Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1111/1758-2229.13211
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Prolonged water limitation shifts the soil microbiome from copiotrophic to oligotrophic lifestyles in Scots pine mesocosms
Author Jaeger, A.C.H.; Hartmann, M.; Conz, R.F.; Six, J.; Solly, E.F.
Source Titel Environmental Microbiology Reports
Year 2024
Department CHS
Volume 16
Issue 1
Page From e13211
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements https://ami-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1111%2F1758-2229.13211&file=emi413211-sup-0001-supinfo.docx
Abstract Reductions in soil moisture due to prolonged episodes of drought can potentially affect whole forest ecosystems, including soil microorganisms and their functions. We investigated how the composition of soil microbial communities is affected by prolonged episodes of water limitation. In a mesocosm experiment with Scots pine saplings and natural forest soil maintained at different levels of soil water content over 2 years, we assessed shifts in prokaryotic and fungal communities and related these to changes in plant development and soil properties. Prolonged water limitation induced progressive changes in soil microbial community composition. The dissimilarity between prokaryotic communities at different levels of water limitation increased over time regardless of the recurrent seasons, while fungal communities were less affected by prolonged water limitation. Under low soil water contents, desiccation-tolerant groups outcompeted less adapted, and the lifestyle of prokaryotic taxa shifted from copiotrophic to oligotrophic. While the abundance of saprotrophic and ligninolytic groups increased alongside an accumulation of dead plant material, the abundance of symbiotic and nutrient-cycling taxa decreased, likely impairing the development of the trees. Overall, prolonged episodes of drought appeared to continuously alter the structure of microbial communities, pointing to a potential loss of critical functions provided by the soil microbiome.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=28300
Jaeger, A.C.H., Hartmann, M., Conz, R.F., Six, J., Solly, E.F. (2024):
Prolonged water limitation shifts the soil microbiome from copiotrophic to oligotrophic lifestyles in Scots pine mesocosms
Environ. Microbiol. Rep. 16 (1), e13211 10.1111/1758-2229.13211