Soil fungal and bacterial communities are altered by the incorporation of leaf litter containing a fungal endophyte

Abstract

Litter decomposition plays a key role in nutrient cycling across ecosystems. The presence of Epichloë endophytes in grass plants affects litter decomposition. The overall effects of leaf litter containing Epichloë endophytes on the chemical and biological properties in non-rhizosphere soils have not previously been examined.The current study is aimed to understand the effect of direct incorporation of leaf litter from Epichloë endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) on soil chemical characteristics, and fungal and bacterial biodiversity. Firstly, fresh leaf litter of the endophyte Epichloë festucae var. lolii-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (EÀ) L. perenne were incorporated into the soil, and then samples were collected from E+ and EÀ litter incorporated soil at T 0 , T 1 , T 2 and T 3 (0, 120, 240 and 360 days) for chemical and sequencing analyses. The Epichloë-containing leaf litter incorporation changed the soil microbial environment by enhancing the soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus, NH 4 + -N and NO 3 À -N contents, and acidifying soil pH. The endophyte had stronger effects on soil bacteria than soil fungi when the litter was determined with and without the endophyte. Litter containing the Epichloë endophyte significantly increased the absolute abundance of the 16S rRNA gene and relative abundances of the Actinobacteria, Nitrospirae and Gemmatimonadetes, while significantly decreasing the relative abundances of the Planctomycetes and Rokubacteria and the diversity in soil bacteria community. There was no significant effect of endophytecontaining leaf litter incorporation on the absolute abundance and diversity of the soil fungal community except the increment in the relative abundance of Rozellomycota. Soil pH and the SOC-to-TN ratio (C:N) were the main factors influencing the soil bacterial community, and the presence of E. festucae var. lolii was directly and positively related to the soil bacterial diversity. The current study established that Epichloë endophyte-infection altered the abundance and diversity of the soil bacterial community by affecting leaf litter quality and increasing soil chemical properties after litter incorporation.Yuanyuan Jin and Xuekai Wei contributed equally to this study.Yuanyuan Jin and Xuekai Wei should be considered the joint first author.

Multi-Trophic Species Diversity Contributes to the Restoration of Soil Multifunctionality in Degraded Karst Forests through Cascading Effects

“…Soil microbial diversity is influenced by both upward (bottom-up) and downward (top-down) factors, such as resources and consumers [110][111][112][113]. In this study, the effects of plant diversity were found to be relatively insignificant (Figure 5).…”

Leaf litter chemistry and its effects on soil microorganisms in different ages of Zanthoxylum planispinum var. Dintanensis

“…In leaf litter–soil ecosystems, nutrient release from leaf litter is a soil-microbe-mediated decomposition process in which soil microbial communities secrete various enzymes that mineralize complex organic matter into small molecules that are easily absorbed by plants [ 6 , 7 ]. At the same time, leaf litter provides abundant energy and nutrient inputs for microbial growth and reproduction, and participates in their metabolic processes, thus, influencing the abundance and diversity of soil microorganisms [ 8 , 9 ]. The effects of leaf litter on soil microorganisms are inconsistent among different tree species due to the variability in composition and secondary metabolites [ 10 ].…”