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Plant-associated fungi support bacterial resilience following water limitation

Journal Article · · The ISME Journal
Abstract

Drought disrupts soil microbial activity and many biogeochemical processes. Although plant-associated fungi can support plant performance and nutrient cycling during drought, their effects on nearby drought-exposed soil microbial communities are not well resolved. We used H218O quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) and 16S rRNA gene profiling to investigate bacterial community dynamics following water limitation in the hyphospheres of two distinct fungal lineages (Rhizophagus irregularis and Serendipita bescii) grown with the bioenergy model grass Panicum hallii. In uninoculated soil, a history of water limitation resulted in significantly lower bacterial growth potential and growth efficiency, as well as lower diversity in the actively growing bacterial community. In contrast, both fungal lineages had a protective effect on hyphosphere bacterial communities exposed to water limitation: bacterial growth potential, growth efficiency, and the diversity of the actively growing bacterial community were not suppressed by a history of water limitation in soils inoculated with either fungus. Despite their similar effects at the community level, the two fungal lineages did elicit different taxon-specific responses, and bacterial growth potential was greater in R. irregularis compared to S. bescii-inoculated soils. Several of the bacterial taxa that responded positively to fungal inocula belong to lineages that are considered drought susceptible. Overall, H218O qSIP highlighted treatment effects on bacterial community structure that were less pronounced using traditional 16S rRNA gene profiling. Together, these results indicate that fungal–bacterial synergies may support bacterial resilience to moisture limitation.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); University of California, Oakland, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344; SC0014079
OSTI ID:
1886421
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2472054
Journal Information:
The ISME Journal, Journal Name: The ISME Journal Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 16; ISSN 1751-7362
Publisher:
Oxford University PressCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English

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