Litter and soil biodiversity jointly drive ecosystem functions

The decomposition of litter and the supply of nutrients into and from the soil are two fundamental processes through which the above- and belowground world interact. Microbial biodiversity, and especially that of decomposers, plays a key role in these processes by helping litter decomposition. Yet the relative contribution of litter diversity and soil biodiversity in supporting multiple ecosystem services remains virtually unknown. Here we conducted a mesocosm experiment where leaf litter and soil biodiversity were manipulated to investigate their influence on plant productivity, litter decomposition, soil respiration, and enzymatic activity in the littersphere. We showed that both leaf litter diversity and soil microbial diversity (richness and community composition) independently contributed to explain multiple ecosystem functions. Fungal saprobes community composition was especially important for supporting ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF), plant production, litter decomposition, and activity of soil phosphatase when compared with bacteria or other fungal functional groups and litter species richness. Moreover, leaf litter diversity and soil microbial diversity exerted previously undescribed and significantly interactive effects on EMF and multiple individual ecosystem functions, such as litter decomposition and plant production. Together, our work provides experimental evidence supporting the independent and interactive roles of litter and belowground soil biodiversity to maintain ecosystem functions and multiple services.     

Plant Communities, Soil Microorganisms, and Soil Carbon Cycling: Does Altering the World Belowground Matter to Ecosystem Functioning?

Soil microorganisms mediate many critical ecosystem processes. Little is known, however, about the factors that determine soil microbial community composition, and whether microbial community composition influences process rates. Here, we investigated whether aboveground plant diversity affects soil microbial community composition, and whether differences in microbial communities in turn affect ecosystem process rates. Using an experimental system at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, we found that plant diversity (plots contained 1, 3, 5, or > 25 plant species) had a significant effect on microbial community composition (as determined by phospholipid fatty acid analysis). The different microbial communities had significantly different respiration responses to 24 labile carbon compounds. We then tested whether these differences in microbial composition and catabolic capabilities were indicative of the ability of distinct microbial communities to decompose different types of litter in a fully factorial laboratory litter transplant experiment. Both microbial biomass and microbial community composition appeared to play a role in litter decomposition rates. Our work suggests, however, that the more important mechanism through which changes in plant diversity affect soil microbial communities and their carbon cycling activities may be through alterations in their abundance rather than their community composition.     

Effects of Plant Diversity,Functional Group Composition,and Fertilization on Soil Microbial Properties in Experimental Grassland

BackgroundLoss of biodiversity and increased nutrient inputs are two of the most crucial anthropogenic factors driving ecosystem change. Although both received considerable attention in previous studies, information on their interactive effects on ecosystem functioning is scarce. In particular, little is known on how soil biota and their functions are affected by combined changes in plant diversity and fertilization.Conclusions/SignificanceOur study highlights the role of plant species and functional group diversity as well as interactions between plant community composition and fertilizer application for soil microbial functions. Our results suggest soil microbial stoichiometry to be a powerful indicator of microbial functioning under N limited conditions. Although our results support the notion that plant diversity and fertilizer application independently affect microbial functioning, legume effects on microbial N limitation were superimposed by fertilization, indicating significant interactions between the functional composition of plant communities and nutrient inputs for soil processes.     

Forest gene diversity is correlated with the composition and function of soil microbial communities

The growing field of community and ecosystem genetics indicates that plant genotype and genotypic variation are important for structuring communities and ecosystem processes. Little is known, however, regarding the effects of stand gene diversity on soil communities and processes under field conditions. Utilizing natural genetic variation occurring in Populus spp. hybrid zones, we tested the hypothesis that stand gene diversity structures soil microbial communities and influences soil nutrient pools. We found significant unimodal patterns relating gene diversity to soil microbial community composition, microbial exoenzyme activity of a carbon-acquiring enzyme, and availability of soil nitrogen. Multivariate analyses indicate that this pattern is due to the correlation between gene diversity, plant secondary chemistry, and the composition of the microbial community that impacts the availability of soil nitrogen. Together, these data from a natural system indicate that stand gene diversity may affect soil microbial communities and soil processes in ways similar to species diversity (i.e., unimodal patterns). Our results further demonstrate that the effects of plant genetic diversity on other organisms may be mediated by plant functional trait variation.     

土壤动物肠道微生物多样性研究进展

随着分子生物学技术方法的快速发展,动物肠道微生物已成为医学、动物生理学与微生物生态学等研究领域热点。土壤动物种类繁多,分布广泛,其作为陆地生态系统重要组分,是驱动生态系统功能的关键因子。土壤动物体内的微生物由于与宿主长期共存,在与宿主协同进化中形成了丰富多样的群落结构,能够影响土壤动物本身的健康,进而介导土壤动物生态功能的实现。近些年,土壤动物肠道微生物工作方兴未艾,日渐得到重视。总结了四个部分内容：1)首先总结了土壤动物肠道微生物多样性领域的研究现状,该领域年发文量逐年增长,且近十年增长快速。土壤模式生物肠道微生物多样性研究较多且更为深入。土壤动物肠道微生物多样性组成与驱动机制、共存机制及群落构建的理论研究是该领域前沿;2)进而展示了土壤动物肠道微生物多样性组成和研究方法,土壤动物肠道菌群组成以变形菌门、厚壁菌门、放线菌门和拟杆菌门为主。早期工作基于传统分离培养,近年来新一代测序技术推动了该领域发展;3)接着关注了土壤动物肠道微生物的生态学功能,总体上体现在肠道微生物能帮助宿主分解食物基质、参与营养利用、影响寿命和繁殖及提高宿主免疫能力,且其能够影响土壤动物的气体排放及介导其对生态系...     

污染土壤微生物群落结构多样性及功能多样性测定方法

土壤微生物在促进土壤质量和植物健康方面发挥着重要的作用,土壤微生物群落结构和组成的多样性及其变化在一定程度上反映了土壤质量.为了更好地了解土壤健康状况,非常有必要发展有效的方法来研究污染土壤微生物的多样性、分布以及行为等.回顾了近年来国内外污染土壤微生物群落结构多样性及功能多样性的测定方法,包括生物化学技术和分子生物学技术,现将它们的原理、优缺点、实用性及其发展动态作一阐述,同时指出结合这两种技术可为微生物群落分析提供一个更全面的、精确的方法.     

羊草基因型数目与氮添加对土壤微生物群落的交互影响

物种多样性(或同一物种遗传多样性)减少和氮富集都是影响陆地生态系统进程的主要因素,它们之间的交互作用是否对土壤微生物群落产生显著影响已成为研究者关心的主要科学问题。研究羊草基因型数目(1、2、4三种基因型数目组合)和氮添加(无氮添加、低氮添加和高氮添加3种水平)对土壤微生物群落的总磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA,Phospholipid Fatty Acid)含量、细菌PLFA生物标记含量、真菌PLFA生物标记含量、真菌/细菌比、以及基于每个PLFA生物标记相对含量百分比所得微生物群落的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Simpson优势度指数的影响。结果表明:氮添加对细菌PLFA生物标记含量,以及土壤微生物PLFA生物标记的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Simpson优势度指数具有显著影响(P0.05);基因型数目对所测变量无显著影响(P0.05),但基因型数目和氮添加的交互作用对细菌PLFA生物标记含量和真菌/细菌比具有显著影响(P0.05)。研究结果为全球变化背景下氮沉降及重要物种种群数量减少对土壤微生物群落的影响提供了科学数据,为合理解释群落动态变化提供了数据支持。     

Plant invasion alters nitrogen cycling by modifying the soil nitrifying community

Plant invasions have dramatic aboveground effects on plant community composition, but their belowground effects remain largely uncharacterized. Soil microorganisms directly interact with plants and mediate many nutrient transformations in soil. We hypothesized that belowground changes to the soil microbial community provide a mechanistic link between exotic plant invasion and changes to ecosystem nutrient cycling. To examine this possible link, monocultures and mixtures of exotic and native species were maintained for 4 years in a California grassland. Gross rates of nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification were quantified with ¹⁵N pool dilution and soil microbial communities were characterized with DNA‐based methods. Exotic grasses doubled gross nitrification rates, in part by increasing the abundance and changing the composition of ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria in soil. These changes may translate into altered ecosystem N budgets after invasion. Altered soil microbial communities and their resulting effects on ecosystem processes may be an invisible legacy of exotic plant invasions.     

环境DNA技术在地下生态学中的应用

地下生态过程是生态系统结构、功能和过程研究中最不确定的因素。由于技术和方法的限制,作为"黑箱"的地下生态系统已经成为限制生态学发展的瓶颈,也是未来生态学发展的主要方向。环境DNA技术,是指从土壤等环境样品中直接提取DNA片段,然后通过DNA测序技术来定性或定量化目标生物,以确定目标生物在生态系统中的分布及功能特征。环境DNA技术已成功用于地下生态过程的研究。目前,环境DNA技术在土壤微生物多样性及其功能方面的研究相对成熟,克服了土壤微生物研究中不能培养的问题,可以有效地分析土壤微生物的群落组成、多样性及空间分布,尤其是宏基因组学技术的发展,使得微生物生态功能方面的研究成为可能;而且,环境DNA技术已经在土壤动物生态学的研究中得到了初步应用,可快速分析土壤动物的多样性及其分布特征,更有效地鉴定出未知的或稀少的物种,鉴定土壤动物类群的幅度较宽;部分研究者通过提取分析土壤中DNA片段信息对生态系统植物多样性及植物分类进行了研究,其结果比传统的植物分类及物种多样性测定更精确,改变了以往对植物群落物种多样性模式的理解。同时,环境DNA技术克服传统根系研究方法中需要洗根、分根、只能测定单物种根系的局限,降低根系研究中细根区分的误差,并探索性地用于细根生物量的研究。主要综述了基于环境DNA技术的分子生物学方法在土壤微生物多样性及功能、土壤动物多样性、地下植物多样性及根系生态等地下生态过程研究中的应用进展。环境DNA技术对于以土壤微生物、土壤动物及地下植物根系为主体的地下生态学过程的研究具有革命性意义,并展现出良好的应用前景。可以预期,分子生物学技术与传统的生态学研究相结合将成为未来地下生态学研究的一个发展趋势。     

土壤微生物生物地理学研究进展

生物地理学是研究生物（包括种群、群落等不同层次）地理分布格局及成因的一门交叉学科。微生物生物地理学的研究长期滞后于宏生物地理学。鉴于土壤微生物在调控生物地球化学过程和维持生态系统功能方面的重要作用,对其空间分布格局及形成机制的认识具有十分重要的理论和实际意义。随着分子生物学技术的发展,对微生物多样性的认知日益深入。越来越多的证据表明,土壤微生物群落结构和多样性具有一定的时空分布格局,从而对微生物全球性随机分布的传统观点提出了挑战。对当前土壤微生物生物地理学研究中的一些概念性问题,如微生物物种的定义、微生物多样性的定量测度、对微生物全球性随机分布的争论等,进行了系统评述;以微生物种-面积关系和距离-衰减关系为例对当前最新的土壤微生物生物地理学研究成果进行总结,并初步探讨了土壤微生物群落的地带性分布问题;在传统生物地理学理论的指导下,提出了一个可用于验证土壤微生物空间分布格局形成和机制维持的简单研究框架。这些对今后土壤微生物生物地理学的研究有一定借鉴和指导意义。     

施肥和杂草多样性对土壤微生物群落的影响

常年使用化肥和除草剂以及农业新技术的高投入,使我国粮食主产区耕地出现了生产力降低、土壤生物多样性失调和污染严重等生态问题。采用磷脂脂肪酸(PLFA)方法来评估施肥和杂草多样性对冬小麦土壤微生物群落结构的影响。实验采用裂区实验设计,施肥作为主因素,杂草多样性作为次因素。化肥和有机肥两个施肥处理,在两个施肥处理中进行杂草多样性设置,实验盆中心种植作物(冬小麦8株),四周种植杂草(8株),杂草种类选择野燕麦、苜蓿、菊苣、播娘蒿。杂草多样性处理设为0、1、2、4种杂草处理,0种杂草处理仅种植作物,有6盆;1种杂草处理为每盆种1种杂草,有12盆;2种杂草处理为每盆种两种杂草,有12盆;4种杂草处理为每盆种4种杂草,有6盆。结果表明:在两种施肥处理中,增加杂草多样性显著增加了土壤碳氮比和p H值,碳氮比都是在4种杂草处理中最高。施化肥处理中,增加杂草多样性显著影响真菌和细菌比,真菌和细菌比在4种杂草处理中最大,显著高于0、1、2种杂草处理。在施有机肥处理中,增加杂草多样性显著影响阳性菌和阴性菌比,阳性菌和阴性菌比在0种杂草处理中最低,显著低于1、2、4种杂草处理。在两个施肥处理中,土壤碳氮比与各类群微生物量显著相关,杂草多样性通过改变土壤碳氮比改变微生物群落构成,并且微生物群落结构转变方式不同。     

Environmental conditions influence the plant functional diversity effect on potential denitrification

Global biodiversity loss has prompted research on the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning. Few studies have examined how plant diversity impacts belowground processes; even fewer have examined how varying resource levels can influence the effect of plant diversity on microbial activity. In a field experiment in a restored wetland, we examined the role of plant trait diversity (or functional diversity, (FD)) and its interactions with natural levels of variability of soil properties, on a microbial process, denitrification potential (DNP). We demonstrated that FD significantly affected microbial DNP through its interactions with soil conditions; increasing FD led to increased DNP but mainly at higher levels of soil resources. Our results suggest that the effect of species diversity on ecosystem functioning may depend on environmental factors such as resource availability. Future biodiversity experiments should examine how natural levels of environmental variability impact the importance of biodiversity to ecosystem functioning.     

Identifying qualitative effects of different grazing types on below‐ground communities and function in a long‐term field experiment

Herbivory is an important modulator of plant biodiversity and productivity in grasslands, but our understanding of herbivore‐induced changes on below‐ground processes and communities is limited. Using a long‐term (17 years) experimental site, we evaluated impacts of rabbit and invertebrate grazers on some soil functions involved in carbon cycling, microbial diversity, structure and functional composition. Both rabbit and invertebrate grazing impacted soil functions and microbial community structure. All functional community measures (functions, biogeochemical cycling genes, network association between different taxa) were more strongly affected by invertebrate grazers than rabbits. Furthermore, our results suggest that exclusion of invertebrate grazers decreases both microbial biomass and abundance of genes associated with key biogeochemical cycles, and could thus have long‐term consequences for ecosystem functions. The mechanism behind these impacts are likely to be driven by both direct effects of grazing altering the pattern of nutrient inputs and by indirect effects through changes in plant species composition. However, we could not entirely discount that the pesticide used to exclude invertebrates may have affected some microbial community measures. Nevertheless, our work illustrates that human activity that affects grazing intensity may affect ecosystem functioning and sustainability, as regulated by multi‐trophic interactions between above‐ and below‐ground communities.     

Microbial community succession and bacterial diversity in soils during 77,000 years of ecosystem development

The origins of the biological complexity and the factors that regulate the development of community composition, diversity and richness in soil remain largely unknown. To gain a better understanding of how bacterial communities change during soil ecosystem development, their composition and diversity in soils that developed over c. 77 000 years of intermittent aeolian deposition were studied. 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analyses were used to assess the diversity and composition of the communities. The bacterial community composition changed with soil age, and the overall diversity, richness and evenness of the communities increased as the soil habitat matured. When analysed using a multivariate Bray-Curtis ordination technique, the distribution of ribotypes showed an orderly pattern of bacterial community development that was clearly associated with soil and ecosystem development. Similarly, changes in the composition of the FAMEs across the chronosequence were associated with biomarkers for fungi, actinomycetes and Gram-positive bacteria. The development of the soil ecosystem promoted the development of distinctive microbial communities that were reminiscent of successional processes often evoked to describe change during the development of plant communities in terrestrial ecosystems.     

Effect of warming and drought on grassland microbial communities

The soil microbiome is responsible for mediating key ecological processes; however, little is known about its sensitivity to climate change. Observed increases in global temperatures and alteration to rainfall patterns, due to anthropogenic release of greenhouse gases, will likely have a strong influence on soil microbial communities and ultimately the ecosystem services they provide. Therefore, it is vital to understand how soil microbial communities will respond to future climate change scenarios. To this end, we surveyed the abundance, diversity and structure of microbial communities over a 2-year period from a long-term in situ warming experiment that experienced a moderate natural drought. We found the warming treatment and soil water budgets strongly influence bacterial population size and diversity. In normal precipitation years, the warming treatment significantly increased microbial population size 40–150% but decreased diversity and significantly changed the composition of the community when compared with the unwarmed controls. However during drought conditions, the warming treatment significantly reduced soil moisture thereby creating unfavorable growth conditions that led to a 50–80% reduction in the microbial population size when compared with the control. Warmed plots also saw an increase in species richness, diversity and evenness; however, community composition was unaffected suggesting that few phylotypes may be active under these stressful conditions. Our results indicate that under warmed conditions, ecosystem water budget regulates the abundance and diversity of microbial populations and that rainfall timing is critical at the onset of drought for sustaining microbial populations.     

森林母土异地迁播后的土壤真菌和细菌变化

【背景】森林土壤中携带了大量种子和微生物,已经被广泛用于各种退化生态系统的植被恢复。但是,关于土壤迁播到退化生态系统后的真菌和细菌群落变化研究较少。【目的】研究土壤迁播后真菌和细菌的组成和多样性,比对其与森林母土和受体土壤之间的物种组成与群落差异。【方法】通过Illumina HiSeq高通量测序,获取迁播15个月的土壤、森林母土及受体土壤中真菌和细菌特征值,比对其多样性和丰富度。【结果】3类样地真菌优势菌门为担子菌门和子囊菌门,细菌优势菌门为酸杆菌门、变形菌门、放线菌门和绿弯菌门,土壤迁播后显著改变了真菌和细菌优势菌门的相对丰度。主成分分析表明3类样地真菌和细菌群落组成存在显著差异。聚类分析表明迁播土壤与受体土壤聚类距离更近,物种组成更相似,真菌和细菌优势属与受体土壤无显著差异。迁播土壤的真菌和细菌丰富度和多样性与森林母土差异显著(P0.05)。【结论】森林土壤迁播15月后,其细菌和真菌物种组成逐步趋同于受体土壤。该结果为进一步研究石漠化微生物生态系统、改善和提升土壤迁播技术提供支撑。     

A potential novel source of information for screening and monitoring the impact of exotic plants on ecosystems

Exotic invasive species often affect the pools and fluxes of carbon, nutrient elements, and energy, but there are few sources of information that permit these effects to be anticipated. Some plant traits, such as growth rates and tissue nutrient content, are known to influence the ecosystem process, but information about these traits is often not available. I propose that plant secondary chemistry may be a useful trait for assessing the likelihood of ecosystem (and community) impacts. Information about such traits is readily available from several sources, rendering it a good candidate for screening and monitoring programs. Plant secondary chemicals affect a variety of ecosystem processes, largely through their direct and indirect impacts on soil microbial community composition and function. They also have well-known effects on human physiology, as evidenced in the numerous plant-derived bioactive compounds used for their medicinal and other physiological effects. There is a large amount of information available about plant secondary chemistry due to its role in herbal medicine, dietary supplements and the emerging field of nutraceuticals. This information includes databases and traditional texts in ethnobotany, plant chemistry, and alternative medicine. I review evidence that secondary compounds are widespread in invasive species and affect soil microbial communities and microbially-mediated ecosystem processes. Invasion ecology may profit from collaborations with a novel group of scientists, including those in ethnobotany, nutraceuticals, plant chemistry and alternative medicine.     

间作栽培对连作马铃薯根际土壤微生物群落的影响

连作严重影响了作物的产量和品质,而土壤微生物群落结构与功能对土壤生态系统和植物健康至关重要。以连作10a土壤为基质,单作马铃薯为对照,采用磷脂脂肪酸(Phospholipid fatty acids)、BIOLOGA技术和真菌形态学鉴定方法,研究了玉米、蚕豆与马铃薯间作模式下土壤微生物群落结构、功能和丛植菌根(Arbuscular Mycorrhizal)真菌对土壤环境变化的响应。结果表明:间作调控下,马铃薯根际土壤微生物主要类群结构发生显著改变;玉米间作马铃薯,土壤微生物群落总生物量降低,但群落功能多样性提高,促进了以羧酸类、多聚化合物、芳香类化合物、氨基酸类化合物为碳源的微生物类群代谢活性增强;蚕豆间作增加了土壤微生物总生物量,仅促进了以碳水化合物为碳源的微生物类群代谢活性。间作改变了作物根际土壤AM真菌的种、属数,AM真菌多样性降低,优势种由明球囊霉、地球囊霉转变为玉米间作体系里的福摩萨球囊霉、球泡球囊霉;蚕豆间作体系里福摩萨球囊霉和疣状无梗囊霉是优势种。间作栽培下AM真菌优势种群的变化可能受植物间的共生关系、微生物结构与功能等因素的制约。间作条件下,玉米显著影响了马铃薯根际土壤微生物群落功能多样性,而蚕豆则显著改变了微生物群落结构多样性;玉米、蚕豆对马铃薯根际土壤微生物群落功能与结构变化的影响不同步;间作调控后持续的土壤微生物群落结构与功能观察才有助于解释土壤微生物结构变化引起的功能响应。     

Biogeography and ecological diversity patterns of rare and abundant bacteria in oil‐contaminated soils

Revealing the biogeographies and ecologies of rare and abundant microorganisms is crucial to understand ecosystem diversity and function. In this study, we investigated the biogeographic assemblies and ecological diversity patterns of rare and abundant bacteria in long‐term oil‐contaminated soils at intervals of 46–360 km by performing high‐throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. The results clearly revealed distinct distribution patterns for rare and abundant bacteria in soil samples. Rare taxa were unevenly distributed; however, abundant taxa were ubiquitous across all samples. Both rare and abundant subcommunities showed significant distance–decay relationships, and their assemblies were driven by different factors. The rare subcommunity primarily exhibited a spatially structured distribution (i.e., stochastic processes), while edaphic factors (i.e., deterministic processes) largely contributed to the structure of the abundant subcommunity. A network analysis revealed closer relationships between abundant bacteria and their heightened influence on other co‐occurrences in the community compared with rare species. In conclusion, rare microbial taxa may play potential roles in maintaining ecosystem diversity, although they do not appear to be central to microbial networks. Abundant microbes are vital for microbial co‐occurrences in oil‐contaminated soils, and high relative abundance and ubiquitous distribution suggest potential roles in the degradation of organic pollutants.     

Differentiating between effects of invasion and diversity: impacts of aboveground plant communities on belowground fungal communities

Exotic plant species can affect soil microbial communities with the potential for community and ecosystem feedbacks. Yet, separating the effects of exotics from confounded changes in plant community diversity still remains a challenge. We focused on how plant diversity and native or exotic life history affected root fungi because of their significant roles in community and ecosystem processes. Specifically, we examined how fungi colonizing plant roots were affected by plant richness (one, two or four species) replicated across a range of plant community mixtures (natives, exotics, native-exotic mixtures). Fungal biomass inside roots was affected independently by plant richness and mixture, while root fungal community composition was affected only by plant richness. Extraradical networks also increased in size with plant richness. By contrast, plant biomass was a function of plant mixture, with natives consistently smaller than exotics and native-exotic mixtures intermediate. Plant invasions may have an impact on the belowground community primarily through their effects on diversity, at least in the short-term. Disentangling the effects of diversity and invasion on belowground microbial communities can help us to understand both the controllers of belowground resilience and mechanisms of successful colonization and spread of exotic plants.