Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 841-853 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | ISME Journal |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Dec 2013 |
Abstract
Cryoturbation, the burial of topsoil material into deeper soil horizons by repeated freeze-thaw events, is an important storage mechanism for soil organic matter (SOM) in permafrost-affected soils. Besides abiotic conditions, microbial community structure and the accessibility of SOM to the decomposer community are hypothesized to control SOM decomposition and thus have a crucial role in SOM accumulation in buried soils. We surveyed the microbial community structure in cryoturbated soils from nine soil profiles in the northeastern Siberian tundra using high-throughput sequencing and quantification of bacterial, archaeal and fungal marker genes. We found that bacterial abundances in buried topsoils were as high as in unburied topsoils. In contrast, fungal abundances decreased with depth and were significantly lower in buried than in unburied topsoils resulting in remarkably low fungal to bacterial ratios in buried topsoils. Fungal community profiling revealed an associated decrease in presumably ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. The abiotic conditions (low to subzero temperatures, anoxia) and the reduced abundance of fungi likely provide a niche for bacterial, facultative anaerobic decomposers of SOM such as members of the Actinobacteria, which were found in significantly higher relative abundances in buried than in unburied topsoils. Our study expands the knowledge on the microbial community structure in soils of Northern latitude permafrost regions, and attributes the delayed decomposition of SOM in buried soils to specific microbial taxa, and particularly to a decrease in abundance and activity of ECM fungi, and to the extent to which bacterial decomposers are able to act as their functional substitutes.
Keywords
- Carbon storage, Climate change, Cryoturbation, Microbial communities, Permafrost-affected soil, Soil organic matter (SOM)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Microbiology(all)
- Microbiology
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: ISME Journal, Vol. 8, No. 4, 12.12.2013, p. 841-853.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Distinct microbial communities associated with buried soils in the Siberian tundra
AU - Gittel, Antje
AU - Bárta, Jiří
AU - Kohoutová, Iva
AU - Mikutta, Robert
AU - Owens, Sarah
AU - Gilbert, Jack
AU - Schnecker, Jörg
AU - Wild, Birgit
AU - Hannisdal, Bjarte
AU - Maerz, Joeran
AU - Lashchinskiy, Nikolay
AU - Čapek, Petr
AU - Šantrůčková, Hana
AU - Gentsch, Norman
AU - Shibistova, Olga
AU - Guggenberger, Georg
AU - Richter, Andreas
AU - Torsvik, Vigdis L.
AU - Schleper, Christa
AU - Urich, Tim
N1 - Funding information: We thank all members of the CryoCARB consortium that participated in field work in Cherskii in 2010 and their invaluable contributions to this manuscript by fruitful discussions. Sergey A Zimov is highly acknowledged for providing facilities at the Northeast Science Station (Cherskii, Russia) and access to the sampling site. Kristy´na Kvardová is thanked for help with nucleic acid extractions. This work was funded by the Research Council of Norway as a part of the International Program CryoCARB (Long-term Carbon Storage in Cryoturbated Arctic Soils; NFR—200411). Jir?í Bárta and Tim Urich received financial support from the EU Action program (Austria-Czech Republic, ID 60p14). Andreas Richter acknowledges the support of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF I370-B17).
PY - 2013/12/12
Y1 - 2013/12/12
N2 - Cryoturbation, the burial of topsoil material into deeper soil horizons by repeated freeze-thaw events, is an important storage mechanism for soil organic matter (SOM) in permafrost-affected soils. Besides abiotic conditions, microbial community structure and the accessibility of SOM to the decomposer community are hypothesized to control SOM decomposition and thus have a crucial role in SOM accumulation in buried soils. We surveyed the microbial community structure in cryoturbated soils from nine soil profiles in the northeastern Siberian tundra using high-throughput sequencing and quantification of bacterial, archaeal and fungal marker genes. We found that bacterial abundances in buried topsoils were as high as in unburied topsoils. In contrast, fungal abundances decreased with depth and were significantly lower in buried than in unburied topsoils resulting in remarkably low fungal to bacterial ratios in buried topsoils. Fungal community profiling revealed an associated decrease in presumably ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. The abiotic conditions (low to subzero temperatures, anoxia) and the reduced abundance of fungi likely provide a niche for bacterial, facultative anaerobic decomposers of SOM such as members of the Actinobacteria, which were found in significantly higher relative abundances in buried than in unburied topsoils. Our study expands the knowledge on the microbial community structure in soils of Northern latitude permafrost regions, and attributes the delayed decomposition of SOM in buried soils to specific microbial taxa, and particularly to a decrease in abundance and activity of ECM fungi, and to the extent to which bacterial decomposers are able to act as their functional substitutes.
AB - Cryoturbation, the burial of topsoil material into deeper soil horizons by repeated freeze-thaw events, is an important storage mechanism for soil organic matter (SOM) in permafrost-affected soils. Besides abiotic conditions, microbial community structure and the accessibility of SOM to the decomposer community are hypothesized to control SOM decomposition and thus have a crucial role in SOM accumulation in buried soils. We surveyed the microbial community structure in cryoturbated soils from nine soil profiles in the northeastern Siberian tundra using high-throughput sequencing and quantification of bacterial, archaeal and fungal marker genes. We found that bacterial abundances in buried topsoils were as high as in unburied topsoils. In contrast, fungal abundances decreased with depth and were significantly lower in buried than in unburied topsoils resulting in remarkably low fungal to bacterial ratios in buried topsoils. Fungal community profiling revealed an associated decrease in presumably ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. The abiotic conditions (low to subzero temperatures, anoxia) and the reduced abundance of fungi likely provide a niche for bacterial, facultative anaerobic decomposers of SOM such as members of the Actinobacteria, which were found in significantly higher relative abundances in buried than in unburied topsoils. Our study expands the knowledge on the microbial community structure in soils of Northern latitude permafrost regions, and attributes the delayed decomposition of SOM in buried soils to specific microbial taxa, and particularly to a decrease in abundance and activity of ECM fungi, and to the extent to which bacterial decomposers are able to act as their functional substitutes.
KW - Carbon storage
KW - Climate change
KW - Cryoturbation
KW - Microbial communities
KW - Permafrost-affected soil
KW - Soil organic matter (SOM)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84899464980&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/ismej.2013.219
DO - 10.1038/ismej.2013.219
M3 - Article
C2 - 24335828
AN - SCOPUS:84899464980
VL - 8
SP - 841
EP - 853
JO - ISME Journal
JF - ISME Journal
SN - 1751-7362
IS - 4
ER -