Taxonomical and functional responses of microbial communities from forest soils of differing tree species diversity to drying-rewetting cycles

• Published in: Pedobiologia Vol. 97-98; p. 150875
• Main Authors: Gillespie, Lauren M., Prada-Salcedo, Luis Daniel, Shihan, Ammar, Fromin, Nathalie, Goldmann, Kezia, Milcu, Alexandru, Buscot, François, Buatois, Bruno, Hättenschwiler, Stephan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 01.06.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agricultural sciences; Biodiversity and Ecology; Community level physiological profiles; Drought; Environmental Sciences; European forests; Life Sciences; Microbiology and Parasitology; Silviculture, forestry; Soil microorganism functional and taxonomic diversity; Soil water availability; Soil microorganism functional and taxonomic diversity; Community level physiological profiles; Drought; European forests; Soil water availability
• ISSN: 0031-4056; 1873-1511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pedobi.2023.150875

The predicted increases in drought in many forest ecosystems may alter soil microbial community diversity and activity, which may further depend on tree species richness. Shifts in microbial community composition and activity could engender changes in ecosystem function, notably, in soil greenhouse gas emissions and C storage. Using soils from mono-specific and mixed three-species forest stands from across Europe, we performed a microcosm experiment to test how soil microbial taxonomic and catabolic diversity are affected by repeated drying-rewetting (DRW) cycles and tree species mixing. We used Illumina sequencing and MicroResp™ analyses to explore community-level changes between microbial functional groups. DRW decreased bacterial richness and carbon substrate use diversity and increased fungal Shannon diversity. Additionally, microbial communities exposed to DRW changed their consumption of 11 out of 15 substrates significantly, suggesting microbial functional shifts. The legacy effect of tree species mixing influenced the structure of the microbial communities (i.e. taxonomic differential abundance) although, community weighted mean (CWM) values of absorptive root traits appeared to affect more strongly microbial richness, relative abundance, and Shannon diversity. No significant tree species mixing:DRW interaction was found for most microbial variables, except for the use of certain substrates and potentially differential abundance. Our data from a laboratory experiment with soils from different forest ecosystems underline that drought may cause shifts in microbial taxonomic and catabolic diversity, while tree species influences primarily taxonomic diversity through root traits. •Drying-rewetting decreased bacterial richness and increased fungal Shannon diversity.•Drying-rewetting changed microbial consumption of certain substrates considerably.•Tree species mixing legacy effects influenced taxonomic differential abundance.•Root trait legacy affected microbial richness, abundance, and diversity.•Tree species mixing:drying-rewetting interaction not generally found.