Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to Fertilization
Grassland ecosystems cover around 37% of the ice-free land surface on Earth and have critical socioeconomic importance globally. As in many terrestrial ecosystems, biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation represents an essential natural source of nitrogen (N). The ability to fix atmospheric N2 is limited...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.821030/full |
| _version_ | 1811329682415550464 |
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| author | Maximilian Nepel Maximilian Nepel Roey Angel Elizabeth T. Borer Beat Frey Andrew S. MacDougall Rebecca L. McCulley Anita C. Risch Martin Schütz Eric W. Seabloom Dagmar Woebken |
| author_facet | Maximilian Nepel Maximilian Nepel Roey Angel Elizabeth T. Borer Beat Frey Andrew S. MacDougall Rebecca L. McCulley Anita C. Risch Martin Schütz Eric W. Seabloom Dagmar Woebken |
| author_sort | Maximilian Nepel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Grassland ecosystems cover around 37% of the ice-free land surface on Earth and have critical socioeconomic importance globally. As in many terrestrial ecosystems, biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation represents an essential natural source of nitrogen (N). The ability to fix atmospheric N2 is limited to diazotrophs, a diverse guild of bacteria and archaea. To elucidate the abiotic (climatic, edaphic), biotic (vegetation), and spatial factors that govern diazotrophic community composition in global grassland soils, amplicon sequencing of the dinitrogenase reductase gene—nifH—was performed on samples from a replicated standardized nutrient [N, phosphorus (P)] addition experiment in 23 grassland sites spanning four continents. Sites harbored distinct and diverse diazotrophic communities, with most of reads assigned to diazotrophic taxa within the Alphaproteobacteria (e.g., Rhizobiales), Cyanobacteria (e.g., Nostocales), and Deltaproteobacteria (e.g., Desulforomonadales) groups. Likely because of the wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions and spatial distance among sampling sites, only a few of the taxa were present at all sites. The best model describing the variation among soil diazotrophic communities at the OTU level combined climate seasonality (temperature in the wettest quarter and precipitation in the warmest quarter) with edaphic (C:N ratio, soil texture) and vegetation factors (various perennial plant covers). Additionally, spatial variables (geographic distance) correlated with diazotrophic community variation, suggesting an interplay of environmental variables and spatial distance. The diazotrophic communities appeared to be resilient to elevated nutrient levels, as 2–4 years of chronic N and P additions had little effect on the community composition. However, it remains to be seen, whether changes in the community composition occur after exposure to long-term, chronic fertilization regimes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T15:48:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f8f98923390d4d2281abeba54f590cdc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T15:48:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f8f98923390d4d2281abeba54f590cdc2022-12-22T02:40:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2022-03-011310.3389/fmicb.2022.821030821030Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to FertilizationMaximilian Nepel0Maximilian Nepel1Roey Angel2Elizabeth T. Borer3Beat Frey4Andrew S. MacDougall5Rebecca L. McCulley6Anita C. Risch7Martin Schütz8Eric W. Seabloom9Dagmar Woebken10Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United StatesSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, CanadaDepartment of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United StatesSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaGrassland ecosystems cover around 37% of the ice-free land surface on Earth and have critical socioeconomic importance globally. As in many terrestrial ecosystems, biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation represents an essential natural source of nitrogen (N). The ability to fix atmospheric N2 is limited to diazotrophs, a diverse guild of bacteria and archaea. To elucidate the abiotic (climatic, edaphic), biotic (vegetation), and spatial factors that govern diazotrophic community composition in global grassland soils, amplicon sequencing of the dinitrogenase reductase gene—nifH—was performed on samples from a replicated standardized nutrient [N, phosphorus (P)] addition experiment in 23 grassland sites spanning four continents. Sites harbored distinct and diverse diazotrophic communities, with most of reads assigned to diazotrophic taxa within the Alphaproteobacteria (e.g., Rhizobiales), Cyanobacteria (e.g., Nostocales), and Deltaproteobacteria (e.g., Desulforomonadales) groups. Likely because of the wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions and spatial distance among sampling sites, only a few of the taxa were present at all sites. The best model describing the variation among soil diazotrophic communities at the OTU level combined climate seasonality (temperature in the wettest quarter and precipitation in the warmest quarter) with edaphic (C:N ratio, soil texture) and vegetation factors (various perennial plant covers). Additionally, spatial variables (geographic distance) correlated with diazotrophic community variation, suggesting an interplay of environmental variables and spatial distance. The diazotrophic communities appeared to be resilient to elevated nutrient levels, as 2–4 years of chronic N and P additions had little effect on the community composition. However, it remains to be seen, whether changes in the community composition occur after exposure to long-term, chronic fertilization regimes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.821030/fullgrassland soilnifH gene sequencingseasonal climateplant cover typenutrient additionnutrient network |
| spellingShingle | Maximilian Nepel Maximilian Nepel Roey Angel Elizabeth T. Borer Beat Frey Andrew S. MacDougall Rebecca L. McCulley Anita C. Risch Martin Schütz Eric W. Seabloom Dagmar Woebken Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to Fertilization Frontiers in Microbiology grassland soil nifH gene sequencing seasonal climate plant cover type nutrient addition nutrient network |
| title | Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to Fertilization |
| title_full | Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to Fertilization |
| title_fullStr | Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to Fertilization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to Fertilization |
| title_short | Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to Fertilization |
| title_sort | global grassland diazotrophic communities are structured by combined abiotic biotic and spatial distance factors but resilient to fertilization |
| topic | grassland soil nifH gene sequencing seasonal climate plant cover type nutrient addition nutrient network |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.821030/full |
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