Depth and topographic controls on microbial activity in a recently burned sub-alpine catchment

Fairbanks, Dawson; Shepard, Christopher; Murphy, Margretta; Rasmussen, Craig; Chorover, Jon; Rich, V. I.; Gallery, Rachel E.

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107844

Cited by 27 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Characterizing the microbial response to fire in a successional context recognizes that post-fire environments represent a gradient of recovery states. While previous studies have elucidated many factors that modulate the effect of fire on soil microbial communities such as burn severity [ 5 , 6 ], soil depth [ 7 , 8 ], and soil chemistry [ 5 , 7 , 9 ], the vast majority of these studies do not incorporate time since fire as a moderating effect even though such effects may last for decades [ 10 ]. Of those that evaluated soil microbial communities at multiple times since fire, it is clear that the post-fire soil microbial community is temporally dynamic [ 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological and genomic responses of soil microbiomes to high-severity wildfire: linking community assembly to functional potential

2022

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Increasing wildfire severity, which is common throughout the western United States, can have deleterious effects on plant regeneration and large impacts on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling rates. Soil microbes are pivotal in facilitating these elemental cycles, so understanding the impact of increasing fire severity on soil microbial communities is critical. Here, we assess the long-term impact of high-severity fires on the soil microbiome. We find that high-severity wildfires result in a multi-decadal (>25 y) recovery of the soil microbiome mediated by concomitant differences in aboveground vegetation, soil chemistry, and microbial assembly processes. Our results depict a distinct taxonomic and functional successional pattern of increasing selection in post-fire soil microbial communities. Changes in microbiome composition corresponded with changes in microbial functional potential, specifically altered C metabolism and enhanced N cycling potential, which related to rates of potential decomposition and inorganic N availability, respectively. Based on metagenome-assembled genomes, we show that bacterial genomes enriched in our earliest site (4 y since fire) harbor distinct traits such as a robust stress response and a high potential to degrade pyrogenic, polyaromatic C that allow them to thrive in post-fire environments. Taken together, these results provide a biological basis for previously reported process rate measurements and explain the temporal dynamics of post-fire biogeochemistry, which ultimately constrains ecosystem recovery.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological and genomic responses of soil microbiomes to high-severity wildfire: linking community assembly to functional potential

2022

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“…We first compared soil biogeochemical properties including, β-glucosidase activity (BG), microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN), and respiration at 24 and 96 hr for evidence of differences among soil sections and burn histories (Fig 2A and 2B). Elevated microbial biomass concentrations, respiration rates, and potential enzyme activities in the unburned site are consistent with increased biological availability when compared to the burned sites (Fairbanks et al, 2020). We found the highest respiration rate at UB followed by the MB, with the lowest respiration at HB (Figure 2B).…”

Section: Approachmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Overall, our results were consistent with literature describing wildfire impacts on soils and provided greater understanding of molecular changes in soil organic matter composition and structure than is possible with typical measurements. In soils with recent fire history, we observed decreases in soil respiration, microbial biomass, and potential enzyme activity (Certini, 2005; Fairbanks et al, 2020; Guénon et al, 2013; Lombao et al, 2021; Neary et al, 2005; Wang et al, 2012). This was associated with shifts in SOM composition, with higher rates of oxidation apparent in surface soils.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Across the first 24 hours after re-wet, the rate of CO 2 produced was greater in the top 10 cm vs. the lowest 10 cm across all cores. However, after 96 hours the rate of CO 2 production in soils from the bottom 10 cm was greater than the top 10 cm for all sites (Fairbanks et al, 2020). Similarly, β-glucosidase potential activity and microbial biomass C and N were highest at UB (SI Figure 1A and Figure 2B respectively).…”

Section: Approachmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…As the frequency of wildfires continue to increase due to anthropogenic climate change and land management practices, it is critical to understand how fire disturbances affect belowground biogeochemistry (Abatzoglou and Williams, 2016; Huffman and Madritch, 2018). Wildfires alter belowground processes that generally result in decreased structural stability, microbial respiration and biomass, and SOM concentration (Certini, 2005; Doerr et al, 2006; Fairbanks et al, 2020; González-Pérez et al, 2004; Matosziuk et al, 2020; Neary et al, 2005; Wang et al, 2012). For instance, Certini et al (Certini et al, 2011) reported wildfire significantly decreased total soil C, which was associated with increased lignin degradation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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One thousand soils for molecular understanding of belowground carbon cycling

Bowman

Heath

Varga

et al. 2022

Preprint

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While significant progress has been made in understanding global carbon (C) cycling, the mechanisms regulating belowground C fluxes and storage are still uncertain. New molecular technologies have the power to elucidate these processes, yet we have no widespread standardized implementation of molecular techniques. To help address this gap, we have developed a crowdsourced soil core research program for analyzing molecular and microstructural data that describe soil structure, soil organic matter (SOM) chemistry, and soil microbiology. Known as the 1,000 Soils Pilot and based at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), we use Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance-(FTICR) and liquid chromatography-(LC) mass spectrometry (MS); X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT), water retention curves; metagenomic sequencing; and standard biogeochemical measurements to enable new insights into soil C cycles. To emphasize cross-site comparability, we provide standardized sampling materials and protocols, and all data are generated on dedicated instruments with optimized settings. Here, we describe the 1000 Soils Pilot and present a use case describing differences in SOM chemistry, soil structure, and chemical and biological properties across forest soils exposed to differing wildfire regimes. Data and analytic workflows from the 1000 Soils Pilot will populate a unique continental-scale database of soil molecular properties, as part of the EMSL Molecular Observation Network (MONet) user program.

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Combination of Lolium perenne L. and Festuca arundinacea Schreb. improve yields under low phosphorus availability

Velasco-Sánchez,

Ferron,

Mani

et al. 2024

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

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Phosphorus (P) is one of the main nutrients for all plants, including grasses. However, sources of P fertilizer are not renewable, are not evenly distributed and overfertilization can lead to serious environmental degradation. Smart combinations of grasses may be able to more efficiently take up P from soils through complementarity. In a two-year field mesocosm experiment, we compared the performance of Lolium perenne L. and Festuca arundinacea Schreb. in monocultures and in combination, as well as a mixture of both species with a tetraploid variety of Lolium perenne L and Phleum pratense L. Plants were grown in an unfertilized low P soil and in P fertilized soil for two growing seasons. We measured biomass production, root traits, nutrient uptake, microbial biomass and enzymatic activities. In the unfertilized plots the combination of Lolium perenne and Festuca arundinacea generated the highest cumulative yields (25,951 ± 4059 kg ha−1), relative total yield (> 1) and P nutrition index (0.79). We related this to the complementarity found in root traits and lower intraspecific competition of Festuca arundinacea and Lolium perenne diploid. Festuca arundinacea produced higher root biomass than Lolium perenne diploid at deeper soil layers (98 vs. 44 g m−2; p < 0.05). On the other hand, Lolium perenne diploid had significantly finer roots than Festuca arundinacea both at topsoil and bottom layers (0.19 vs. 0.22 mm and 0.19 vs. 0.23 mm at top and bottom layers respectively). The 4 species combination did not result in higher yields. Our results show that, in low P soils, combinations of grass species with contrasting root traits could lead to significantly higher yields than monocultures.

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Depth and topographic controls on microbial activity in a recently burned sub-alpine catchment

Cited by 27 publications

References 91 publications

Ecological and genomic responses of soil microbiomes to high-severity wildfire: linking community assembly to functional potential

Ecological and genomic responses of soil microbiomes to high-severity wildfire: linking community assembly to functional potential

One thousand soils for molecular understanding of belowground carbon cycling

Combination of Lolium perenne L. and Festuca arundinacea Schreb. improve yields under low phosphorus availability

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