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Context dependency and saturating effects of loss of rare soil microbes on plant productivity

Hol, W. H. Gera ; de Boer, Wietse ; de Hollander, Mattias ; Kuramae, Eiko E. ; Meisner, Annelein LU and van der Putten, Wim H. (2015) In Frontiers in Plant Science 6.
Abstract
Land use intensification is associated with loss of biodiversity and altered ecosystem functioning. Until now most studies on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning focused on random loss of species, while loss of rare species that usually are the first to disappear received less attention. Here we test if the effect of rare microbial species loss on plant productivity depends on the origin of the microbial soil community. Soils were sampled from three land use types at two farms. Microbial communities with increasing loss of rare species were created by inoculating sterilized soils with serially diluted soil suspensions. After 8 months of incubation, the effects of the different soil communities on abiotic soil... (More)
Land use intensification is associated with loss of biodiversity and altered ecosystem functioning. Until now most studies on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning focused on random loss of species, while loss of rare species that usually are the first to disappear received less attention. Here we test if the effect of rare microbial species loss on plant productivity depends on the origin of the microbial soil community. Soils were sampled from three land use types at two farms. Microbial communities with increasing loss of rare species were created by inoculating sterilized soils with serially diluted soil suspensions. After 8 months of incubation, the effects of the different soil communities on abiotic soil properties, soil processes, microbial community composition, and plant productivity was measured. Dilution treatments resulted in increasing species loss, which was in relation to abundance of bacteria in the original field soil, without affecting most of the other soil parameters and processes. Microbial species loss affected plant biomass positively, negatively or not at all, depending on soil origin, but not on land use history. Even within fields the effects of dilution on plant biomass varied between replicates, suggesting heterogeneity in microbial community composition. The effects of medium and severe species loss on plant biomass were similar, pointing toward a saturating effect of species loss. We conclude that changes in the composition of the soil microbial community, including rare species loss, can affect plant productivity, depending on the composition of the initial microbial community. Future work on the relation between function and species loss effects should address this variation by including multiple sampling origins. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Frontiers in Plant Science
volume
6
article number
485
publisher
Frontiers Media S. A.
external identifiers
  • pmid:26175749
  • wos:000358420000001
  • scopus:84936937382
  • pmid:26175749
ISSN
1664-462X
DOI
10.3389/fpls.2015.00485
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3779fe2e-9939-497d-aaf8-6f5cc5535d40 (old id 7522340)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:00:53
date last changed
2024-04-10 14:12:15
@article{3779fe2e-9939-497d-aaf8-6f5cc5535d40,
  abstract     = {{Land use intensification is associated with loss of biodiversity and altered ecosystem functioning. Until now most studies on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning focused on random loss of species, while loss of rare species that usually are the first to disappear received less attention. Here we test if the effect of rare microbial species loss on plant productivity depends on the origin of the microbial soil community. Soils were sampled from three land use types at two farms. Microbial communities with increasing loss of rare species were created by inoculating sterilized soils with serially diluted soil suspensions. After 8 months of incubation, the effects of the different soil communities on abiotic soil properties, soil processes, microbial community composition, and plant productivity was measured. Dilution treatments resulted in increasing species loss, which was in relation to abundance of bacteria in the original field soil, without affecting most of the other soil parameters and processes. Microbial species loss affected plant biomass positively, negatively or not at all, depending on soil origin, but not on land use history. Even within fields the effects of dilution on plant biomass varied between replicates, suggesting heterogeneity in microbial community composition. The effects of medium and severe species loss on plant biomass were similar, pointing toward a saturating effect of species loss. We conclude that changes in the composition of the soil microbial community, including rare species loss, can affect plant productivity, depending on the composition of the initial microbial community. Future work on the relation between function and species loss effects should address this variation by including multiple sampling origins.}},
  author       = {{Hol, W. H. Gera and de Boer, Wietse and de Hollander, Mattias and Kuramae, Eiko E. and Meisner, Annelein and van der Putten, Wim H.}},
  issn         = {{1664-462X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Frontiers Media S. A.}},
  series       = {{Frontiers in Plant Science}},
  title        = {{Context dependency and saturating effects of loss of rare soil microbes on plant productivity}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00485}},
  doi          = {{10.3389/fpls.2015.00485}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}