Rhizosphere stoichiometry: are C : N : P ratios of plants, soils, and enzymes conserved at the plant species‐level?

Bell, Colin W.; Carrillo, Yolima; Boot, Claudia M.; Rocca, Jennifer D.; Pendall, Elise; Wallenstein, Matthew D.

doi:10.1111/nph.12531

Cited by 207 publications

(131 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Echidna pits had the greatest levels of four soil enzyme functions associated with the processing, stabilization and destabilization of soil organic matter and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems (Bell et al . ). Construction of foraging pits by echidnas therefore increases overall nutrient demand by soil micro‐organisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Mammalian engineers drive soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions across a disturbance gradient

Eldridge

Delgado‐Baquerizo

Woodhouse

et al. 2016

Journal of Animal Ecology

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The effects of mammalian ecosystem engineers on soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions in terrestrial ecosystems are poorly known. Disturbance from livestock has been widely reported to reduce soil function, but disturbance by animals that forage in the soil may partially offset these negative effects of livestock, directly and/or indirectly by shifting the composition and diversity of soil microbial communities. Understanding the role of disturbance from livestock and ecosystem engineers in driving soil microbes and functions is essential for formulating sustainable ecosystem management and conservation policies. We compared soil bacterial community composition and enzyme concentrations within four microsites: foraging pits of two vertebrates, the indigenous short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and the exotic European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and surface and subsurface soils along a gradient in grazing-induced disturbance in an arid woodland. Microbial community composition varied little across the disturbance gradient, but there were substantial differences among the four microsites. Echidna pits supported a lower relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Cyanobacteria, but a higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria than rabbit pits and surface microsites. Moreover, these microsite differences varied with disturbance. Rabbit pits had a similar profile to the subsoil or the surface soils under moderate and high, but not low disturbance. Overall, echidna foraging pits had the greatest positive effect on function, assessed as mean enzyme concentrations, but rabbits had the least. The positive effects of echidna foraging on function were indirectly driven via microbial community composition. In particular, increasing activity was positively associated with increasing relative abundance of Proteobacteria, but decreasing Acidobacteria. Our study suggests that soil disturbance by animals may offset, to some degree, the oft-reported negative effects of grazing-induced disturbance on soil function. Further, our results suggest that most of this effect will be derived from echidnas, with little positive effects due to rabbits. Activities that enhance the habitat for echidnas or reduce rabbit populations are likely to have a positive effect on soil function in these systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…N ‐acetyl‐ d ‐glucosamine and cellobiosidase activities were measured by fluorometry using 2·75 g of soil, as described in Bell et al . ().…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Mammalian engineers drive soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions across a disturbance gradient

Eldridge

Delgado‐Baquerizo

Woodhouse

et al. 2016

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…S1). In addition, the stoichiometry of plants could have a strong effect on the belowground soil properties (Bell et al, 2014). The nutrient content in thalli thus may have played a role when controlling the resistance of belowground N cycling to the N addition and altered rainfall frequencies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species identity of biocrust-forming lichens drives the response of soil nitrogen cycle to altered precipitation frequency and nitrogen amendment

Liu

Delgado‐Baquerizo

Trivedi

et al. 2016

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

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a b s t r a c tBiological soil crusts (biocrusts) are fundamental components of drylands worldwide, and are of great importance for the regulation of ecosystem functioning. However, little is known on the role of species identify of biocrust-forming lichens in mediating the response of nitrogen (N) cycling to concurring global environmental change. Here, we conducted a microcosm study to evaluate how the species identity of biocrust-forming lichens (Diploschistes thunbergianus, Psora crystallifera and Xanthoparmelia reptans) regulate key processes of N cycling in response to simulated changes in rainfall frequency and N addition. We explicitly considered both direct and indirect effects (i.e. driven via microbial diversity and abundance) of global changes on N availability and losses using structural equation models. Our results showed that species of biocrust-forming lichens differentially mediated effects of N amendment and altered rainfall frequencies on belowground nitrate availability and N 2 O flux rate. For instance, soils under P. crystallifera species showed the highest increase in nitrate content in response to N amendment under low rainfall frequency. Moreover, soils under D. thunbergianus showed the highest N 2 O flux under high rainfall frequency without N addition. Interestingly, soils under X. reptans showed lowest and highest resistance in nitrate availability and N 2 O flux, respectively, in response to N addition regardless of different rainfall frequencies. Strikingly, we only found an indirect impact of either rainfall frequency or N amendment on the nitrate availability (but not N 2 O flux) driven via the ammonia-oxidizing community under X. reptans. Our results provide evidence that the species identity of biocrust-forming lichens modulates the response of N cycling to global change drivers. These findings have implications for predicting the potential consequence of altered rainfall patterns and environmental N inputs in dryland ecosystems.

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“…We selected these variables because they have been shown to be good proxies of nutrient cycling, biological productivity, and buildup of nutrient pools. For example, phosphatase is related to the release of inorganic P from organic matter, and β-glucosidase supports sugar degradation (Bell et al 2014). Taken together, they are strong indicators of multiple functions and services provided by shrublands (see Maestre et al 2012;Wagg et al 2014;Delgado-Baquerizo et al 2015).…”

Section: Measurements Of Individual Ecosystems Functions and Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotic communities cannot mitigate the negative effects of grazing on multiple ecosystem functions and services in an arid shrubland

2015

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Aims Dryland biotic communities (plants and biocrusts) ar e k no w n t o m a int ain m u l t i p l e f u n c t i o n s (multifunctionality) and services (multiservices) that decline with overgrazing by domestic livestock. Here, we evaluate the role of biotic communities in controlling the responses of multiple functions and services to grazing in an arid shrubland. Methods We compared nine ecosystem functions and services associated with carbon and nitrogen cycling, and water infiltration at grazed and ungrazed sites in eastern Australia. We hypothesized that overgrazing would reduce individual functions, but that effects on multifunctionality and multiservices would be tempered by shrubs, vascular plants and biocrusts. Results Grazing reduced biocrust cover, soil phosphatase, β-glucosidase and potential mineralization, but not plant richness, soil respiration, infiltration measures nor dissolved inorganic N. In our models, grazing had the largest and most negative effects on multifunctionality and multiservices. Structural equation modelling showed that grazing reduced biocrust cover. Unlike the univariate analyses, grazing reduced plant cover and suppressed any positive effect of these biotic communities on multifunctionality and multiservices. Conclusions Our results suggest that any positive buffering by plant richness, shrubs and plant cover on multifunctions or multiservices will not offset the negative effects of grazing. Strategies to improve functionality of arid shrublands should focus on the management of total grazing pressure.

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Rhizosphere stoichiometry: are C : N : P ratios of plants, soils, and enzymes conserved at the plant species‐level?

Cited by 207 publications

References 96 publications

Mammalian engineers drive soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions across a disturbance gradient

Mammalian engineers drive soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions across a disturbance gradient

Species identity of biocrust-forming lichens drives the response of soil nitrogen cycle to altered precipitation frequency and nitrogen amendment

Biotic communities cannot mitigate the negative effects of grazing on multiple ecosystem functions and services in an arid shrubland

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