Soil microbial communities influencing organic phosphorus mineralization in a coastal dune chronosequence in New Zealand

Abstract

The Haast chronosequence in New Zealand is a ∼6500-year dune formation series, characterized by rapid podzol development, phosphorus (P) depletion, and a decline in aboveground biomass. We examined bacterial and fungal community composition within mineral soil fractions using amplicon-based high-throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). We targeted bacterial non-specific acid (class A, phoN/phoC) and alkaline (phoD) phosphomonoesterase genes and quantified specific genes and transcripts using real-time PCR. Soil bacterial diversity was greatest after 4000 years of ecosystem development and associated with an increased richness of phylotypes and a significant decline in previously dominant taxa (Firmicutes and Proteobacteria). Soil fungal communities transitioned from predominantly Basidiomycota to Ascomycota along the chronosequence and were most diverse in 290 to 392-year-old soils, coinciding with maximum tree basal area and organic P accumulation. The Bacteria: Fungi ratio decreased amid a competitive and interconnected soil community as determined by network analysis. Overall, soil microbial communities were associated with soil changes and declining P throughout pedogenesis and ecosystem succession. We identified an increased dependence on organic P mineralization, as found by the profiled acid phosphatase genes, soil acid phosphatase activity, and function inference from predicted metagenomes (PICRUSt2).

Differential structure and function of phosphorus‐mineralizing microbial communities in organic and upper mineral soil horizons across a temperate rainforest chronosequence

“…This enrichment was reflected in a depletion of other phyla (e.g., Mortirellomycota and Rozellomycota) and an overall decrease in fungal richness in both organic and mineral soil horizons (Figure S2). Similar results have been observed in the Haast chronosequence (Gaiero et al, 2021), where Ascomycota also dominated with dune age. Ascomycota are reported to harbour genomic traits that are associated with competitive abilities (e.g.…”

Functional Potential of Soil Microbial Communities and Their Subcommunities Varies with Tree Mycorrhizal Type and Tree Diversity

“…Acidobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria were the predominant contributors in all nutrient cycling combinations. Together with the Actinobacteria , which showed the second highest association with C in our study, all of these groups are known from the literature to be involved in the C cycle ( 100 , 102 ), N cycle ( 90 ), and P cycle ( 12 , 15 ). We have also shown the functional potential of these groups for other nutrient combinations, including CN, CP, NP, and CNP.…”

“…A few examples include carbon-fixing Actinobacteria ( 9 , 10 ), nitrogen-fixing Azotobacter ( 9 , 10 ), and phosphate-solubilizing Acidobacteria ( 11 , 12 ). Likewise, Penicillium , Aspergillus , and Trichoderma are free-living fungi and known for being actively involved in the decomposition of soil organic compounds (C cycle), nitrification (N cycle), and P solubilization (P cycle), respectively ( 13 – 15 ).…”

Bacteria common to rhizosphere communities of Asiatic bittersweet across a post-glacial landscape

“…Both Olson (1958) and Lichter (1998b) found that soil pH decreased from a nearshore peak between 7 and 8 to a low between 4 and 5 during the first 1,000 years of soil development. Other dune systems worldwide show a decrease in pH with time, but the magnitude of change and range varies (Nelson et al, 2020;Pollmann et al, 2020;Gaiero et al, 2021). Similarly, Lichter (1998a) at Wilderness State Park in lower peninsula of Michigan found that soil carbon and nitrogen asymptotically peaked between 500 and 1,000 years, respectively, at 40 and 2.3 mg/ha.…”