Plant-driven niche differentiation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in global drylands.

ABSTRACT: Under controlled laboratory conditions, high and low ammonium availability are known to favor soil ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) communities, respectively. However, whether this niche segregation is maintained under field conditions in terrestrial ecosystems remains unresolved, particularly at the global scale. We hypothesized that perennial vegetation might favor AOB vs. AOA communities compared with adjacent open areas devoid of perennial vegetation (i.e., bare soil) via several mechanisms, including increasing the amount of ammonium in soil. To test this niche-differentiation hypothesis, we conducted a global field survey including 80 drylands from 6 continents. Data supported our hypothesis, as soils collected under plant canopies had higher levels of ammonium, as

SUBMITTER: Trivedi C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6794256 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature