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Title: Long-Term Warming in Alaska Enlarges the Diazotrophic Community in Deep Soils

Journal Article · · mBio (Online)
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [7]; ORCiD logo [8];  [9]
  1. Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)
  2. Arizona State Univ., Mesa, AZ (United States); Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)
  3. Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China); Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)
  4. Northern Arizona Univ., Flagstaff, AZ (United States)
  5. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)
  6. Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
  7. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
  8. Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China)
  9. Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States); Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
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Tundra ecosystems are typically carbon (C) rich but nitrogen (N) limited. Since biological N2fixation is the major source of biologically available N, the soil N2-fixing (i.e., diazotrophic) community serves as an essential N supplier to the tundra ecosystem. Recent climate warming has induced deeper permafrost thaw and adversely affected C sequestration, which is modulated by N availability. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the responses of diazotrophic communities to warming across the depths of tundra soils. Herein, we carried out one of the deepest sequencing efforts of nitrogenase gene (nifH) to investigate how 5 years of experimental winter warming affects Alaskan soil diazotrophic community composition and abundance spanning both the organic and mineral layers. Although soil depth had a stronger influence on diazotrophic community composition than warming, warming significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced diazotrophic abundance by 86.3% and aboveground plant biomass by 25.2%. Diazotrophic composition in the middle and lower organic layers, detected by nifH sequencing and a microarray-based tool (GeoChip), was markedly altered, with an increase of α-diversity. Changes in diazotrophic abundance and composition significantly correlated with soil moisture, soil thaw duration, and plant biomass, as shown by structural equation modeling analyses. Therefore, more abundant diazotrophic communities induced by warming may potentially serve as an important mechanism for supplementing biologically available N in this tundra ecosystem.IMPORTANCEWith the likelihood that changes in global climate will adversely affect the soil C reservoir in the northern circumpolar permafrost zone, an understanding of the potential role of diazotrophic communities in enhancing biological N2fixation, which constrains both plant production and microbial decomposition in tundra soils, is important in elucidating the responses of soil microbial communities to global climate change. A recent study showed that the composition of the diazotrophic community in a tundra soil exhibited no change under a short-term (1.5-year) winter warming experiment. However, it remains crucial to examine whether the lack of diazotrophic community responses to warming is persistent over a longer time period as a possibly important mechanism in stabilizing tundra soil C. Through a detailed characterization of the effects of winter warming on diazotrophic communities, we showed that a long-term (5-year) winter warming substantially enhanced diazotrophic abundance and altered community composition, though soil depth had a stronger influence on diazotrophic community composition than warming. These changes were best explained by changes in soil moisture, soil thaw duration, and plant biomass. These results provide crucial insights into the potential factors that may impact future C and N availability in tundra regions.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1569470
Journal Information:
mBio (Online), Vol. 10, Issue 1; ISSN 2150-7511
Publisher:
American Society for MicrobiologyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 18 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (1)

Warming-induced permafrost thaw exacerbates tundra soil carbon decomposition mediated by microbial community journal January 2020

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
climate warming
diazotrophs
gene sequencing
soil microbiology
tundra