Quantifying potential abiotic drivers of the ‘nurse-plant effect’ in two dominant shrub species of the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Ferrenberg, Scott; Faist, Akasha M.; Osborne, Brooke; Lee, Steven R.

doi:10.1101/2023.11.16.567462

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 53 publications

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“…In the context of our study, the presence of woody vegetation in burned areas likely reflects the natural heterogeneity in fire effects across study sites and transects, impacting local vegetation community structure and the average age/size of shrubs. This aligns with findings in the Chihuahuan Desert, where nurse plant effects depend on shrub size and species, emphasizing the role of both floristic composition and disturbance regimes in shaping the plant diversity of arid systems (Ferrenberg et al, 2023).…”

Section: Disturbance and Changes In Native Plant Species Diversitysupporting

confidence: 87%

Homogenization of soil seed bank communities by fire and invasive species in the Mojave Desert

Lee,

Klinger,

Brooks

et al. 2024

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Soil seed banks help maintain species diversity through temporal storage effects and function as germination pools that can optimize fitness across varying environmental conditions. These characteristics promote the persistence of native plant communities, yet disturbances such as fire and associated invasions by non-native species can disrupt these reserves, fundamentally altering successional trajectories. This may be particularly true in deserts, where native plant communities are less adapted to fire. While studies of fire effects on desert plant communities are not uncommon, information regarding the short- and long-term effects of fire on seed banks is less available. To better understand the influence of fire and invasive species on desert seed banks, we investigated soil seed bank biodiversity from 30 wildfires that burned between 1972 and 2010 across the Mojave Desert ecoregion of North America. We assessed how characteristics of fire regimes (frequency, time since fire, and burn severity) interacted with climate and invasive plants on measures of α-, β-, and γ-diversities. Because β-diversity is a direct measure of community variability and reveals important information about biodiversity loss, we further examined the nestedness and turnover components of β-diversity. Mean α- and γ-diversities were generally higher for burned locations than in unburned reference sites, however individual fire variables had little influence on patterns of seed bank diversity. Burned area seed banks tended to be dominated by non-native invasive species, primarily two grasses, (Bromus rubens, Bromus tectorum), as well as an invasive forb (Erodium cicutarium). The most striking pattern we observed was a collective sharp decline in α-, β-, and γ-diversities with increased invasive species dominance, indicating the homogenization of seed bank communities with the colonization of invasive species after fire. Evidence of homogenization was further supported by reduced turnover and increased nestedness in burn areas compared to reference areas indicating potential biodiversity loss. Our findings highlight how biological processes such as plant invasions can combine with disturbance from fire to alter patterns of seed bank composition and diversity in desert ecosystems.

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Section: Disturbance and Changes In Native Plant Species Diversitysupporting

confidence: 87%

Homogenization of soil seed bank communities by fire and invasive species in the Mojave Desert

Lee,

Klinger,

Brooks

et al. 2024

Front. Ecol. Evol.

Self Cite

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Effects of global change drivers on the expression of pathogenicity and stress genes in dryland soil fungi

Romero-Olivares,

Lopez,

Catalan-Dibene

et al. 2024

mSphere

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The impacts of global climate change on dryland fungi have been understudied even though fungi are extremely sensitive to changes in the environment. Considering that many fungi are pathogens of plants and animals, including humans, their responses to anthropogenic change could have important implications for public health and food security. In this study, we investigated the potential physiological responses (i.e., metatranscriptomics) of pathogenicity and stress in dryland fungi exposed to global change drivers, drought, and the physical disturbance associated with land use. Specifically, we wanted to assess if there was an increase in the transcription of genes associated to pathogenicity and stress in response to global change drivers. In addition, we wanted to investigate which pathogenicity and stress genes were consistently differentially expressed under the different global change conditions across the heterogeneous landscape (i.e., microsite) of the Chihuahuan desert. We observed increased transcription of pathogenicity and stress genes, with specific genes being most upregulated in response to global change drivers. Additionally, climatic conditions linked to different microsites, such as those found under patches of vegetation, may play a significant role. We provide evidence supporting the idea that environmental stress caused by global change could contribute to an increase of pathogenicity as global climate changes. Specifically, increases in the transcription of stress and virulence genes, coupled with variations in gene expression, could lead to the onset of pathogenicity. Our work underscores the importance of studying dryland fungi exposed to global climate change and increases in existing fungal pathogens, as well as the emergence of new fungal pathogens, and consequences to public health and food security. IMPORTANCE The effects of global climate change on dryland fungi and consequences to our society have been understudied despite evidence showing that pathogenic fungi increase in abundance under global climate change. Moreover, there is a growing concern that global climate change will contribute to the emergence of new fungal pathogens. Yet, we do not understand what mechanisms might be driving this increase in virulence and the onset of pathogenicity. In this study, we investigate how fungi respond to global change drivers, physical disturbance, and drought, in a dryland ecosystem in terms of pathogenicity and stress. We find that indeed, under global change drivers, there is an increase in the transcription and expression of genes associated to pathogenicity and stress, but that microclimatic conditions matter. Our study shows the importance of investigating dryland fungi exposed to global climate change and impacts on our society, which may include threats to public health and food security.

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Quantifying potential abiotic drivers of the ‘nurse-plant effect’ in two dominant shrub species of the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Cited by 2 publications

References 53 publications

Homogenization of soil seed bank communities by fire and invasive species in the Mojave Desert

Homogenization of soil seed bank communities by fire and invasive species in the Mojave Desert

Effects of global change drivers on the expression of pathogenicity and stress genes in dryland soil fungi

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