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Drying-Rewetting Cycles Affect Fungal and Bacterial Growth Differently in an Arable Soil

Bapiri, Azadeh ; Bååth, Erland LU and Rousk, Johannes LU (2010) In Microbial Ecology 60(2). p.419-428
Abstract
Drying and rewetting is a frequent physiological stress for soil microbial communities; a stress that is predicted to grow more influential with future climate change. We investigated the effect of repeated drying-rewetting cycles on bacterial (leucine incorporation) and fungal (acetate in ergosterol incorporation) growth, on the biomass concentration and composition (PLFA), and on the soil respiration. Using different plant material amendments, we generated soils with different initial fungal:bacterial compositions that we exposed to 6-10 repetitions of a drying-rewetting cycle. Drying-rewetting decreased bacterial growth while fungal growth remained unaffected, resulting in an elevated fungal:bacterial growth ratio. This effect was found... (More)
Drying and rewetting is a frequent physiological stress for soil microbial communities; a stress that is predicted to grow more influential with future climate change. We investigated the effect of repeated drying-rewetting cycles on bacterial (leucine incorporation) and fungal (acetate in ergosterol incorporation) growth, on the biomass concentration and composition (PLFA), and on the soil respiration. Using different plant material amendments, we generated soils with different initial fungal:bacterial compositions that we exposed to 6-10 repetitions of a drying-rewetting cycle. Drying-rewetting decreased bacterial growth while fungal growth remained unaffected, resulting in an elevated fungal:bacterial growth ratio. This effect was found irrespective of the initial fungal:bacterial biomass ratio. Many drying-rewetting cycles did not, however, affect the fungal:bacterial growth ratio compared to few cycles. The biomass response of the microbial community differed from the growth response, with fungal and total biomass only being slightly negatively affected by the repeated drying-rewetting. The discrepancy between growth- and biomass-based assessments underscores that microbial responses to perturbations might previously have been misrepresented with biomass-based assessments. In light of this, many aspects of environmental microbial ecology may need to be revisited with attention to what measure of the microbial community is relevant to study. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Microbial Ecology
volume
60
issue
2
pages
419 - 428
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000281981300016
  • scopus:77956880116
  • pmid:20635180
ISSN
1432-184X
DOI
10.1007/s00248-010-9723-5
project
Interaction between fungi and bacteria in soil
Responses of soil microbes to drought and rewetting
Microbial carbon-use efficiency
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
08db2c3e-f25b-4d94-aa7c-9dd2d2f9b729 (old id 1695882)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:00:55
date last changed
2024-05-10 04:52:33
@article{08db2c3e-f25b-4d94-aa7c-9dd2d2f9b729,
  abstract     = {{Drying and rewetting is a frequent physiological stress for soil microbial communities; a stress that is predicted to grow more influential with future climate change. We investigated the effect of repeated drying-rewetting cycles on bacterial (leucine incorporation) and fungal (acetate in ergosterol incorporation) growth, on the biomass concentration and composition (PLFA), and on the soil respiration. Using different plant material amendments, we generated soils with different initial fungal:bacterial compositions that we exposed to 6-10 repetitions of a drying-rewetting cycle. Drying-rewetting decreased bacterial growth while fungal growth remained unaffected, resulting in an elevated fungal:bacterial growth ratio. This effect was found irrespective of the initial fungal:bacterial biomass ratio. Many drying-rewetting cycles did not, however, affect the fungal:bacterial growth ratio compared to few cycles. The biomass response of the microbial community differed from the growth response, with fungal and total biomass only being slightly negatively affected by the repeated drying-rewetting. The discrepancy between growth- and biomass-based assessments underscores that microbial responses to perturbations might previously have been misrepresented with biomass-based assessments. In light of this, many aspects of environmental microbial ecology may need to be revisited with attention to what measure of the microbial community is relevant to study.}},
  author       = {{Bapiri, Azadeh and Bååth, Erland and Rousk, Johannes}},
  issn         = {{1432-184X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{419--428}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Microbial Ecology}},
  title        = {{Drying-Rewetting Cycles Affect Fungal and Bacterial Growth Differently in an Arable Soil}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9723-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00248-010-9723-5}},
  volume       = {{60}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}