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Fifteen years of climate change manipulations alter soil microbial communities in a subarctic heath ecosystem

Rinnan, Riikka LU ; Michelsen, A ; Bååth, Erland LU and Jonasson, S (2007) In Global Change Biology 13(1). p.28-39
Abstract
Soil microbial biomass in arctic heaths has been shown to be largely unaffected by treatments simulating climate change with temperature, nutrient and light manipulations. Here, we demonstrate that more than 10 years is needed for development of significant responses, and that changes in microbial biomass are accompanied with strong alterations in microbial community composition. In contrast to slight or nonsignificant responses after 5, 6 and 10 treatment years, 15 years of inorganic NPK fertilizer addition to a subarctic heath had strong effects on the microbial community and, as observed for the first time, warming and shading also led to significant responses, often in opposite direction to the fertilization responses. The effects were... (More)
Soil microbial biomass in arctic heaths has been shown to be largely unaffected by treatments simulating climate change with temperature, nutrient and light manipulations. Here, we demonstrate that more than 10 years is needed for development of significant responses, and that changes in microbial biomass are accompanied with strong alterations in microbial community composition. In contrast to slight or nonsignificant responses after 5, 6 and 10 treatment years, 15 years of inorganic NPK fertilizer addition to a subarctic heath had strong effects on the microbial community and, as observed for the first time, warming and shading also led to significant responses, often in opposite direction to the fertilization responses. The effects were clearer in the top 5 cm soil than at the 5-10 cm depth. Fertilization increased microbial biomass C and more than doubled microbial biomass P compared to the non-fertilized plots. However, it only increased microbial biomass N at the 5-10 cm depth. Fertilization increased fungal biomass and the relative abundance of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) markers of gram-positive bacteria. Warming and shading decreased the relative abundance of fungal PLFAs, and shading also altered the composition of the bacterial community. The long time lag in responses may be associated with indirect effects of the gradual changes in the plant biomass and community composition. The contrasting responses to warming and fertilization treatments show that results from fertilizer addition may not be similar to the effects of increased nutrient mineralization and availability following climatic warming. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Global Change Biology
volume
13
issue
1
pages
28 - 39
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000243403900003
  • scopus:33846239321
ISSN
1354-1013
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01263.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
55aa6150-f461-4b4c-a3ed-c3771ed0b7e3 (old id 167220)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:42:43
date last changed
2022-04-28 18:38:57
@article{55aa6150-f461-4b4c-a3ed-c3771ed0b7e3,
  abstract     = {{Soil microbial biomass in arctic heaths has been shown to be largely unaffected by treatments simulating climate change with temperature, nutrient and light manipulations. Here, we demonstrate that more than 10 years is needed for development of significant responses, and that changes in microbial biomass are accompanied with strong alterations in microbial community composition. In contrast to slight or nonsignificant responses after 5, 6 and 10 treatment years, 15 years of inorganic NPK fertilizer addition to a subarctic heath had strong effects on the microbial community and, as observed for the first time, warming and shading also led to significant responses, often in opposite direction to the fertilization responses. The effects were clearer in the top 5 cm soil than at the 5-10 cm depth. Fertilization increased microbial biomass C and more than doubled microbial biomass P compared to the non-fertilized plots. However, it only increased microbial biomass N at the 5-10 cm depth. Fertilization increased fungal biomass and the relative abundance of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) markers of gram-positive bacteria. Warming and shading decreased the relative abundance of fungal PLFAs, and shading also altered the composition of the bacterial community. The long time lag in responses may be associated with indirect effects of the gradual changes in the plant biomass and community composition. The contrasting responses to warming and fertilization treatments show that results from fertilizer addition may not be similar to the effects of increased nutrient mineralization and availability following climatic warming.}},
  author       = {{Rinnan, Riikka and Michelsen, A and Bååth, Erland and Jonasson, S}},
  issn         = {{1354-1013}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{28--39}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Global Change Biology}},
  title        = {{Fifteen years of climate change manipulations alter soil microbial communities in a subarctic heath ecosystem}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01263.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01263.x}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}