Suspended Sections Within Downed Deadwood Are Drier, Have Altered Decomposer Communities, and Slower Decomposition

Barrera-Bello, Ángela M.; Lucas, Jane M.; Gora, Evan M.

doi:10.1007/s10021-023-00874-w

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…The third cluster contained replicates from all of the remaining snags, which were located on raised hummocks. Taken together, these data support research from upland systems [ 37 , 83 ] indicating that microenvironmental conditions, either within decaying wood or the immediate surrounding, influence microbial community structure in deadwood stocks.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…However, if our stand was located in standing water, where waterlogging of woody tissues could lead to more extensive anoxic microsites within snags [ 82 ], microbial community structure could shift to favor methanogenesis over methanotrophy. Therefore, more research is needed to more fully resolve the abiotic factors that influence microbial community structure in standing deadwood stocks like snags [ 37 , 83 ], and thus control carbon dynamics [ 38 ] in ghost forest systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbial Communities in Standing Dead Trees in Ghost Forests are Largely Aerobic, Saprophytic, and Methanotrophic

Carmichael,

Martinez,

Bräuer

et al. 2024

Curr Microbiol

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Standing dead trees (snags) are recognized for their influence on methane (CH4) cycling in coastal wetlands, yet the biogeochemical processes that control the magnitude and direction of fluxes across the snag-atmosphere interface are not fully elucidated. Herein, we analyzed microbial communities and fluxes at one height from ten snags in a ghost forest wetland. Snag-atmosphere CH4 fluxes were highly variable (− 0.11–0.51 mg CH4 m−2 h−1). CH4 production was measured in three out of ten snags; whereas, CH4 consumption was measured in two out of ten snags. Potential CH4 production and oxidation in one core from each snag was assayed in vitro. A single core produced CH4 under anoxic and oxic conditions, at measured rates of 0.7 and 0.6 ng CH4 g−1 h−1, respectively. Four cores oxidized CH4 under oxic conditions, with an average rate of − 1.13 ± 0.31 ng CH4 g−1 h−1. Illumina sequencing of the V3/V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed diverse microbial communities and indicated oxidative decomposition of deadwood. Methanogens were present in 20% of the snags, with a mean relative abundance of < 0.0001%. Methanotrophs were identified in all snags, with a mean relative abundance of 2% and represented the sole CH4-cycling communities in 80% of the snags. These data indicate potential for microbial attenuation of CH4 emissions across the snag-atmosphere interface in ghost forests. A better understanding of the environmental drivers of snag-associated microbial communities is necessary to forecast the response of CH4 cycling in coastal ghost forest wetlands to a shifting coastal landscape.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Communities in Standing Dead Trees in Ghost Forests are Largely Aerobic, Saprophytic, and Methanotrophic

Carmichael,

Martinez,

Bräuer

et al. 2024

Curr Microbiol

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“…While it is clear that the assemblage of deadwood decomposer communities is variable through space and time, interactions between termites and microbes during this process are poorly understood (Ulyshen 2016). For example, as microbes are reliant on moisture, wood ground contact facilitates moisture transfer and thus microbial colonization from the soil, with suspended wood being drier, slower to decompose, and of different microbial composition compared to fallen deadwood (Barrera-Bello et al, 2023). However, Law et al (2019) found that termite, but not microbial, deadwood decomposition was vertically stratified, as termites decomposed more wood in contact with the ground.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why are trees hollow? Termites, microbes, and tree internal stem damage in a tropical savanna

Yatsko,

Wijas,

Calvert

et al. 2024

Preprint

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1. Wood plays a vital role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, serving as a significant carbon store that is then released back to the atmosphere during decomposition. Decomposition has largely been studied in fallen and standing deadwood; however, decomposition can occur within living trees via hollowing by wood-feeding termites and microbial heart rot. Internal stem damage is difficult to measure, leaving many unresolved knowledge gaps, such as the location and total amount of damage done by termites and microbes, as well as whether these decomposers act in concert or separately. Furthermore, tree species, wood density, and stem size can influence fallen deadwood decomposition, but their role in living tree internal damage is largely unknown. 2. We destructively harvested 39 trees to investigate the relative contributions of microbes and termites to internal stem damage in a tropical savanna in Queensland, Australia. We tested if damage changed at different heights in the tree, quantified tree-level termite and microbial damage, and examined if termite and microbial damage co-occurred. We also tested the influence of tree species, wood specific gravity and size on internal stem damage across four tree species.3. Termite and microbial damage was present in 45% and 33% of all trees, respectively. On average, termite damage reduced total tree biomass by 3.3% (maximum 28%, SD = 4.7%) and microbial damage by 1.8% (maximum 26%, SD = 5.3%). The amount of damage from both decomposers decreased with increasing heights up the tree. Termite and microbial damage co-occurrence was greater within trees than within cross sections, suggesting local competitive exclusion or niche partitioning. Species was a better predictor of damage than either wood specific gravity or tree size. 4. Half of the trees in our study had substantial internal stem damage, highlighting the considerable role that termites and microbes play in decomposing wood within living trees. Our findings unveil the concealed wood decomposition dynamics occurring inside trees, with implications for accurate carbon estimation across savanna ecosystems.

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Suspended Sections Within Downed Deadwood Are Drier, Have Altered Decomposer Communities, and Slower Decomposition

Cited by 2 publications

References 53 publications

Microbial Communities in Standing Dead Trees in Ghost Forests are Largely Aerobic, Saprophytic, and Methanotrophic

Microbial Communities in Standing Dead Trees in Ghost Forests are Largely Aerobic, Saprophytic, and Methanotrophic

Why are trees hollow? Termites, microbes, and tree internal stem damage in a tropical savanna

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