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Temperature adaptation of bacterial growth and C-14-glucose mineralisation in a laboratory study

Birgander, Johanna LU ; Reischke, Stephanie LU ; Jones, Davey L. and Rousk, Johannes LU (2013) In Soil Biology & Biochemistry 65. p.294-303
Abstract
Microbial decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) is the source of most of the terrestrial carbon dioxide emission. Consequently, our ability to predict how climate warming will affect the global carbon (C) budget relies on our understanding of the temperature relationship and adaptability of microbial processes. We exposed soil microcosms to temperatures between 0 and 54 degrees C for 2 months. After this, bacterial growth (leucine incorporation) and functioning (C-14-glucose mineralisation) were estimated at 8 temperatures in the interval 0-54 degrees C to determine temperature relationships and apparent minimum (T-min) and optimum (T-opt) temperatures for growth and mineralisation. We predicted that incubation at temperatures above... (More)
Microbial decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) is the source of most of the terrestrial carbon dioxide emission. Consequently, our ability to predict how climate warming will affect the global carbon (C) budget relies on our understanding of the temperature relationship and adaptability of microbial processes. We exposed soil microcosms to temperatures between 0 and 54 degrees C for 2 months. After this, bacterial growth (leucine incorporation) and functioning (C-14-glucose mineralisation) were estimated at 8 temperatures in the interval 0-54 degrees C to determine temperature relationships and apparent minimum (T-min) and optimum (T-opt) temperatures for growth and mineralisation. We predicted that incubation at temperatures above the initial T-opt for bacteria would select for a warm-adapted community, i.e. a positive shift in T-min and T-opt for bacterial growth, and that this adaptation of the bacterial community would coincide with a similar shift also for their functioning. As anticipated, we found that exposure to temperatures below T-opt did not change the temperature relationship of bacterial growth or mineralisation. Interestingly, T-opt for glucose mineralisation was >20 degrees C higher than that for growth. For bacterial growth, the temperature relationship for the bacterial community was modulated when soils were incubated at temperature above their initial T-opt (approximate to 30 degrees C). This was shown by an increase in T-min of 0.8 degrees C for every 1 degrees C increase in soil temperature, evidencing a shift towards warm-adapted bacteria. Similarly, the Q-10 (15-25 degrees C) for bacterial growth increased at temperature higher than T-opt. We could not detect a corresponding temperature adaptation of the decomposer functioning. We discuss possible underlying reasons for the temperature-responses of bacterial processes. We note that a temperature adaptation will be rapid when exceeding the T-opt, which initially were >20 degrees C higher for glucose mineralisation than growth. This difference could suggest that different responses to warming exposure should be expected for these microbial processes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Glucose mineralisation, Respiration, Decomposition, Bacterial growth, Temperature adaptation, Acclimation, H-3-leucine incorporation, Anthropogenic global warming
in
Soil Biology & Biochemistry
volume
65
pages
294 - 303
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000323686800035
  • scopus:84879424803
ISSN
0038-0717
DOI
10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.06.006
project
Effect of environmental factors on fungal and bacterial growth in soil
Microbial carbon-use efficiency
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
469abbf2-e185-4fc3-afe2-1a2357a2082c (old id 4062697)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:19:26
date last changed
2022-01-27 18:35:23
@article{469abbf2-e185-4fc3-afe2-1a2357a2082c,
  abstract     = {{Microbial decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) is the source of most of the terrestrial carbon dioxide emission. Consequently, our ability to predict how climate warming will affect the global carbon (C) budget relies on our understanding of the temperature relationship and adaptability of microbial processes. We exposed soil microcosms to temperatures between 0 and 54 degrees C for 2 months. After this, bacterial growth (leucine incorporation) and functioning (C-14-glucose mineralisation) were estimated at 8 temperatures in the interval 0-54 degrees C to determine temperature relationships and apparent minimum (T-min) and optimum (T-opt) temperatures for growth and mineralisation. We predicted that incubation at temperatures above the initial T-opt for bacteria would select for a warm-adapted community, i.e. a positive shift in T-min and T-opt for bacterial growth, and that this adaptation of the bacterial community would coincide with a similar shift also for their functioning. As anticipated, we found that exposure to temperatures below T-opt did not change the temperature relationship of bacterial growth or mineralisation. Interestingly, T-opt for glucose mineralisation was >20 degrees C higher than that for growth. For bacterial growth, the temperature relationship for the bacterial community was modulated when soils were incubated at temperature above their initial T-opt (approximate to 30 degrees C). This was shown by an increase in T-min of 0.8 degrees C for every 1 degrees C increase in soil temperature, evidencing a shift towards warm-adapted bacteria. Similarly, the Q-10 (15-25 degrees C) for bacterial growth increased at temperature higher than T-opt. We could not detect a corresponding temperature adaptation of the decomposer functioning. We discuss possible underlying reasons for the temperature-responses of bacterial processes. We note that a temperature adaptation will be rapid when exceeding the T-opt, which initially were >20 degrees C higher for glucose mineralisation than growth. This difference could suggest that different responses to warming exposure should be expected for these microbial processes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Birgander, Johanna and Reischke, Stephanie and Jones, Davey L. and Rousk, Johannes}},
  issn         = {{0038-0717}},
  keywords     = {{Glucose mineralisation; Respiration; Decomposition; Bacterial growth; Temperature adaptation; Acclimation; H-3-leucine incorporation; Anthropogenic global warming}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{294--303}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Soil Biology & Biochemistry}},
  title        = {{Temperature adaptation of bacterial growth and C-14-glucose mineralisation in a laboratory study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.06.006}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.06.006}},
  volume       = {{65}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}