Depth matters: effects of precipitation regime on soil microbial activity upon rewetting of a plant-soil system.

ABSTRACT: Changes in frequency and amplitude of rain events, that is, precipitation patterns, result in different water conditions with soil depth, and likely affect plant growth and shape plant and soil microbial activity. Here, we used 18O stable isotope probing (SIP) to investigate bacterial and fungal communities that actively grew or not upon rewetting, at three different depths in soil mesocosms previously subjected to frequent or infrequent watering for 12 weeks (equal total water input). Phylogenetic marker genes for bacteria and fungi were sequenced after rewetting, and plant-soil microbial coupling documented by plant 13C-CO2 labeling. Soil depth, rather than precipitation pattern, was most influential in shaping microbial response to rewetting, and had differential effects on active and i

SUBMITTER: Engelhardt IC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5864200 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature