Organic matter quantity and source affects microbial community structure and function following volcanic eruption on K asatochi I sland, A laska
Summary In A ugust 2008, K asatochi volcano erupted and buried a small island in pyroclastic deposits and fine ash; since then, microbes, plants and birds have begun to re‐colonize the initially sterile surface. Five years post‐eruption, bacterial 16S r RNA gene and fungal internal transcribed space...
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Published in | Environmental microbiology Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 146 - 158 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
01.01.2016
|
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Summary
In
A
ugust 2008,
K
asatochi volcano erupted and buried a small island in pyroclastic deposits and fine ash; since then, microbes, plants and birds have begun to re‐colonize the initially sterile surface. Five years post‐eruption, bacterial 16S r
RNA
gene and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) copy numbers and extracellular enzyme activity (
EEA
) potentials were one to two orders of magnitude greater in pyroclastic materials with organic matter (
OM
) inputs relative to those without, despite minimal accumulation of
OM
(< 0.2%
C
). When normalized by
OM
levels, post‐eruptive surfaces with
OM
inputs had the highest β‐glucosidase, phosphatase, NAGase and cellobiohydrolase activities, and had microbial population sizes approaching those in reference soils. In contrast, the strongest factor determining bacterial community composition was the dominance of plants versus birds as
OM
input vectors. Although soil
pH
ranged from 3.9 to 7.0, and %
C
ranged 100×, differentiation between plant‐ and bird‐associated microbial communities suggested that cell dispersal or nutrient availability are more likely drivers of assembly than
pH
or
OM
content. This study exemplifies the complex relationship between microbial cell dispersal, soil geochemistry, and microbial structure and function; and illustrates the potential for soil microbiota to be resilient to disturbance. |
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ISSN: | 1462-2912 1462-2920 |
DOI: | 10.1111/1462-2920.12924 |