sabine Kasel2Fiona Ede3Andrew Bissett4Cristina Aponte5School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, VIC 3121, AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, VIC 3121, AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, VIC 3121, AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, VIC 3121, AustraliaCSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Crace, ACT 2911, AustraliaSchool of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, VIC 3121, AustraliaRiparian forests were frequently cleared and converted to agricultural pastures, but in recent times these pastures are often revegetated in an effort to return riparian forest structure and function. We tested if there is a change in the soil bacterial taxonomy and function in areas of riparian forest cleared for agricultural pasture then revegetated, and if soil bacterial taxonomy and function is related to vegetation and soil physicochemical properties. The study was conducted in six riparian areas in south-eastern Australia, each comprising of three land-use types: remnant riparian forest, cleared forest converted to pasture, and revegetated pastures. We surveyed three strata of vegetation and sampled surface soil and subsoil to characterize physicochemical properties. Taxonomic and functional composition of soil bacterial communities were assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequences and community level physiological profiles, respectively. Few soil physiochemical properties differed with land use despite distinct vegetation in pasture relative to remnant and revegetated areas. Overall bacterial taxonomic and functional composition of remnant forest and revegetated soils were distinct from pasture soil. Land-use differences were not consistent for all bacterial phyla, as Acidobacteria were more abundant in remnant soils; conversely, Actinobacteria were more abundant in pasture soils. Overall, bacterial metabolic activity and soil carbon and nitrogen content decreased with soil depth, while bacterial metabolic diversity and evenness increased with soil depth. Soil bacterial taxonomic composition was related to soil texture and soil fertility, but functional composition was only related to soil texture. Our results suggest that the conversion of riparian forests to pasture is associated with significant changes in the soil bacterial community, and that revegetation contributes to reversing such changes. Nevertheless, the observed changes in bacterial community composition (taxonomic and functional) were not directly related to changes in vegetation but were more closely related to soil attributes.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/2/157revegetationplant-soil interactionssoil microbiomeriparian ecosystemsmicrobial diversitybacterial community composition |
| spellingShingle | Vicky Waymouth Rebecca E. Miller Sabine Kasel Fiona Ede Andrew Bissett Cristina Aponte Soil Bacterial Community Responds to Land-Use Change in Riparian Ecosystems Forests revegetation plant-soil interactions soil microbiome riparian ecosystems microbial diversity bacterial community composition |
| title | Soil Bacterial Community Responds to Land-Use Change in Riparian Ecosystems |
| title_full | Soil Bacterial Community Responds to Land-Use Change in Riparian Ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Soil Bacterial Community Responds to Land-Use Change in Riparian Ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil Bacterial Community Responds to Land-Use Change in Riparian Ecosystems |
| title_short | Soil Bacterial Community Responds to Land-Use Change in Riparian Ecosystems |
| title_sort | soil bacterial community responds to land use change in riparian ecosystems |
| topic | revegetation plant-soil interactions soil microbiome riparian ecosystems microbial diversity bacterial community composition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/2/157 |
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