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Yang Z, Yuan Y, Guo J, Li J, Li J, Yu H, Zeng W, Huang Y, Yin L, Li F. Responses of Soil C, N, P and Enzyme Activities to Biological Soil Crusts in China: A Meta-Analysis. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1525. [PMID: 38891333 PMCID: PMC11174547 DOI: 10.3390/plants13111525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are often referred to as the "living skin" of arid regions worldwide. Yet, the combined impact of BSCs on soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and enzyme activities remains not fully understood. This study identified, screened and reviewed 71 out of 2856 literature sources to assess the responses of soil C, N, P and enzyme activity to BSCs through a meta-analysis. The results indicated that BSC presence significantly increased soil C, N, P and soil enzyme activity, and this increasing effect was significantly influenced by the types of BSCs. Results from the overall effect showed that soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available nitrogen (AN), total phosphorus (TP), and available phosphorus (AP) increased by 107.88%, 84.52%, 45.43%, 27.46%, and 54.71%, respectively, and four soil enzyme activities (Alkaline Phosphatase, Cellulase, Sucrase, and Urease) increased by 93.65-229.27%. The highest increases in SOC, TN and AN content occurred in the soil covered with lichen crusts and moss crusts, and significant increases in Alkaline Phosphatase and Cellulase were observed in the soil covered with moss crusts and mixed crusts, suggesting that moss crusts can synergistically enhance soil C and N pool and enzyme activity. Additionally, variations in soil C, N, P content, and enzyme activity were observed under different environmental settings, with more pronounced improvements seen in coarse and medium-textured soils compared to fine-textured soils, particularly at a depth of 5 cm from the soil surface. BSCs in desert ecosystems showed more significant increases in SOC, TN, AN, and Alkaline Phosphatase compared to forest and grassland ecosystems. Specifically, BSCs at low altitude (≤500 m) with an annual average rainfall of 0-400 mm and an annual average temperature ≤ 10 °C were the most conducive to improving soil C, N, and P levels. Our results highlight the role of BSCs and their type in increasing soil C, N, P and enzyme activities, with these effects significantly impacted by soil texture, ecosystem type, and climatic conditions. The implications of these findings are crucial for soil enhancement, ecosystem revitalization, windbreak, and sand stabilization efforts in the drylands of China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Yang
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Yong Yuan
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Jinjin Guo
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Jinxi Li
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Jianhua Li
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Hu Yu
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Wen Zeng
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Yinhong Huang
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Liyun Yin
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Fulian Li
- Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; (Z.Y.); (J.L.); (J.L.); (H.Y.); (W.Z.); (Y.H.); (L.Y.); (F.L.)
- Yunnan Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Water-Soil-Crop System in Seasonal Arid Region, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
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Ruiz L, Carrión-Paladines V, Vega M, López F, Benítez Á. Biological Crust Diversity Related to Elevation and Soil Properties at Local Scale in a Montane Scrub of Ecuador. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9030386. [PMID: 36983554 PMCID: PMC10058557 DOI: 10.3390/jof9030386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The montane shrublands of southern Ecuador represent one of the least studied ecosystems, which in the last decade have been seriously threatened by increasing wildfires, deforestation, overgrazing, and conversion to forest plantations. Our main objective was to determine, at the local scale, the diversity of species composing the biological soil crust (BSC) at three elevations (2100, 2300, and 2500 m.a.s.l.) and their possible relationships with soil physical and chemical properties in montane shrublands. For this purpose, three monitoring plots of 100 m2 were established at each elevation, and within each plot, 20 subplots were established (180 subplots sampled in total). In addition, composite soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 to 10 cm, and some physical and biochemical parameters (e.g., bulk density, texture, pH, organic matter, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and potassium) of the soil were analyzed. The results show 35 species (23 lichens, 10 bryophytes and 2 cyanobacteria) at three elevations with a bell-shaped or hump-shaped distribution pattern. This allowed us to point out that the species richness was higher at the intermediate elevations and that the composition showed significant differences in the three elevations related to soil factors. Elevation and soil drivers may help to better chose the more suitable biological soil crust (lichen-dominated and bryophyte-dominated BSC) for the management and conservation of the montane scrub of Ecuador, which is strongly threatened by human activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslye Ruiz
- Carrera de Biología, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 1101608, Ecuador
| | - Vinicio Carrión-Paladines
- Biodiversidad de Ecosistemas Tropicales-BIETROP, Herbario HUTPL, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 1101608, Ecuador
| | - Marlon Vega
- Carrera de Biología, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 1101608, Ecuador
| | - Fausto López
- Carrera de Biología, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 1101608, Ecuador
| | - Ángel Benítez
- Carrera de Biología, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 1101608, Ecuador
- Biodiversidad de Ecosistemas Tropicales-BIETROP, Herbario HUTPL, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, Loja 1101608, Ecuador
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Rolli E, Marasco R, Fusi M, Scaglia B, Schubotz F, Mapelli F, Ciccazzo S, Brusetti L, Trombino L, Tambone F, Adani F, Borin S, Daffonchio D. Environmental micro-niche filtering shapes bacterial pioneer communities during primary colonization of a Himalayas' glacier forefield. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:5998-6016. [PMID: 36325730 PMCID: PMC10099744 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The pedogenesis from the mineral substrate released upon glacier melting has been explained with the succession of consortia of pioneer microorganisms, whose structure and functionality are determined by the environmental conditions developing in the moraine. However, the microbiome variability that can be expected in the environmentally heterogeneous niches occurring in a moraine at a given successional stage is poorly investigated. In a 50 m2 area in the forefield of the Lobuche glacier (Himalayas, 5050 m above sea level), we studied six sites of primary colonization presenting different topographical features (orientation, elevation and slope) and harbouring greyish/dark biological soil crusts (BSCs). The spatial vicinity of the sites opposed to their topographical differences, allowed us to examine the effect of environmental conditions independently from the time of deglaciation. The bacterial microbiome diversity and their co-occurrence network, the bacterial metabolisms predicted from 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, and the microbiome intact polar lipids were investigated in the BSCs and the underlying sediment deep layers (DLs). Different bacterial microbiomes inhabited the BSCs and the DLs, and their composition varied among sites, indicating a niche-specific role of the micro-environmental conditions in the bacterial communities' assembly. In the heterogeneous sediments of glacier moraines, physico-chemical and micro-climatic variations at the site-spatial scale are crucial in shaping the microbiome microvariability and structuring the pioneer bacterial communities during pedogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Rolli
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Ramona Marasco
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marco Fusi
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.,Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Barbara Scaglia
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy-Gruppo Ricicla Lab, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Florence Schubotz
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Francesca Mapelli
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sonia Ciccazzo
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Brusetti
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Luca Trombino
- Department of Earth Sciences 'Ardito Desio', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Fulvia Tambone
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy-Gruppo Ricicla Lab, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Adani
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy-Gruppo Ricicla Lab, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Borin
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Daffonchio
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
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Sun J, Li X. Water Availability, Soil Characteristics, and Confounding Effects on the Patterns of Biocrust Diversity in the Desert Regions of Northern China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:835668. [PMID: 35720603 PMCID: PMC9199854 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.835668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The species diversity of biocrusts is an important community characteristic in determining their multiple ecosystem functions. Hence, understanding the diversity patterns of biocrusts and their environmental drivers is of fundamental importance. However, explain variables often correlated with each other; thus, the confounding effects among them may arise and result in spurious causal relationships and biased ecological inferences. In this study, we investigated the richness of three biocrust-forming components (mosses, lichens, and cyanobacteria-algae) and their environmental variables across six desert regions of northern China. A comparison between conventional redundancy analysis (RDA) and structural equation model (SEM) was conducted to study the environmental driver-richness relationship and the confounding effects. Our results showed that three latent variables related to water availability, soil texture, and soil salinity and sodicity, could account for the main environmental variations and explain the diversity patterns of biocrusts at the intracontinental scale. Water availability was positively and negatively related to the richness of mosses and cyanobacteria-algae, respectively, while soil texture was positively related to the richness of lichens. In addition, environmental variables confounded with each other caused distinct driver-richness relationships between results of RDA and SEM. Therefore, we suggest that future multivariable studies should utilize path analysis in conjunction with conventional canonical ordination to facilitate more rigorous ecological inferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyao Sun
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Stress Eco-Physiology in Cold and Arid Regions, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xinrong Li
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Stress Eco-Physiology in Cold and Arid Regions, Lanzhou, China
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5
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Wietrzyk-Pełka P, Rola K, Szymański W, Węgrzyn MH. Organic carbon accumulation in the glacier forelands with regard to variability of environmental conditions in different ecogenesis stages of High Arctic ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 717:135151. [PMID: 31839323 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Recently deglaciated surfaces of glacier forelands are subjected to a variety of biotic and abiotic factors that lead to continuous soil formation. Until now, no attempt has been taken to analyse multiple factors that might affect soil development in the Arctic forelands. The main aim of this research was to determine the factors that influence soil development in the eight forelands of Svalbard. Moreover, the effects of both habitat type (glacier foreland and mature tundra) and geographical location on environmental variables treated as potential factors influencing soil formation were tested. In 2017, at each location a series of 1 m2 plots was established; all 168 plots were investigated in terms of soil properties, spatial data, biological soil crusts (BSCs) properties, percent cover of BSCs and vascular plants. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis using forward variable selection showed that soil development was significantly associated with six of fifteen analysed factors, i.e. BSC cover, carbon and nitrogen content in BSCs, soil pH, Topographic Wetness Index and foreland location. Two-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's test revealed significant differences in studied environmental variables between habitat types and studied locations, showing that foreland soils still retain particular initial characters to differentiate them from tundra soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Wietrzyk-Pełka
- Professor Z. Czeppe Department of Polar Research and Documentation, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 3, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Kaja Rola
- Department of Plant Ecology, Institute of Botany, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 3, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Wojciech Szymański
- Department of Pedology and Soil Geography, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Michał Hubert Węgrzyn
- Professor Z. Czeppe Department of Polar Research and Documentation, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 3, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
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Chen N, Liu X, Zheng K, Zhang C, Liu Y, Lu K, Jia R, Zhao C. Ecohydrological effects of biocrust type on restoration dynamics in drylands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 687:527-534. [PMID: 31212160 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Global climate change influences not only vascular plants, but also biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which play important roles in dryland vegetation dynamics by redistributing rainfall in soils. Different types of biocrusts, spanning a spectrum from cyanobacteria-dominated and moss-dominated, have distinct roles in rainfall redistribution patterns, but the ecohydrological effects of different biocrust types on dryland ecosystem dynamics remain largely unclear. This study developed an ecohydrological model with biocrust as a system state variable to explicitly explore the effects of different biocrust types on dryland vegetation dynamics in Shapotou region in northern China, particularly after restoration. The results indicated that both cyanobacteria- and moss-dominated biocrusts could support high grass cover (approximately 40%) after restoration. Cyanobacterial, but not moss biocrusts, could also maintain a high level of shrub cover (13 and 3%, respectively). Shifting from cyanobacteria to mosses gradually increased the biocrust cover from approximately 40% to 80%. The biocrust's water-holding capacity (the volume of water it can intercept per unit area) is likely be able to explain the dynamics of biocrust and shrub cover (with correlation efficiency of R2 = 0.972 and 0.987, respectively), but not grass cover (R2 = 0.224). The findings suggest that biocrust type may significantly affect coverage of biocrusts and shrubs, but not grass coverage, and global climate change may influence dryland restoration by altering biocrust types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No.222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Yuzhong Mountain Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Xudong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No.222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Yuzhong Mountain Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Kai Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No.222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Yuzhong Mountain Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Cankun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No.222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Yuzhong Mountain Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Yongjing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No.222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Yuzhong Mountain Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Kanglong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No.222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Yuzhong Mountain Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Rongliang Jia
- Shapotou Desert Research and Environment Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, CAS, No. 320, Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Changming Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No.222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Yuzhong Mountain Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, No. 222, Tianshui South Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
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Pushkareva E, Johansen JR, Elster J. A review of the ecology, ecophysiology and biodiversity of microalgae in Arctic soil crusts. Polar Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-016-1902-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Wang J, Bao JT, Li XR, Liu YB. Molecular Ecology of nifH Genes and Transcripts Along a Chronosequence in Revegetated Areas of the Tengger Desert. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2016; 71:150-163. [PMID: 26276410 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-015-0657-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The colonization and succession of diazotrophs are essential for the development of organic soil layers in desert. We examined the succession of diazotrophs in the well-established revegetated areas representing a chronosequence of 0 year (control), 22 years (restored artificially since 1981), 57 years (restored artificially since 1956), and more than 100 years (restored naturally) to determine the community assembly and active expression of diazotrophs. The pyrosequencing data revealed that Alphaproteobacteria-like diazotrophs predominated in the topsoil of our mobile dune site, while cyanobacterial diazotrophs predominated in the revegetated sites. The cyanobacterial diazotrophs were primarily composed of the heterocystous genera Anabaena, Calothrix, Cylindrospermum, Nodularia, Nostoc, Trichormus, and Mastigocladus. Almost all the nifH sequences belonged to the Cyanobacteria phylum (all the relative abundance values >99.1 %) at transcript level and all the active cyanobacterial diazotrophs distributed in the families Nostocaceae and Rivulariaceae. The most dominant active cyanobacterial genus was Cylindrospermum in all the samples. The rank abundance and community analyses demonstrated that most of the diazotrophic diversity originated from the "rare" species, and all the DNA-based diazotrophic libraries were richer and more diverse than their RNA-based counterparts in the revegetated sites. Significant differences in the diazotrophic community and their active population composition were observed among the four research sites. Samples from the 1981-revegetating site (predominated by cyanobacterial crusts) showed the highest nitrogenase activity, followed by samples from the naturally revegetating site (predominated by lichen crusts), the 1956-revegetating site (predominated by moss crusts), and the mobile dune site (without crusts). Collectively, our data highlight the importance of nitrogen fixation by the primary successional desert topsoil and suggest that the N2-fixing cyanobacteria are the key diazotrophs to the nitrogen budget and the development of topsoil in desert, which is critical for the succession of the degraded terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Wang
- Shapotou Desert Experiment and Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Ecophysiology and Biotechnology, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jing-Ting Bao
- Shapotou Desert Experiment and Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xin-Rong Li
- Shapotou Desert Experiment and Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Ecophysiology and Biotechnology, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
| | - Yu-Bing Liu
- Shapotou Desert Experiment and Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Laboratory of Plant Stress Ecophysiology and Biotechnology, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
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9
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Pushkareva E, Pessi IS, Wilmotte A, Elster J. Cyanobacterial community composition in Arctic soil crusts at different stages of development. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2015; 91:fiv143. [PMID: 26564957 PMCID: PMC4668365 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiv143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacterial diversity in soil crusts has been extensively studied in arid lands of temperate regions, particularly semi-arid steppes and warm deserts. Nevertheless, Arctic soil crusts have received far less attention than their temperate counterparts. Here, we describe the cyanobacterial communities from various types of soil crusts from Svalbard, High Arctic. Four soil crusts at different development stages (ranging from poorly-developed to well-developed soil crusts) were analysed using 454 pyrosequencing of the V3-V4 variable region of the cyanobacterial 16S rRNA gene. Analyses of 95 660 cyanobacterial sequences revealed a dominance of OTUs belonging to the orders Synechococcales, Oscillatoriales and Nostocales. The most dominant OTUs in the four studied sites were related to the filamentous cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya sp. Phylotype richness estimates increased from poorly- to mid-developed soil crusts and decreased in the well-developed lichenized soil crust. Moreover, pH, ammonium and organic carbon concentrations appeared significantly correlated with the cyanobacterial community structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Pushkareva
- Centre for Polar Ecology, University of South Bohemia, 37005 ČeskéBudějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Igor S Pessi
- Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Annick Wilmotte
- Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Josef Elster
- Centre for Polar Ecology, University of South Bohemia, 37005 ČeskéBudějovice, Czech Republic Institute of Botany, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, 37982 Třeboň, Czech Republic
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