The causes of the selection of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) in relation to ecosystem functioning and a research agenda to explore them

Lata, Jean‐Christophe; Roux, Xavier Le; Koffi, Kouamé Fulgence; Yé, Lambiénou; Srikanthasamy, Tharaniya; Konaré, Sarah

doi:10.1007/s00374-022-01630-3

Cited by 12 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…The high performance of African grasses and their effects on N cycling in northern Australian and South American savannas (D'Antonio & Vitousek, 1992; Rossiter‐Rachor et al, 2009) also seem to be related to their BNI ability. Although the frequency of this ability in other African grasses is not fully known (Lata et al, 2022), many African grasses appear to be able to inhibit nitrification, so that the new coexistence mechanism we emphasize should be studied at a large geographical scale and particularly in Eastern and Southern African savannas. Besides, N‐fixing trees and large herbivores, which are absent in the Lamto savanna, are known to be influential in the functioning of other savannas such as East African savannas (Sankaran et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Spatial heterogeneity of nitrification contributes to tree–grass coexistence in West African savannas

Konaré,

Koffi,

Boudsocq

et al. 2023

Journal of Ecology

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In savannas, the coexistence between trees and grasses is determined by complex mechanisms based on water partitioning and disturbances. But little is known about the contribution of other resources, such as soil nitrogen (N). In West African savannas, nitrification inhibition by grasses and nitrification stimulation by trees create spatial heterogeneity in nitrification fluxes and N stocks. Savanna trees can also extend part of their roots in the surrounding open area to absorb N. To investigate the role of the spatial heterogeneity of nitrification in tree–grass coexistence, we used a two‐patch model that simulates N dynamics between an open patch (without trees) and a tree clump patch (trees with grasses under their canopy). The open patch was characterized by a low nitrification rate, while the tree clump patch was characterized by a high nitrification rate. Both patches were connected through horizontal fluxes due to soil horizontal exploration by tree roots. We tested coexistence for different spatial tree distributions, as they are known to strongly influence savanna dynamics. Our results show that the spatial heterogeneity of nitrification induces spatial partitioning between ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−) promoting tree–grass coexistence. As nitrification inhibition by grasses leads to high NH4+ availability in the open, the possibilities of coexistence are optimized when trees have different preferences in the open versus under their canopy. Thus, tree–grass coexistence is observed when grasses prefer NH4+, while trees prefer NH4+ in the open and NO3− under their canopy. Contrary to random tree distribution, tree clumping enhances tree–grass coexistence. Intraspecific aggregation strengthens the effect of spatial heterogeneity, which decreases interspecific competition and favours tree–grass coexistence. On the contrary, increasing the surface explored by tree roots in the open tends to increase tree–grass competition. This enhances the competitive ability of trees for N acquisition and consequently favours tree invasion. Synthesis. This study shows that this new coexistence mechanism based on mineral N partitioning into NH4+ and NO3− can be determinant in the functioning of West African humid savannas. This mechanism likely interacts with mechanisms based on disturbances, but such interactions should be studied using new models.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The high performance of African grasses and their effects on N cycling in northern Australian and South American savannas (D'Antonio & Vitousek, 1992;Rossiter-Rachor et al, 2009) also seem to be related to their BNI ability. Although the frequency of this ability in other African grasses is not fully known (Lata et al, 2022), many…”

Section: Con Clus Ionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial heterogeneity of nitrification contributes to tree–grass coexistence in West African savannas

Konaré,

Koffi,

Boudsocq

et al. 2023

Journal of Ecology

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“…The ability of plants to influence microbial functions in the rhizosphere likely evolved as a mechanism for nutrient retention, enhancing plant competition for available nutrients from the soil matrix (Philippot et al, 2013b; Delaux and Schornack, 2021; Lata et al, 2022). It is becoming increasingly clear that plant genetic variation (within and among species) modulates the activities of the soil-associated microbiome and that these alterations can impact soil biogeochemical functions (Falkowski et al, 2008; Morris et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variation exists withinZea maysto influence unsustainable nitrogen cycling microbiome function

Favela,

Bohn,

Kent

2023

Preprint

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Overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers in agroecosystems causes environmental pollution and human harm at a global level. Nitrogenous fertilizers provide a short-lived benefit to crops in the agroecosystem, but stimulate microbially-mediated nitrification and denitrification, processes that result in N pollution, greenhouse gas (GHG) production, and reduced soil fertility. Recent advances in plant microbiome science suggest that plants can modulate the composition and activity of rhizosphere microbial communities. These rhizosphere communities act as an extended phenotype, primed by genetic variation in the plant host. Genetic variation in traits (e.g., plant secondary metabolites, root architecture, immune system, etc.) act as mechanistic selective agents on the composition of the microbiome. Here we attempted to determine whether genetic variation exists inZea maysfor the ability to influence the extended phenotype of rhizosphere soil microbiome composition and function. Specifically, we determined whether plants’ influence on soil nitrogen cycling activities was altered by plant genetics and thereby allowing it to be incorporated into breeding practices. To capture an extensive amount of genetic diversity within maize we sampled the rhizosphere microbiome of a germplasm chronosequence that included ex-PVP inbreds, hybrids, and teosinte (Z. maysssp. mexicanaandZ. maysssp.parviglumis). We observed that potential N cycling processes were influenced by plant genetics. Teosinte and some hybrid genotypes supported microbial communities with lower potential nitrification and potential denitrification activity in the rhizosphere, while inbreds stimulated/did not inhibit these undesirable N-cycling activities. These potential differences translated to functional differences in N2O production, with teosinte plots producing less GHG than maize plots. Furthermore, within theseZeacultivars we found that plant genetics explained a significant amount of variation in the microbiome, particularly among different nitrification and denitrification functional genes within the community. We found that potential nitrification, potential incomplete denitrification, and overall denitrification rates, but not abundance of N-cycling genes of rhizosphere soils were influenced by growth stage and plant genetics. Taken together, these results suggest that crop selection can lead to changes in root phenotypes that could suppress unsustainable N-cycling processes. Reintroducing stress-adapted and “wild” root characteristics into modern germplasm may be a way to manipulate soil microbiomes at both a composition and functional level to improve sustainability.

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“…We also hypothesised that dissimilarity of biotic environmental conditions (i.e. plant community composition) would better explain dissimilarity of soil bacteria communities than abiotic conditions (climate and soil), because plant species provide specific resources to the soil microbiota (El Moujahid et al, 2017), selectively favours or inhibits bacterial taxa and functional groups (Lata et al, 2022; Yang et al, 2020) and influences soil characteristics (Bezemer et al, 2006) on top of reflecting the local abiotic conditions. We based these different hypotheses on the underlying expectations that the taxonomic and functional compositions of bacterial communities would not be akin, and that abiotic and biotic dissimilarities and geographic distances among sites would not strongly correlate, thus allowing to unravel the effects of environmental filtering and dispersal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taxonomic and functional biogeographies of soil bacterial communities across the Tibet plateau are better explained by abiotic conditions than distance and plant community composition

et al. 2023

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The processes governing soil bacteria biogeography are still not fully understood. It remains unknown how the importance of environmental filtering and dispersal differs between bacterial taxonomic and functional biogeography, and whether their importance is scale-dependent. We sampled soils across the Tibet plateau, with distances among plots ranging from 20 m to 1550 km. Taxonomic composition of bacterial community was characterized by 16S amplicon sequencing and functional community composition by qPCR targeting 9 functional groups involved in N dynamics. Factors representing climate, soil and plant community were measured to assess different facets of environmental dissimilarity. Both bacterial taxonomic and functional dissimilarities were more related to abiotic dissimilarity than biotic (vegetation) dissimilarity or distance. Taxonomic dissimilarity was mostly explained by differences in soil pH and mean annual temperature (MAT), while functional dissimilarity was linked to differences in soil N and P availabilities and N:P ratio. Soil pH and MAT remained the main determinants of taxonomic dissimilarity across spatial scales. In contrast, the explanatory variables of N-related functional dissimilarity varied across the scales, with soil moisture and organic matter having the highest role across short distances (<~330 km), and available P, N:P ratio and distance being important over long distances (>~660 km). Our results demonstrate how biodiversity dimension (taxonomic versus functional aspects) and spatial scale influence the factors driving soil bacterial biogeography.

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The causes of the selection of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) in relation to ecosystem functioning and a research agenda to explore them

Cited by 12 publications

References 118 publications

Spatial heterogeneity of nitrification contributes to tree–grass coexistence in West African savannas

Spatial heterogeneity of nitrification contributes to tree–grass coexistence in West African savannas

Genetic variation exists withinZea maysto influence unsustainable nitrogen cycling microbiome function

Taxonomic and functional biogeographies of soil bacterial communities across the Tibet plateau are better explained by abiotic conditions than distance and plant community composition

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