1
|
Zhao X, Cui H, Song H, Chen J, Wang J, Liu Z, Ali I, Yang Z, Hou X, Zhou X, Xiao S, Chen S. Contrasting responses of α- and β-multifunctionality to aboveground plant community in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 917:170464. [PMID: 38290671 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
The aboveground plant communities are crucial in driving ecosystem functioning, particularly being the primary producers in terrestrial ecosystems. Numerous studies have investigated the impacts of aboveground plant communities on multiple ecosystem functions at α-scale. However, such critical effects have been unexplored at β-scale and the comparative assessment of the effects and underlying mechanisms of aboveground plant communities on α- and β-multifunctionality has been lacking. In this study, we examined the effects of aboveground plant communities on soil multifunctionality both at α- and β-scale in the alpine meadow of the Tibetan Plateau. Additionally, we quantified the direct effects of aboveground plant communities, as well as the indirect effects mediated by changes in biotic and abiotic factors, on soil multifunctionality at both scales. Our findings revealed that: 1) Aboveground plant communities had significantly positive effects on α-multifunctionality whereas, β-multifunctionality was not affected significantly. 2) Aboveground plant communities directly influence α- and β-multifunctionality in contrasting ways, with positive and negative effects, respectively. Apart from the direct effects of plant community, we found that soil water content and bacterial β-diversity serving as the primary predictors for the responses of α- and β-multifunctionality to the presence of aboveground plant communities, respectively. And β-soil biodiversity appeared to be a stronger predictor of multifunctionality relative to α-soil biodiversity. Our findings provide novel insights into the drivers of ecosystem multifunctionality at different scales, highlight the importance of maintaining biodiversity at multiple scales and offer valuable knowledge for the maintenance of ecosystem functioning and the restoration of alpine meadow ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xia Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanwen Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongxian Song
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingwei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Izhar Ali
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao Hou
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xianhui Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Sa Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuyan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dow L, Gallart M, Ramarajan M, Law SR, Thatcher LF. Streptomyces and their specialised metabolites for phytopathogen control - comparative in vitro and in planta metabolic approaches. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1151912. [PMID: 37389291 PMCID: PMC10301723 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1151912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
In the search for new crop protection microbial biocontrol agents, isolates from the genus Streptomyces are commonly found with promising attributes. Streptomyces are natural soil dwellers and have evolved as plant symbionts producing specialised metabolites with antibiotic and antifungal activities. Streptomyces biocontrol strains can effectively suppress plant pathogens via direct antimicrobial activity, but also induce plant resistance through indirect biosynthetic pathways. The investigation of factors stimulating the production and release of Streptomyces bioactive compounds is commonly conducted in vitro, between Streptomyces sp. and a plant pathogen. However, recent research is starting to shed light on the behaviour of these biocontrol agents in planta, where the biotic and abiotic conditions share little similarity to those of controlled laboratory conditions. With a focus on specialised metabolites, this review details (i) the various methods by which Streptomyces biocontrol agents employ specialised metabolites as an additional line of defence against plant pathogens, (ii) the signals shared in the tripartite system of plant, pathogen and biocontrol agent, and (iii) an outlook on new approaches to expedite the identification and ecological understanding of these metabolites under a crop protection lens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan Dow
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Agriculture and Food, Acton, ACT, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Microbiomes for One Systems Health Future Science Platform, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Marta Gallart
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Agriculture and Food, Acton, ACT, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Advanced Engineering Biology Future Science Platform, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Margaret Ramarajan
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Agriculture and Food, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Simon R. Law
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Agriculture and Food, Acton, ACT, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Microbiomes for One Systems Health Future Science Platform, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Louise F. Thatcher
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Agriculture and Food, Acton, ACT, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Microbiomes for One Systems Health Future Science Platform, Acton, ACT, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Advanced Engineering Biology Future Science Platform, Acton, ACT, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lucas JM, Gora E, Salzberg A, Kaspari M. Antibiotics as chemical warfare across multiple taxonomic domains and trophic levels in brown food webs. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191536. [PMID: 31551054 PMCID: PMC6784713 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria and fungi secrete antibiotics to suppress and kill other microbes, but can these compounds be agents of competition against macroorganisms? We explore how one competitive tactic, antibiotic production, can structure the composition and function of brown food webs. This aspect of warfare between microbes and invertebrates is particularly important today as antibiotics are introduced into ecosystems via anthropogenic activities, but the ecological implications of these introductions are largely unknown. We hypothesized that antimicrobial compounds act as agents of competition against invertebrate and microbial competitors. Using field-like mesocosms, we tested how antifungal and antibacterial compounds influence microbes, invertebrates, and decomposition in the brown food web. Both antibiotics changed prokaryotic microbial community composition, but only the antibacterial changed invertebrate composition. Antibacterials reduced the abundance of invertebrate detritivores by 34%. However, the addition of antimicrobials did not ramify up the food web as predator abundances were unaffected. Decomposition rates did not change. To test the mechanisms of antibiotic effects, we provided antibiotic-laden water to individual invertebrate detritivores in separate microcosm experiments. We found that the antibiotic compounds can directly harm invertebrate taxa, probably through a disruption of endosymbionts. Combined, our results show that antibiotic compounds could be an effective weapon for microbes to compete against both microbial and invertebrate competitors. In the context of human introductions, the detrimental effects of antibiotics on invertebrate communities indicates that the scope of this anthropogenic disturbance is much greater than previously expected.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jane M. Lucas
- Department of Soil and Water Systems, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843, USA
- Department of Biology, Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73069, USA
| | - Evan Gora
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
| | - Annika Salzberg
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Michael Kaspari
- Department of Biology, Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73069, USA
| |
Collapse
|