Temperature responses of carbon monoxide and hydrogen uptake by vegetated and unvegetated volcanic cinders

Abstract

Ecosystem succession on a large deposit of volcanic cinders emplaced on Kilauea Volcano in 1959 has resulted in a mosaic of closed-canopy forested patches and contiguous unvegetated patches. Unvegetated and unshaded surface cinders (Bare) experience substantial diurnal temperature oscillations ranging from moderate (16 1C) to extreme (55 1C) conditions. The surface material of adjacent vegetated patches (Canopy) experiences much smaller fluctuations (14-25 1C) due to shading. To determine whether surface material from these sites showed adaptations by carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H 2 ) consumption to changes in ambient temperature regimes accompanying succession, we measured responses of CO and H 2 uptake to short-term variations in temperature and long-term incubations at elevated temperature. Based on its broader temperature optimum and lower activation energy, Canopy H 2 uptake was less sensitive than Bare H 2 uptake to temperature changes. In contrast, Bare and Canopy CO uptake responded similarly to temperature during short-term incubations, indicating no differences in temperature sensitivity. However, during extended incubations at 55 1C, CO uptake increased for Canopy but not Bare material, which indicated that the former was capable of thermal adaptation. H 2 uptake for material from both sites was completely inhibited at 55 1C throughout extended incubations. These results indicated that plant development during succession did not elicit differences in short-term temperature responses for Bare and Canopy CO uptake, in spite of previously reported differences in CO oxidizer community composition, and differences in average daily and extreme temperatures. Differences associated with vegetation due to succession did, however, lead to a notable capacity for thermophilic CO uptake by Canopy but not Bare material.

Microbial community structure and functional potential of lava-formed Gotjawal soils in Jeju, Korea

“…Studies on existing volcanic systems have focused on microbial distribution and function in relation to lava flows, their ages and plant or ecosystem development (for review see[ 2 ]). The microbial diversity of volcanic deposits is poorly characterized, but several studies have shown that lava weathering partially regulates rates of nitrogen fixation in young Mauna Loa ecosystems (Hawai`i) [ 9 ], and is accompanied by changes in carbon monoxide oxidizer diversity during succession on recent volcanic deposits at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i[ 10 ].…”

Meta-scale mountain grassland observatories uncover commonalities as well as specific interactions among plant and non-rhizosphere soil bacterial communities

“…The ecological importance of this bacteria family in the grasslands dominated by the Nardion alliance is unknown. The few known Ktedonobacteria have been shown to prevail in such places as oligotrophic 44 and thermophilic 45 environments, and have been associated with carbon monoxide oxidation 46 . The family has recently been discovered further in the rhizosphere of Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) grasses 19 , and is worthwhile investigating further.…”

Pyrosequencing analysis of a bacterial community associated with lava‐formed soil from the Gotjawal forest in Jeju, Korea

“…; King and Weber ; Nacke et al. ; King and King ); Mauna Loa, Hawaii (Crews et al. ); Miyake Island, Japan (Ohta et al.…”

“…Microbial communities associated with volcanoes have been studied in the lava flow soils, rocks, and/or glass found at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii (King 2003;Dunfield and King 2004;Nanba et al 2004;Gomez-Alvarez et al 2007;King and Weber 2008;Nacke et al 2011;King and King 2012); Mauna Loa, Hawaii (Crews et al 2001); Miyake Island, Japan (Ohta et al 2003); Llaima volcano, Chile (Hernandez et al 2014); and Mt. Hekla, Iceland (Kelly et al 2010).…”