Site-Specific Microbial Decomposer Communities Do Not Imply Faster Decomposition: Results from a Litter Transplantation Experiment

Abstract

Microbes drive leaf litter decomposition, and their communities are adapted to the local vegetation providing that litter. However, whether these local microbial communities confer a significant home-field advantage in litter decomposition remains unclear, with contrasting results being published. Here, we focus on a litter transplantation experiment from oak forests (home site) to two away sites without oak in South Tyrol (Italy). We aimed to produce an in-depth analysis of the fungal and bacterial decomposer communities using Illumina sequencing and qPCR, to understand whether local adaptation occurs and whether this was associated with litter mass loss dynamics. Temporal shifts in the decomposer community occurred, reflecting changes in litter chemistry over time. Fungal community composition was site dependent, while bacterial composition did not differ across sites. Total litter mass loss and rates of litter decomposition did not change across sites. Litter quality influenced the microbial community through the availability of different carbon sources. Additively, our results do not support the hypothesis that locally adapted microbial decomposers lead to a greater or faster mass loss. It is likely that high functional redundancy within decomposer communities regulated the decomposition, and thus greater future research attention should be given to trophic guilds rather than taxonomic composition.

Unveiling the Microbiota Diversity of the Xerophyte Argania spinosa L. Skeels Root System and Residuesphere

“…On the opposite, Alphaproteobacteria dominated the Proteobacteria phylum in the soil and residuesphere fractions (Supplementary Table 1). The phylogenetic affiliation of OTU 97 in the residuesphere, with a prevalence of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, resembles that recently reported for the litter of different tree species [70]. Proteobacteria classes in the residuesphere niche can change in relative abundance during the decomposition process, providing indirect indications on the chemical composition shift of the substrate [64].…”

I Like the Way You Eat It: Lemur (Indri indri) Gut Mycobiome and Geophagy

“…2 Venn diagram showing the number and percentage of shared fungal OTUs between geophagic soils and indri. OTUs were defined by 97% sequence similarity several secondary metabolites that play a crucial role in the initial destruction of complex organic compounds [58,59]. Nevertheless, saprotrophic fungi could have a beneficial role in the production of enzymes necessary for the neutralisation of toxic compounds derived from the diet [60].…”

Soil Bacterial and Fungal Richness Forecast Patterns of Early Pine Litter Decomposition

“…Eurotiales , Nocardioidaceae , Hyphomicrobiaceae , Caulobacteraceae , and Methylobacteriaceae were strongly linked to the DOC cohorts based on their consistent, significant differences in relative abundance between cohorts in samples from the original soils and day 44 microcosms ( Figure 4 ). Members of these taxonomic groups are early to mid-stage decomposers of plant litter as well as fungal necromass ( Baldrian et al, 2012 ; Matulich et al, 2015 ; Brabcová et al, 2016 ; Kielak et al, 2016 ; Purahong et al, 2016 ; Bonanomi et al, 2018 ; Bani et al, 2019 ; Sauvadet et al, 2019 ; Wilhelm et al, 2019 ; Kong et al, 2020 ). The groups represent a mix of generalists ( Eurotiales , Nocardioidaceae ) and specialists with noteworthy physiological characteristics ( Hyphomicrobiaceae , Caulobacteraceae , and Methylobacteriaceae ).…”