Experimental warming reduces the diversity and functional potential of theSphagnummicrobiome

Abstract

1Climate change may reduce biodiversity leading to a reduction in ecosystem productivity. 2Despite numerous reports of a strong correlation of microbial diversity and ecosystem the community structure and function in peat moss microbiomes, with implications for impacts to 1 6 host fitness and ecosystem productivity, and carbon uptake potential of peatlands.

Impact of Warming on Greenhouse Gas Production and Microbial Diversity in Anoxic Peat From a Sphagnum-Dominated Bog (Grand Rapids, Minnesota, United States)

“…Moreover, at temperature treatments above 30°C, no ASV’s affiliated with methanogenesis were detected, suggesting that a threshold was reached above which the microbial communities could not cope with further warming (Sihi et al, 2017) on the timescale of this experiment. Our results are corroborated by field observations of Sphagnum microbiomes in a whole ecosystem warming experiment conducted at S1 bog in which a significant reduction of phyllosphere associated microbial and diazotrophic communities was observed (Carrell et al, 2019). Microbial diversity has often been associated with the effective functioning and desirable outcomes for ecosystems (Fierer et al, 2013; Wagg et al, 2014; Delgado-Baquerizo et al, 2016; Kolton et al, 2017; Shade, 2017).…”

“…Prokaryotic community composition was determined by applying a high-throughput sequencing-based protocol that targets PCR-generated amplicons from the V4 variable regions of the SSU rRNA gene using the primer set CS1_515F (5′-ACACTGACGACATGGTTCTACA_GTGCCAGCMGCCGCGGTAA) and CS2_806R (5′-TACGGTAGCAGAGACTTGGTCT_GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT) (Caporaso et al, 2010; Moonsamy et al, 2013). Resulting SSU rRNA gene amplicons were barcoded with unique 10-base barcodes (Fluidigm Corporation, South San Francisco, CA, United States) and sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq2000 platform at the Georgia Institute of Technology as previously described (Wilson et al, 2016; Carrell et al, 2019). The Illumina-generated SSU rRNA gene amplicon sequences have been deposited in the BioProject database 1 under accession PRJNA431624.…”

“…Universal bacterial and archaeal gene copy number was enumerated based on small subunit rRNA genes (SSU rRNA). Quantification of bacterial and archaeal SSU rRNA gene copies was carried out in a final volume of 20 μl using standard primer sets 331F (5′-CCTACGGGAGGCAGCAGT)/518R (5′-ATTACCGCGGCTGCTG) and Arch787F (5′-ATTAGATACCCSBGTAGTCC)/Arch1059R (5′-GCCATGCACCWCCTC) respectively (Muyzer et al, 1993; Yu et al, 2005) and previously described conditions (Warren et al, 2017; Carrell et al, 2019). Standard curves were obtained with a 10-fold serial dilution of standard pGEM-T Easy plasmids (Promega, Madison, WI, United States) containing target sequences from Escherichia coli K12 or Methanococcus maripaludis S2 for bacteria and archaea, respectively.…”