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Peris MP, Clusa L, Alonso H, Escolar C, Fortuño B, Rezusta A, Milagro A. Clinical Performance Evaluation of a Rapid Real-Time PCR Assay for Monkeypox Diagnosis: a Retrospective and Comparative Study. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0051023. [PMID: 37191553 PMCID: PMC10269760 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00510-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, the outbreak of an infectious disease in one country can become a worrying health emergency for the whole world. A current example is the 2022 monkeypox virus (mpox) outbreak affecting multiple areas across the world. In this context, strategies to interrupt transmission as soon as possible by identifying cases, clusters, and sources of infection should be developed around the world to prevent these crises. The aim of this retrospective and collaborative study was to perform external clinical validation of the VIASURE monkeypox virus real-time PCR detection kit (CerTest Biotec, Spain) with ready-to-use reagents designed for the rapid detection of mpox. A total of 165 samples with suspected infection were used for this analysis. The standard procedures of the clinical microbiology laboratory of the Miguel Servet University Hospital, using the RealStar Orthopoxvirus PCR kit v1.0 (Altona Diagnostics) and bidirectional Sanger sequencing (STAB VIDA, Caparica, Portugal), were considered reference techniques. Furthermore, a subset of 67 mpox-negative samples and 13 mpox-positive samples were routinely tested for clinical diagnosis of other rash/ulcerative pathologies. Accuracy testing resulted in appropriate clinical validation values, as follows: sensitivity, 1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1); specificity, 1 (95% CI, 0.98 to 1); positive predictive value, 1 (95% CI, 0.93 to 1); negative predictive value, 1 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1). The strength of agreement between assays was almost perfect. The added value is the useful support for the specific diagnosis of mpox infections due to the diagnostic specificity data obtained. IMPORTANCE Given that a large number of mpox outbreaks have been reported worldwide since 2022 in countries in which the disease is not endemic, the main concern for clinicians and global health systems should be to develop effective, available, and easy-to-implement diagnostic strategies to interrupt mpox transmission as soon as possible. This retrospective study demonstrates the satisfactory clinical parameters of a commercially available molecular diagnostic kit for routine testing for mpox in clinical diagnostic laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Paz Peris
- Institute for Health Research Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
- Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Laura Clusa
- Institute for Health Research Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Henar Alonso
- Department of Microbiology, Pediatrics, Radiology, and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Blanca Fortuño
- Institute for Health Research Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
- Miguel Servet University Hospital, Microbiology, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Antonio Rezusta
- Institute for Health Research Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
- Miguel Servet University Hospital, Microbiology, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ana Milagro
- Institute for Health Research Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
- Miguel Servet University Hospital, Microbiology, Zaragoza, Spain
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Peris MP, Dehesa B, Alonso H, Escolar C, Clusa L, Latorre-Millán M, Rezusta A, Milagro A. Retrospective and Comparative Study of Three Molecular Assays for the Macrolide Resistance Detection in Mycoplasma genitalium Positive Urogenital Specimens. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087218. [PMID: 37108385 PMCID: PMC10138598 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The capacity of Mycoplasma genitalium to develop resistance to macrolides makes detection of macrolide resistance genes by rapid real-time PCR assays increasingly necessary in clinical diagnostic laboratories so as to initiate appropriate treatment as rapidly as possible. The aim of this retrospective and comparative study was to conduct the clinical evaluation of three commercially available kits for macrolide resistance detection. A total of 111 M. genitalium positive samples analyzed in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory of the Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza (Spain) were used. After M. genitalium molecular confirmation, the three assays under study were evaluated and discrepant results were resolved via sequencing. The clinical sensitivity for resistance detection was 83% (95% confidence interval, 69% to 93%) for the ResistancePlus® MG panel kit (SpeeDx Pty Ltd., Sydney, Australia), 95% (84% to 99%) for AllplexTM MG & AziR Assay (Seegene®, Seoul, Korea), and 97% (88% to 99%) for the VIASURE macrolide resistance-associated mutations (23SrRNA) Real time PCR detection kit (Certest Biotec, Zaragoza, Spain). The clinical specificity was 100% (94% to 100%) for Allplex and VIASURE assays and 95% (86% to 99%) for SpeeDx assay. The results arising from this study are cause for strong consideration for the implementation of rapid real-time PCR assays in clinical diagnosis laboratories to eliminate treatment failure and transmission as soon as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Paz Peris
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Blanca Dehesa
- Department of Microbiology, Pediatrics, Radiology, and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Henar Alonso
- Department of Microbiology, Pediatrics, Radiology, and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Laura Clusa
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | - Antonio Rezusta
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Miguel Servet University Hospital, Microbiology, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ana Milagro
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
- Miguel Servet University Hospital, Microbiology, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
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Eldridge DJ, Delgado‐Baquerizo M, Quero JL, Ochoa V, Gozalo B, García‐Palacios P, Escolar C, García‐Gómez M, Prina A, Bowker MA, Bran DE, Castro I, Cea A, Derak M, Espinosa CI, Florentino A, Gaitán JJ, Gatica G, Gómez‐González S, Ghiloufi W, Gutierrez JR, Gusmán-Montalván E, Hernández RM, Hughes FM, Muiño W, Monerris J, Ospina A, Ramírez DA, Ribas‐Fernández YA, Romão RL, Torres‐Díaz C, Koen TB, Maestre FT. Surface indicators are correlated with soil multifunctionality in global drylands. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David J. Eldridge
- Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Manuel Delgado‐Baquerizo
- Departamento de Biología y Geología Física y Química Inorgánica Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
| | - José L. Quero
- Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal Universidad de Córdoba Córdoba Spain
| | - Victoria Ochoa
- Departamento de Biología y Geología Física y Química Inorgánica Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramon Margalef” Universidad de Alicante Alicante Spain
| | - Beatriz Gozalo
- Departamento de Biología y Geología Física y Química Inorgánica Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramon Margalef” Universidad de Alicante Alicante Spain
| | - Pablo García‐Palacios
- Departamento de Biología y Geología Física y Química Inorgánica Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Departamento de Biología y Geología Física y Química Inorgánica Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
| | - Miguel García‐Gómez
- Departamento de Ingeniería y Morfología del Terreno E.T.S.I. C.C.P.Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Aníbal Prina
- Cátedra de Botánica Facultad de Agronomía Universidad Nacional de La Pampa Santa Rosa Argentina
| | | | - Donaldo E. Bran
- Estación Experimental BarilocheInstituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) Bariloche Argentina
| | - Ignacio Castro
- Laboratorio de Biogeoquímica 20 Centro de Agroecología Tropical Universidad Experimental Simón Rodríguez Caracas Venezuela
| | - Alex Cea
- Universidad de La Serena La Serena Chile
| | - Mchich Derak
- Direction Régionale des Eaux et Forêts et de la Lutte Contre la Désertification du Rif. Avenue Mohamed V Tétouan Morocco
| | - Carlos I. Espinosa
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja San Cayetano Alto Ecuador
| | - Adriana Florentino
- Instituto de Edafología Facultad de Agronomía Universidad Central de Venezuela Maracay Venezuela
| | - Juan J. Gaitán
- Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales (CIRN) Instituto de SuelosInstituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) Buenos Aires Argentina
- Departamento de Tecnología Universidad Nacional de Luján Luján Argentina
- National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET) Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Gabriel Gatica
- Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y la Biosfera (CONICET-UNSJ) Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de San Juan San Juan Argentina
| | - Susana Gómez‐González
- Departamento de Biología‐IVAGRO Universidad de Cádiz Puerto Real Spain
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR2) Santiago Chile
| | - Wahida Ghiloufi
- Faculté des Sciences Unité de Recherche Plant Diversity and Ecosystems in Arid Environments Université de Sfax Sfax Tunisia
| | - Julio R. Gutierrez
- Universidad de La Serena La Serena Chile
- Centro de Estudios Avanzado de Zonas Aridas (CEAZA) La Serena Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB) Santiago Chile
| | | | - Rosa M. Hernández
- Laboratorio de Biogeoquímica 20 Centro de Agroecología Tropical Universidad Experimental Simón Rodríguez Caracas Venezuela
| | | | - Walter Muiño
- Cátedra de Botánica Facultad de Agronomía Universidad Nacional de La Pampa Santa Rosa Argentina
| | - Jorge Monerris
- Agrinova Recherche et Innovation en Agriculture Alma Québec Canada
| | - Abelardo Ospina
- Instituto de Edafología Facultad de Agronomía Universidad Central de Venezuela Maracay Venezuela
| | | | - Yanina A. Ribas‐Fernández
- Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y la Biosfera (CONICET-UNSJ) Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de San Juan San Juan Argentina
| | | | - Cristian Torres‐Díaz
- Grupo de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (GIBCG) Departamento de Ciencias Básicas Universidad del Bío‐Bío Chillán Chile
| | | | - Fernando T. Maestre
- Departamento de Biología y Geología Física y Química Inorgánica Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramon Margalef” Universidad de Alicante Alicante Spain
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García-Palacios P, Escolar C, Dacal M, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Gozalo B, Ochoa V, Maestre FT. Pathways regulating decreased soil respiration with warming in a biocrust-dominated dryland. Glob Chang Biol 2018; 24:4645-4656. [PMID: 30007104 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A positive soil carbon (C)-climate feedback is embedded into the climatic models of the IPCC. However, recent global syntheses indicate that the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration (RS ) in drylands, the largest biome on Earth, is actually lower in warmed than in control plots. Consequently, soil C losses with future warming are expected to be low compared with other biomes. Nevertheless, the empirical basis for these global extrapolations is still poor in drylands, due to the low number of field experiments testing the pathways behind the long-term responses of soil respiration (RS ) to warming. Importantly, global drylands are covered with biocrusts (communities formed by bryophytes, lichens, cyanobacteria, fungi, and bacteria), and thus, RS responses to warming may be driven by both autotrophic and heterotrophic pathways. Here, we evaluated the effects of 8-year experimental warming on RS , and the different pathways involved, in a biocrust-dominated dryland in southern Spain. We also assessed the overall impacts on soil organic C (SOC) accumulation over time. Across the years and biocrust cover levels, warming reduced RS by 0.30 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 (95% CI = -0.24 to 0.84), although the negative warming effects were only significant after 3 years of elevated temperatures in areas with low initial biocrust cover. We found support for different pathways regulating the warming-induced reduction in RS at areas with low (microbial thermal acclimation via reduced soil mass-specific respiration and β-glucosidase enzymatic activity) vs. high (microbial thermal acclimation jointly with a reduction in autotrophic respiration from decreased lichen cover) initial biocrust cover. Our 8-year experimental study shows a reduction in soil respiration with warming and highlights that biocrusts should be explicitly included in modeling efforts aimed to quantify the soil C-climate feedback in drylands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo García-Palacios
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica y Analítica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica y Analítica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Marina Dacal
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica y Analítica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica y Analítica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Beatriz Gozalo
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica y Analítica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Victoria Ochoa
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica y Analítica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Fernando T Maestre
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica y Analítica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
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Escolar C, Gómez D, Del Carmen Rota García M, Conchello P, Herrera A. Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua Isolated from Ready-to-Eat Products of Animal Origin in Spain. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2017; 14:357-363. [PMID: 28355096 DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2016.2248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this work was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance in Listeria spp. isolated from food of animal origin. A total of 50 Listeria strains isolated from meat and dairy products, consisting of 7 Listeria monocytogenes and 43 Listeria innocua strains, were characterized for antimicrobial susceptibility against nine antimicrobials. The strains were screened by real-time PCR for the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes: tet M, tet L, mef A, msr A, erm A, erm B, lnu A, and lnu B. Multidrug resistance was identified in 27 Listeria strains, 4 belonging to L. monocytogenes. Resistance to clindamycin was the most common resistance phenotype and was identified in 45 Listeria strains; the mechanisms of resistance are still unknown. A medium prevalence of resistance to tetracycline (15 and 9 resistant and intermediate strains) and ciprofloxacin (13 resistant strains) was also found. Tet M was detected in Listeria strains with reduced susceptibility to tetracycline, providing evidence that both L. innocua and L. monocytogenes displayed acquired resistance. The presence of antimicrobial resistance genes in L. innocua and L. monocytogenes indicates that these genes may be transferred to commensal and pathogenic bacteria via the food chain; besides this, antibiotic resistance in L. monocytogenes could compromise the effective treatment of listeriosis in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Escolar
- Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA , Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Diego Gómez
- Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA , Zaragoza, Spain
| | - María Del Carmen Rota García
- Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA , Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Pilar Conchello
- Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA , Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Antonio Herrera
- Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA , Zaragoza, Spain
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Maestre FT, Escolar C, Bardgett RD, Dungait JAJ, Gozalo B, Ochoa V. Warming reduces the cover and diversity of biocrust-forming mosses and lichens, and increases the physiological stress of soil microbial communities in a semi-arid Pinus halepensis plantation. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:865. [PMID: 26379642 PMCID: PMC4548238 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil communities dominated by lichens and mosses (biocrusts) play key roles in maintaining ecosystem structure and functioning in drylands worldwide. However, few studies have explicitly evaluated how climate change-induced impacts on biocrusts affect associated soil microbial communities. We report results from a field experiment conducted in a semiarid Pinus halepensis plantation, where we setup an experiment with two factors: cover of biocrusts (low [<15%] versus high [>50%]), and warming (control versus a ∼2°C temperature increase). Warming reduced the richness and cover (∼45%) of high biocrust cover areas 53 months after the onset of the experiment. This treatment did not change the ratios between the major microbial groups, as measured by phospholipid fatty acid analysis. Warming increased the physiological stress of the Gram negative bacterial community, as indicated by the cy17:0/16:1ω7 ratio. This response was modulated by the initial biocrust cover, as the increase in this ratio with warming was higher in areas with low cover. Our findings suggest that biocrusts can slow down the negative effects of warming on the physiological status of the Gram negative bacterial community. However, as warming will likely reduce the cover and diversity of biocrusts, these positive effects will be reduced under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando T Maestre
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles, Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles, Spain
| | | | - Jennifer A J Dungait
- Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems Department, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke Okehampton, UK
| | - Beatriz Gozalo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles, Spain
| | - Victoria Ochoa
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles, Spain
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Abstract
Soil surface communities composed of cyanobacteria, algae, mosses, liverworts, fungi, bacteria and lichens (biocrusts) largely affect soil respiration in dryland ecosystems. Climate change is expected to have large effects on biocrusts and associated ecosystem processes. However, few studies so far have experimentally assessed how expected changes in temperature and rainfall will affect soil respiration in biocrust-dominated ecosystems. We evaluated the impacts of biocrust development, increased air temperature and decreased precipitation on soil respiration dynamics during dry (2009) and wet (2010) years, and investigated the relative importance of soil temperature and moisture as environmental drivers of soil respiration, in a semiarid grassland from central Spain. Soil respiration rates were significantly lower in the dry than during the wet year, regardless of biocrust cover. Warming increased soil respiration rates, but this response was only significant in biocrust-dominated areas (> 50% biocrust cover). Warming also increased the temperature sensitivity (Q10 values) of soil respiration in biocrust-dominated areas, particularly during the wet year. The combination of warming and rainfall exclusion had similar effects in low biocrust cover areas. Our results highlight the importance of biocrusts as a modulator of soil respiration responses to both warming and rainfall exclusion, and indicate that they must be explicitly considered when evaluating soil respiration responses to climate change in drylands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Escolar
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, E-28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Fernando T. Maestre
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, E-28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Ana Rey
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo de Ciencias Naturales, C.S.I.C., Serrano 115, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Ulrich W, Soliveres S, Maestre FT, Gotelli NJ, Quero JL, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Bowker MA, Eldridge DJ, Ochoa V, Gozalo B, Valencia E, Berdugo M, Escolar C, García-Gómez M, Escudero A, Prina A, Alfonso G, Arredondo T, Bran D, Cabrera O, Cea A, Chaieb M, Contreras J, Derak M, Espinosa CI, Florentino A, Gaitán J, Muro VG, Ghiloufi W, Gómez-González S, Gutiérrez JR, Hernández RM, Huber-Sannwald E, Jankju M, Mau RL, Hughes FM, Miriti M, Monerris J, Muchane M, Naseri K, Pucheta E, Ramírez-Collantes DA, Raveh E, Romão RL, Torres-Díaz C, Val J, Veiga JP, Wang D, Yuan X, Zaady E. Climate and soil attributes determine plant species turnover in global drylands. J Biogeogr 2014; 41:2307-2319. [PMID: 25914437 PMCID: PMC4407967 DOI: 10.1111/jbi.12377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
AIM Geographic, climatic, and soil factors are major drivers of plant beta diversity, but their importance for dryland plant communities is poorly known. This study aims to: i) characterize patterns of beta diversity in global drylands, ii) detect common environmental drivers of beta diversity, and iii) test for thresholds in environmental conditions driving potential shifts in plant species composition. LOCATION 224 sites in diverse dryland plant communities from 22 geographical regions in six continents. METHODS Beta diversity was quantified with four complementary measures: the percentage of singletons (species occurring at only one site), Whittake's beta diversity (β(W)), a directional beta diversity metric based on the correlation in species occurrences among spatially contiguous sites (β(R2)), and a multivariate abundance-based metric (β(MV)). We used linear modelling to quantify the relationships between these metrics of beta diversity and geographic, climatic, and soil variables. RESULTS Soil fertility and variability in temperature and rainfall, and to a lesser extent latitude, were the most important environmental predictors of beta diversity. Metrics related to species identity (percentage of singletons and β(W)) were most sensitive to soil fertility, whereas those metrics related to environmental gradients and abundance ((β(R2)) and β(MV)) were more associated with climate variability. Interactions among soil variables, climatic factors, and plant cover were not important determinants of beta diversity. Sites receiving less than 178 mm of annual rainfall differed sharply in species composition from more mesic sites (> 200 mm). MAIN CONCLUSIONS Soil fertility and variability in temperature and rainfall are the most important environmental predictors of variation in plant beta diversity in global drylands. Our results suggest that those sites annually receiving ~ 178 mm of rainfall will be especially sensitive to future climate changes. These findings may help to define appropriate conservation strategies for mitigating effects of climate change on dryland vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner Ulrich
- Chair of Ecology and Biogeography Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Lwowska1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Santiago Soliveres
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Fernando T. Maestre
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | | | - José L. Quero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y de Montes. Universidad de Córdoba. Edificio Leonardo da Vinci, 1 planta. Campus de Rabanales. Ctra N-IV km 396. C.P. 14071, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera kilómetro 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Matthew A. Bowker
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, 200 East Pine Knoll Drive, AZ 86011, Flagstaff, USA
| | - David J. Eldridge
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Victoria Ochoa
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Beatriz Gozalo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Enrique Valencia
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Miguel Berdugo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Miguel García-Gómez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Departamento de Ingeniería y Morfología del Terreno, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Calle Profesor Aranguren S/N, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Biología y Geología Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Aníbal Prina
- Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Casilla de Correo 300, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
| | - Graciela Alfonso
- Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Casilla de Correo 300, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
| | - Tulio Arredondo
- Division de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (IPICYT)
| | - Donaldo Bran
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental San Carlos de Bariloche, Casilla de Correo 277 (8400), Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Omar Cabrera
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto, Marcelino Champagnat, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Alex Cea
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, Casilla 599
| | - Mohamed Chaieb
- UR Plant Biodiversity and Ecosystems in Arid Environments, Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax. Route de Sokra, km 3.5, Boîte Postale 802, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Jorge Contreras
- Departamento de Suelos; Universidad Centroccidental Lizandro Alvarado, Barquisimeto, estado Lara, Venezuela
| | - Mchich Derak
- Direction Régionale des Eaux et Forêts et de la Lutte Contre la Désertification du Rif, Avenue Mohamed 5, Boîte Postale 722, 93000 Tétouan, Morocco
| | - Carlos I. Espinosa
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto, Marcelino Champagnat, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Adriana Florentino
- Instituto de Edafología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Campus UCV-Maracay, ZP 2101, estado Aragua, Venezuela
| | - Juan Gaitán
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental San Carlos de Bariloche, Casilla de Correo 277 (8400), Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Victoria García Muro
- IANIGLA, CCT Mendoza, CONICET A. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina. CP.: M5502IRA
| | - Wahida Ghiloufi
- UR Plant Biodiversity and Ecosystems in Arid Environments, Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax. Route de Sokra, km 3.5, Boîte Postale 802, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Susana Gómez-González
- Instituto de Edafología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Campus UCV-Maracay, ZP 2101, estado Aragua, Venezuela
| | - Julio R. Gutiérrez
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental San Carlos de Bariloche, Casilla de Correo 277 (8400), Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Genómica y Biodiversidad, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile
- Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), La Serena, Chile
| | - Rosa M. Hernández
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Santiago, Chile; Laboratorio de Biogeoquímica, Centro de Agroecología Tropical, Universidad Experimental Simón Rodríguez, Apdo 47925, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald
- Division de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (IPICYT)
| | - Mohammad Jankju
- Department of Range and Watershed Management, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Rebecca L. Mau
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Frederic Mendes Hughes
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais 31270-901, Brasil
| | - Maria Miriti
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 318 West 12 Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Jorge Monerris
- Université du Québec à Montréal Pavillon des sciences biologiques Département des sciences biologiques 141 Président-Kennedy Montréal, Québec H2X 3Y5, Canada
| | - Muchai Muchane
- Zoology Department of the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Kamal Naseri
- Department of Range and Watershed Management, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Eduardo Pucheta
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, J5402DCS Rivadavia, San Juan, Argentina
| | - David A. Ramírez-Collantes
- Production Systems and the Environment Sub-Program, International Potato Center. Apartado 1558, Lima 12, Peru
| | - Eran Raveh
- Department of Natural Resources and Agronomy, Agriculture Research Organization, Ministry of Agriculture, Gilat Research Center, Mobile Post Negev 85280, Israel
| | - Roberto L. Romão
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Avenida Transnordestina Sin Número, Bairro Novo Horizonte, Feira de Santana, 44036-900, Brasil
| | - Cristian Torres-Díaz
- Instituto de Edafología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Campus UCV-Maracay, ZP 2101, estado Aragua, Venezuela
| | - James Val
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - José Pablo Veiga
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de CCNN (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Deli Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130024, China
| | - Xia Yuan
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130024, China
| | - Eli Zaady
- Department of Natural Resources and Agronomy, Agriculture Research Organization, Ministry of Agriculture, Gilat Research Center, Mobile Post Negev 85280, Israel
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Soliveres S, Maestre FT, Bowker MA, Torices R, Quero JL, García-Gómez M, Cabrera O, Cea A, Coaguila D, Eldridge DJ, Espinosa CI, Hemmings F, Monerris JJ, Tighe M, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Escolar C, García-Palacios P, Gozalo B, Ochoa V, Blones J, Derak M, Ghiloufi W, Gutiérrez JR, Hernández RM, Noumi Z. Functional traits determine plant co-occurrence more than environment or evolutionary relatedness in global drylands. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst 2014; 16:164-173. [PMID: 25914604 PMCID: PMC4407970 DOI: 10.1016/j.ppees.2014.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Plant-plant interactions are driven by environmental conditions, evolutionary relationships (ER) and the functional traits of the plants involved. However, studies addressing the relative importance of these drivers are rare, but crucial to improve our predictions of the effects of plant-plant interactions on plant communities and of how they respond to differing environmental conditions. To analyze the relative importance of -and interrelationships among- these factors as drivers of plant-plant interactions, we analyzed perennial plant co-occurrence at 106 dryland plant communities established across rainfall gradients in nine countries. We used structural equation modeling to disentangle the relationships between environmental conditions (aridity and soil fertility), functional traits extracted from the literature, and ER, and to assess their relative importance as drivers of the 929 pairwise plant-plant co-occurrence levels measured. Functional traits, specifically facilitated plants' height and nurse growth form, were of primary importance, and modulated the effect of the environment and ER on plant-plant interactions. Environmental conditions and ER were important mainly for those interactions involving woody and graminoid nurses, respectively. The relative importance of different plant-plant interaction drivers (ER, functional traits, and the environment) varied depending on the region considered, illustrating the difficulty of predicting the outcome of plant-plant interactions at broader spatial scales. In our global-scale study on drylands, plant-plant interactions were more strongly related to functional traits of the species involved than to the environmental variables considered. Thus, moving to a trait-based facilitation/competition approach help to predict that: 1) positive plant-plant interactions are more likely to occur for taller facilitated species in drylands, and 2) plant-plant interactions within woody-dominated ecosystems might be more sensitive to changing environmental conditions than those within grasslands. By providing insights on which species are likely to better perform beneath a given neighbour, our results will also help to succeed in restoration practices involving the use of nurse plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Soliveres
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Fernando T. Maestre
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Matthew A. Bowker
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, 200 East Pine Knoll Drive, AZ 86011, Flagstaff, USA
| | - Rubén Torices
- Centro de Ecologia Funcional. Departamento de Ciências da Vida. Universidade de Coimbra. 3001–455. Coimbra, Portugal
| | - José L. Quero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y de Montes. Universidad de Córdoba. Edificio Leonardo da Vinci, 1 planta. Campus de Rabanales. Ctra N-IV km 396. C.P. 14071, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Miguel García-Gómez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Departamento de Ingeniería y Morfología del Terreno, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Calle Profesor Aranguren S/N, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Omar Cabrera
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto, Marcelino Champagnat, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Alex Cea
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, Casilla 599
| | - Daniel Coaguila
- Instituto Regional de Ciencias Ambientales (IRECA) Universidad Nacional San Agustín de Arequipa. Arequipa, Perú
| | - David J. Eldridge
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Carlos I. Espinosa
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto, Marcelino Champagnat, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Frank Hemmings
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Jorge J. Monerris
- Université du Québec à Montréal Pavillon des sciences biologiques Département des sciences biologiques 141 Président-Kennedy Montréal, Québec H2X 3Y5, Canada
| | - Matthew Tighe
- Department of Agronomy and Soil Science, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera kilómetro 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | | | - Beatriz Gozalo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Victoria Ochoa
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán S/N, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Julio Blones
- Laboratorio de Biogeoquímica, Centro de Agroecología Tropical, Universidad Experimental Simón Rodríguez, Apdo 47925, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Mchich Derak
- Direction Régionale des Eaux et Forêts et de la Lutte Contre la Désertification du Rif, Avenue Mohamed 5, Boîte Postale 722, 93000 Tétouan, Morocco
| | - Wahida Ghiloufi
- Université de Sfax, Faculté des Sciences, Unité de Recherche Plant Diversity and Ecosystems in Arid Environments, Route de Sokra, km 3.5, Boîte Postale 802, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Julio R. Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, Casilla 599
- Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), La Serena, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Santiago, Chile
| | - Rosa M. Hernández
- Laboratorio de Biogeoquímica, Centro de Agroecología Tropical, Universidad Experimental Simón Rodríguez, Apdo 47925, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Zouhaier Noumi
- Université de Sfax, Faculté des Sciences, Unité de Recherche Plant Diversity and Ecosystems in Arid Environments, Route de Sokra, km 3.5, Boîte Postale 802, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia
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Maestre FT, Escolar C, de Guevara ML, Quero JL, Lázaro R, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Ochoa V, Berdugo M, Gozalo B, Gallardo A. Changes in biocrust cover drive carbon cycle responses to climate change in drylands. Glob Chang Biol 2013; 19:3835-47. [PMID: 23818331 PMCID: PMC3942145 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 06/06/2013] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Dryland ecosystems account for ca. 27% of global soil organic carbon (C) reserves, yet it is largely unknown how climate change will impact C cycling and storage in these areas. In drylands, soil C concentrates at the surface, making it particularly sensitive to the activity of organisms inhabiting the soil uppermost levels, such as communities dominated by lichens, mosses, bacteria and fungi (biocrusts). We conducted a full factorial warming and rainfall exclusion experiment at two semiarid sites in Spain to show how an average increase of air temperature of 2-3 °C promoted a drastic reduction in biocrust cover (ca. 44% in 4 years). Warming significantly increased soil CO2 efflux, and reduced soil net CO2 uptake, in biocrust-dominated microsites. Losses of biocrust cover with warming through time were paralleled by increases in recalcitrant C sources, such as aromatic compounds, and in the abundance of fungi relative to bacteria. The dramatic reduction in biocrust cover with warming will lessen the capacity of drylands to sequester atmospheric CO2 . This decrease may act synergistically with other warming-induced effects, such as the increase in soil CO2 efflux and the changes in microbial communities to alter C cycling in drylands, and to reduce soil C stocks in the mid to long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando T. Maestre
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Mónica Ladrón de Guevara
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), Carretera de Sacramento, s/n, 04120 La Cañada de San Urbano-Almería, Spain
| | - José L. Quero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y de Montes, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Crta. N-IV km. 396, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Roberto Lázaro
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), Carretera de Sacramento, s/n, 04120 La Cañada de San Urbano-Almería, Spain
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera km. 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Victoria Ochoa
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Miguel Berdugo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Beatriz Gozalo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Antonio Gallardo
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera km. 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
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11
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Delgado-Baquerizo M, Maestre FT, Gallardo A, Bowker MA, Wallenstein MD, Quero JL, Ochoa V, Gozalo B, García-Gómez M, Soliveres S, García-Palacios P, Berdugo M, Valencia E, Escolar C, Arredondo T, Barraza-Zepeda C, Bran D, Carreira JA, Chaieb M, Conceição AA, Derak M, Eldridge DJ, Escudero A, Espinosa CI, Gaitán J, Gatica MG, Gómez-González S, Guzman E, Gutiérrez JR, Florentino A, Hepper E, Hernández RM, Huber-Sannwald E, Jankju M, Liu J, Mau RL, Miriti M, Monerris J, Naseri K, Noumi Z, Polo V, Prina A, Pucheta E, Ramírez E, Ramírez-Collantes DA, Romão R, Tighe M, Torres D, Torres-Díaz C, Ungar ED, Val J, Wamiti W, Wang D, Zaady E. Decoupling of soil nutrient cycles as a function of aridity in global drylands. Nature 2013; 502:672-6. [DOI: 10.1038/nature12670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 537] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Delgado-Baquerizo M, Maestre FT, Gallardo A, Quero JL, Ochoa V, García-Gómez M, Escolar C, García-Palacios P, Berdugo M, Valencia E, Gozalo B, Noumi Z, Derak M, Wallenstein MD. Aridity modulates N availability in arid and semiarid Mediterranean grasslands. PLoS One 2013; 8:e59807. [PMID: 23565170 PMCID: PMC3614980 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Accepted: 02/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
While much is known about the factors that control each component of the terrestrial nitrogen (N) cycle, it is less clear how these factors affect total N availability, the sum of organic and inorganic forms potentially available to microorganisms and plants. This is particularly true for N-poor ecosystems such as drylands, which are highly sensitive to climate change and desertification processes that can lead to the loss of soil nutrients such as N. We evaluated how different climatic, abiotic, plant and nutrient related factors correlate with N availability in semiarid Stipa tenacissima grasslands along a broad aridity gradient from Spain to Tunisia. Aridity had the strongest relationship with N availability, suggesting the importance of abiotic controls on the N cycle in drylands. Aridity appeared to modulate the effects of pH, plant cover and organic C (OC) on N availability. Our results suggest that N transformation rates, which are largely driven by variations in soil moisture, are not the direct drivers of N availability in the studied grasslands. Rather, the strong relationship between aridity and N availability could be driven by indirect effects that operate over long time scales (decades to millennia), including both biotic (e.g. plant cover) and abiotic (e.g. soil OC and pH). If these factors are in fact more important than short-term effects of precipitation on N transformation rates, then we might expect to observe a lagged decrease in N availability in response to increasing aridity. Nevertheless, our results suggest that the increase in aridity predicted with ongoing climate change will reduce N availability in the Mediterranean basin, impacting plant nutrient uptake and net primary production in semiarid grasslands throughout this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Departamento Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain.
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Escolar C, Martínez I, Bowker MA, Maestre FT. Warming reduces the growth and diversity of biological soil crusts in a semi-arid environment: implications for ecosystem structure and functioning. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 367:3087-99. [PMID: 23045707 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are key biotic components of dryland ecosystems worldwide that control many functional processes, including carbon and nitrogen cycling, soil stabilization and infiltration. Regardless of their ecological importance and prevalence in drylands, very few studies have explicitly evaluated how climate change will affect the structure and composition of BSCs, and the functioning of their constituents. Using a manipulative experiment conducted over 3 years in a semi-arid site from central Spain, we evaluated how the composition, structure and performance of lichen-dominated BSCs respond to a 2.4°C increase in temperature, and to an approximately 30 per cent reduction of total annual rainfall. In areas with well-developed BSCs, warming promoted a significant decrease in the richness and diversity of the whole BSC community. This was accompanied by important compositional changes, as the cover of lichens suffered a substantial decrease with warming (from 70 to 40% on average), while that of mosses increased slightly (from 0.3 to 7% on average). The physiological performance of the BSC community, evaluated using chlorophyll fluorescence, increased with warming during the first year of the experiment, but did not respond to rainfall reduction. Our results indicate that ongoing climate change will strongly affect the diversity and composition of BSC communities, as well as their recovery after disturbances. The expected changes in richness and composition under warming could reduce or even reverse the positive effects of BSCs on important soil processes. Thus, these changes are likely to promote an overall reduction in ecosystem processes that sustain and control nutrient cycling, soil stabilization and water dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Escolar
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles 28933, Spain.
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Maestre FT, Quero JL, Gotelli NJ, Escudero A, Ochoa V, Delgado-Baquerizo M, García-Gómez M, Bowker MA, Soliveres S, Escolar C, García-Palacios P, Berdugo M, Valencia E, Gozalo B, Gallardo A, Aguilera L, Arredondo T, Blones J, Boeken B, Bran D, Conceição AA, Cabrera O, Chaieb M, Derak M, Eldridge DJ, Espinosa CI, Florentino A, Gaitán J, Gatica MG, Ghiloufi W, Gómez-González S, Gutiérrez JR, Hernández RM, Huang X, Huber-Sannwald E, Jankju M, Miriti M, Monerris J, Mau RL, Morici E, Naseri K, Ospina A, Polo V, Prina A, Pucheta E, Ramírez-Collantes DA, Romão R, Tighe M, Torres-Díaz C, Val J, Veiga JP, Wang D, Zaady E. Plant species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality in global drylands. Science 2012; 335:214-8. [PMID: 22246775 PMCID: PMC3558739 DOI: 10.1126/science.1215442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 506] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Experiments suggest that biodiversity enhances the ability of ecosystems to maintain multiple functions, such as carbon storage, productivity, and the buildup of nutrient pools (multifunctionality). However, the relationship between biodiversity and multifunctionality has never been assessed globally in natural ecosystems. We report here on a global empirical study relating plant species richness and abiotic factors to multifunctionality in drylands, which collectively cover 41% of Earth's land surface and support over 38% of the human population. Multifunctionality was positively and significantly related to species richness. The best-fitting models accounted for over 55% of the variation in multifunctionality and always included species richness as a predictor variable. Our results suggest that the preservation of plant biodiversity is crucial to buffer negative effects of climate change and desertification in drylands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando T Maestre
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán Sin Número, 28933 Móstoles, Spain.
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Maestre FT, Bowker MA, Cantón Y, Castillo-Monroy AP, Cortina J, Escolar C, Escudero A, Lázaro R, Martínez I. Ecology and functional roles of biological soil crusts in semi-arid ecosystems of Spain. J Arid Environ 2011; 75:1282-1291. [PMID: 25908884 PMCID: PMC4404999 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2010.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (BSCs), composed of lichens, cyanobacteria, mosses, liverworts and microorganisms, are key biotic components of arid and semi-arid ecosystems worldwide. Despite they are widespread in Spain, these organisms have been historically understudied in this country. This trend is beginning to change as a recent wave of research has been identifying BSCs as a model ecological system. Many studies and research projects carried out in Spain have explored the role of BSCs on water, carbon and nitrogen fluxes, the interactions between BSCs and vascular plants, their dynamics after disturbances, and their response to global change, among other topics. In this article we review the growing body of research on BSCs available from semi-arid areas of Spain, highlighting its importance for increasing our knowledge on this group of organisms. We also discuss how it is breaking new ground in emerging research areas on the ecology of BSCs, and how it can be use to guide management and restoration efforts. Finally, we provide directions for future research on the ecology of BSCs in Spain and abroad.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando T. Maestre
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
- Corresponding author: Phone: +34914888511; Fax: +34916647490;
| | - Matthew A. Bowker
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Yolanda Cantón
- Departamento de Edafología y Química Agrícola, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Almería, La Cañada de San Urbano S/N, 04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Andrea P. Castillo-Monroy
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Jordi Cortina
- Departamento de Ecología and IMEM, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado de correos 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain
| | - Cristina Escolar
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Roberto Lázaro
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, CSIC, Carretera de sacramento, S/N; La Cañada de San Urbano, 04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Isabel Martínez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
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Bowker MA, Mau RL, Maestre FT, Escolar C, Castillo-Monroy AP. Functional profiles reveal unique ecological roles of various biological soil crust organisms. Funct Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01835.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Maestre FT, Bowker MA, Escolar C, Puche MD, Soliveres S, Maltez-Mouro S, García-Palacios P, Castillo-Monroy AP, Martínez I, Escudero A. Do biotic interactions modulate ecosystem functioning along stress gradients? Insights from semi-arid plant and biological soil crust communities. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010; 365:2057-70. [PMID: 20513714 PMCID: PMC2880128 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change will exacerbate the degree of abiotic stress experienced by semi-arid ecosystems. While abiotic stress profoundly affects biotic interactions, their potential role as modulators of ecosystem responses to climate change is largely unknown. Using plants and biological soil crusts, we tested the relative importance of facilitative-competitive interactions and other community attributes (cover, species richness and species evenness) as drivers of ecosystem functioning along stress gradients in semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystems. Biotic interactions shifted from facilitation to competition along stress gradients driven by water availability and temperature. These changes were, however, dependent on the spatial scale and the community considered. We found little evidence to suggest that biotic interactions are a major direct influence upon indicators of ecosystem functioning (soil respiration, organic carbon, water-holding capacity, compaction and the activity of enzymes related to the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles) along stress gradients. However, attributes such as cover and species richness showed a direct effect on ecosystem functioning. Our results do not agree with predictions emphasizing that the importance of plant-plant interactions will be increased under climate change in dry environments, and indicate that reductions in the cover of plant and biological soil crust communities will negatively impact ecosystems under future climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando T Maestre
- Area de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Móstoles, Spain.
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Maestre FT, Martínez I, Escolar C, Escudero A. On the relationship between abiotic stress and co-occurrence patterns: an assessment at the community level using soil lichen communities and multiple stress gradients. OIKOS 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.17362.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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