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High intensity perturbations induce an abrupt shift in soil microbial state

Cordero, Irene ; Leizeaga, Ainara LU ; Hicks, Lettice C. LU ; Rousk, Johannes LU and Bardgett, Richard D. (2023) In ISME Journal 17(12). p.2190-2199
Abstract

Soil microbial communities play a pivotal role in regulating ecosystem functioning. But they are increasingly being shaped by human-induced environmental change, including intense “pulse” perturbations, such as droughts, which are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. While it is known that soil microbial communities are sensitive to such perturbations and that effects can be long-lasting, it remains untested whether there is a threshold in the intensity and frequency of perturbations that can trigger abrupt and persistent transitions in the taxonomic and functional characteristics of soil microbial communities. Here we demonstrate experimentally that intense pulses of drought equivalent to a 30-year... (More)

Soil microbial communities play a pivotal role in regulating ecosystem functioning. But they are increasingly being shaped by human-induced environmental change, including intense “pulse” perturbations, such as droughts, which are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. While it is known that soil microbial communities are sensitive to such perturbations and that effects can be long-lasting, it remains untested whether there is a threshold in the intensity and frequency of perturbations that can trigger abrupt and persistent transitions in the taxonomic and functional characteristics of soil microbial communities. Here we demonstrate experimentally that intense pulses of drought equivalent to a 30-year drought event (<15% WHC) induce a major shift in the soil microbial community characterised by significantly altered bacterial and fungal community structures of reduced complexity and functionality. Moreover, the characteristics of this transformed microbial community persisted after returning soil to its previous moisture status. As a result, we found that drought had a strong legacy effect on bacterial community function, inducing an enhanced growth rate following subsequent drought. Abrupt transitions are widely documented in aquatic and terrestrial plant communities in response to human-induced perturbations. Our findings demonstrate that such transitions also occur in soil microbial communities in response to high intensity pulse perturbations, with potentially deleterious consequences for soil health.

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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
ISME Journal
volume
17
issue
12
pages
10 pages
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • pmid:37814127
  • scopus:85173910751
ISSN
1751-7362
DOI
10.1038/s41396-023-01512-y
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
315ea24d-8b96-4613-888a-bc5c841eb0d0
date added to LUP
2023-12-28 14:24:15
date last changed
2024-04-12 19:28:51
@article{315ea24d-8b96-4613-888a-bc5c841eb0d0,
  abstract     = {{<p>Soil microbial communities play a pivotal role in regulating ecosystem functioning. But they are increasingly being shaped by human-induced environmental change, including intense “pulse” perturbations, such as droughts, which are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. While it is known that soil microbial communities are sensitive to such perturbations and that effects can be long-lasting, it remains untested whether there is a threshold in the intensity and frequency of perturbations that can trigger abrupt and persistent transitions in the taxonomic and functional characteristics of soil microbial communities. Here we demonstrate experimentally that intense pulses of drought equivalent to a 30-year drought event (&lt;15% WHC) induce a major shift in the soil microbial community characterised by significantly altered bacterial and fungal community structures of reduced complexity and functionality. Moreover, the characteristics of this transformed microbial community persisted after returning soil to its previous moisture status. As a result, we found that drought had a strong legacy effect on bacterial community function, inducing an enhanced growth rate following subsequent drought. Abrupt transitions are widely documented in aquatic and terrestrial plant communities in response to human-induced perturbations. Our findings demonstrate that such transitions also occur in soil microbial communities in response to high intensity pulse perturbations, with potentially deleterious consequences for soil health.</p>}},
  author       = {{Cordero, Irene and Leizeaga, Ainara and Hicks, Lettice C. and Rousk, Johannes and Bardgett, Richard D.}},
  issn         = {{1751-7362}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  pages        = {{2190--2199}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{ISME Journal}},
  title        = {{High intensity perturbations induce an abrupt shift in soil microbial state}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41396-023-01512-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41396-023-01512-y}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}