Article
Environmental Sciences
Lorena Carrasco-Barea, Laura Llorens, Anna M. Romani, Maria Gispert, Dolors Verdaguer
Summary: This study analyzes the litter decomposition process of two Chenopodiaceae species and one Poaceae species in a Mediterranean salt marsh. The decomposition rates are affected by litter quality, microbial activity, and spatial differences within habitats.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Jirui Gong, Xuede Dong, Xiaobing Li, Kexin Yue, Jiayu Shi, Liangyuan Song, Zihe Zhang, Weiyuan Zhang, Ying Li
Summary: The study found that the addition of phosphorus fertilizer has different effects on the decomposition of aboveground and belowground litter. Moderate phosphorus addition can promote the decomposition of aboveground litter in semi-arid grasslands, but it inhibits the decomposition of belowground litter. These differences are driven by litter quality and enzyme activity, and moderate phosphorus addition can increase litter decomposition in semi-arid grasslands, but may be detrimental to soil carbon sequestration.
Article
Microbiology
Charlotte J. Alster, Steven D. Allison, Sydney Glassman, Adam C. Martiny, Kathleen K. Treseder
Summary: The study investigated whether growth and activity of fungi under drought conditions were structured by trade-offs among traits, but found no significant relationships among growth yield, drought stress tolerance, and extracellular enzyme activities across isolates. This suggests that drought-induced shifts in fungal community composition may not necessarily lead to changes in fungal biomass or decomposer ability in this arid grassland.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jingru Liu, Chengming You, Zhenfeng Xu, Yang Liu, Li Zhang, Han Li, Lixia Wang, Sining Liu, Shuqin He, Ziteng Luo, Bo Tan
Summary: Soil arthropods play a crucial role in mediating microbial activity during litter decomposition. In a field experiment, the presence of soil arthropods significantly increased the activity of C-, N- and P-degrading enzymes in litter. The presence of soil arthropods indirectly regulated the enzyme activity by influencing the litter C content and stoichiometry during decomposition.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Stefano Manzoni, Arjun Chakrawal, Marie Spohn, Bjorn D. Lindahl
Summary: Microbial decomposers encounter challenges when feeding on nutrient-poor plant residues, adopting different strategies to adapt to nutrient limitation and affect the release of C and N from litter. Model studies show that different resource use modes may lead to similar litter decomposition trajectories, making it impossible to determine dominant modes through standard data.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jianan Li, Ximei Niu, Ping Wang, Jingjing Yang, Jinwen Liu, Donghui Wu, Pingting Guan
Summary: Soil microorganisms obtain energy and nutrients by decomposing plant litter through soil extracellular enzymes. The type of litter is a critical factor that influences the activity of soil extracellular enzymes. However, it is still unclear how litter types modulate soil extracellular enzyme activity in different degraded grasslands.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Andong Cai, Guopeng Liang, Wen Yang, Jie Zhu, Tianfu Han, Wenju Zhang, Minggang Xu
Summary: Litter decomposition rate (k(DD)) decreases with increasing latitude and is influenced by climate variables, litter quality, soil properties, and experimental duration, with average k(DD) values of 1.30, 2.23, and 3.35 x 10(-4) degree days(-1) in forest, grassland, and cropland ecosystems, respectively. Climate variables have the biggest impact on k(DD), followed by soil properties, experimental duration, and litter properties.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ashley K. Lang, Fiona V. Jevon, Corinne R. Vietorisz, Matthew P. Ayres, Jaclyn Hatala Matthes
Summary: Fine roots and mycorrhizal fungi can either stimulate or slow down leaf litter decomposition; both AM- and ECM-associated fine roots were found to enhance litter decay in this system, indicating the outcome may depend on interactions between mycorrhizal roots and saprotrophic fungi.
Article
Ecology
Emre Babur, Turgay Dindaroglu, Muhammad Riaz, Omer Suha Uslu
Summary: The forest floor plays a critical role in the stability of forest ecosystems, with seasonal variations in litter decomposition rate contributing to biochemical and structural heterogeneity in carbon and nutrient cycling. The study found that microbial respiration was significantly higher in fall, winter, and spring, with lower microbial biomass observed in winter across all forest types. Microbial C use efficiency varied between forest stands and seasons, with strong correlations between litter layer characteristics and microbial biomass C/N ratios.
Article
Soil Science
Amine Habib Borsali, Thomas Z. Lerch, Rania Besbes, Raphael Gros, Isabelle Laffont-Schwob, Jean-Luc Boudenne, Fabio Ziarelli, Anne Pando, Anne Marie Farnet Da Silva
Summary: This study investigated the effects of coastal environments on the chemical and microbial properties of litters across the Mediterranean basin. Results showed that coastal conditions had varying impacts on litter aromaticity, microbial diversity, and genetic richness depending on the country and litter type. In addition, the type of litter played a significant role in shaping microbial communities at a large spatial scale.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mauro Lo Cascio, Lourdes Morillas, Raul Ochoa-Hueso, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Silvana Munzi, Javier Roales, Donatella Spano, Cristina Cruz, Antonio Gallardo, Esteban Manrique, Maria Esther Perez-Corona, Teresa Dias, Costantino Sirca, Simone Mereu
Summary: The study reveals that atmospheric nitrogen inputs in the Mediterranean Basin are increasing, but the response to nitrogen addition varies among different locations. Soil pH is found to be a major driver of decomposition in the experimental sites, and the effects of nitrogen input and soil pH on litter decay vary depending on the location.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jirui Gong, Zihe Zhang, Chenchen Zhu, Jiayu Shi, Weiyuan Zhang, Liangyuan Song, Ying Li, Siqi Zhang, Jiaojiao Dong, Xiaobing Li
Summary: The study found that phosphorus addition can promote the decomposition of Stipa grandis and mixed litter, and phosphorus addition also promotes nitrogen and phosphorus immobilization, but leucine aminopeptidase production is also promoted under high phosphorus concentrations. The results show that Inner Mongolia's grasslands have significant decomposition and nutrient release processes under precipitation conditions.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Maria Mooshammer, A. Stuart Grandy, Francisco Caldeon, Steve Culman, Bill Deen, Rhae A. Drijber, Kari Dunfield, Virginia L. Jin, R. Michael Lehman, Shannon M. Osborne, Marty Schmer, Timothy M. Bowles
Summary: Crop rotations with increased diversity can impact soil organic matter dynamics, microbial community composition, and enzymatic potential for organic matter degradation. Differences in resource allocation to enzymes among microbial communities in response to crop diversity suggest enhanced microbial-derived SOM stabilization and resource availability. Uniform responses to increased crop rotational diversity across a wide geographical area indicate positive plant-soil feedback and functional shifts in microbial communities.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiao Chen, Jiguang Feng, Zongju Ding, Mao Tang, Biao Zhu
Summary: This study explores the vertical and latitudinal patterns of soil microbial and enzymatic C-N-P contents and ratios in eight forest ecosystems in eastern China. The results show significant variations in C-N-P contents and stoichiometry with depth and latitude. Additionally, the correlations between C-N-P contents and latitude are stronger in surface soils compared to deep soils.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Javier Palomino, Pablo Garcia-Palacios, Gerlinde B. B. De Deyn, Laura Beatriz Martinez-Garcia, Sara Sanchez-Moreno, Ruben Milla
Summary: Plant domestication has led to changes in leaf litter quality, affecting decomposition and soil decomposer communities. Domesticated litters decompose faster and have different impacts on soil bacteria, fungi, and nematodes.
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Jennifer B. H. Martiny, Katrine L. Whiteson, Brendan J. M. Bohannan, Lawrence A. David, Nicole A. Hynson, Margaret McFall-Ngai, John F. Rawls, Thomas M. Schmidt, Zaid Abdo, Martin J. Blaser, Seth Bordenstein, Christian Brechot, Carolee T. Bull, Pieter Dorrestein, Jonathan A. Eisen, Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Jack Gilbert, Kirsten S. Hofmockel, Mary L. Holtz, Rob Knight, David B. Mark Welch, Daniel McDonald, Barbara Methe, Nigel J. Mouncey, Noel T. Mueller, Catherine A. Pfister, Lita Proctor, Joel L. Sachs
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hannah M. Griffiths, Paul Eggleton, Nicole Hemming-Schroeder, Tom Swinfield, Joel S. Woon, Steven D. Allison, David A. Coomes, Louise A. Ashton, Catherine L. Parr
Summary: Tree mortality rates are increasing in tropical rainforests due to global environmental change, accelerating the rate of wood decay, particularly in canopy gaps where termites play a major role. Through experiments and modeling, it was found that accelerated decomposition in canopy gaps leads to an increase in regional wood decay rate, which is not currently considered in carbon budgets.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexander B. Chase, Claudia Weihe, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: The study found that microbial community responses to environmental change are closely related to ecological processes and evolutionary processes. Ecotypes adapted to local conditions and contemporary evolution were identified, showing how both demographic shifts of previously adapted ecotypes and contemporary evolution can alter the diversity of a soil microbiome on the same timescale.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Andrew Oliver, Alexander B. Chase, Claudia Weihe, Stephanie B. Orchanian, Stefan F. Riedel, Clark L. Hendrickson, Mi Lay, Julia Massimelli Sewall, Jennifer B. H. Martiny, Katrine Whiteson
Summary: The study conducted a 2-week dietary fiber intervention, which showed that increasing fiber intake can significantly alter the composition of individual gut microbiomes, including increasing the abundance of known fiber-degrading microbes.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
N. C. Scales, A. B. Chase, S. S. Finks, A. A. Malik, C. Weihe, S. D. Allison, A. C. Martiny, J. B. H. Martiny
Summary: Global change experiments often observe shifts in bacterial community composition based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. However, finer variation in traits within bacterial strains sharing identical 16S regions may be masked. This study found that microdiversity within the bacterial genus Curtobacterium responded to simulated global changes, with the response varying depending on the type of change and associated with variation in carbon degradation traits. Future research on microbial community responses to global change may benefit from considering microdiversity.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Sarah Evans, Steven Allison, Christine Hawkes
Summary: Soil moisture is a crucial factor in microbial activity and carbon release, but the relationship between soil moisture and microbial respiration is still not well-understood. Historical precipitation can influence microbial responses to moisture and sensitivity to drought, and mechanisms such as biological selection and filtering play a role in shaping the microbial community. Standardized measurements of moisture response and microbial properties are needed to improve models and predictions.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Andie Nugent, Steven D. Allison
Summary: This synthesis reviews research on the urban soil microbiome and develops a framework to integrate soil microbial communities with urban ecosystem function. The study identifies disturbance, altered resources, and heterogeneity as key drivers through which human activities affect urban soils and their resident microorganisms. Integration across disturbance ecology, urban ecology, and microbial ecology is crucial for managing ecosystem benefits in cities and understanding the consequences for environmental and human health.
Article
Ecology
Kendra E. Walters, Joia K. Capocchi, Michaeline B. N. Albright, Zhao Hao, Eoin L. Brodie, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that dispersal is a key driver of microbiome assembly, but our understanding of the rates and taxonomic composition of microbial dispersal in natural environments is limited. This study found that different dispersal routes transport distinct bacterial communities that influence the composition of the surface soil microbiome to varying degrees.
Article
Soil Science
Kristin M. Barbour, Claudia Weihe, Steven D. Allison, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Bacterial communities in the organic leaf litter layer and bulk soil are sensitive to environmental change, and their composition varies with different environmental factors. The impact of environmental changes on bacterial communities decreases with depth in the soil.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Michel Loreau, Philippe Jarne, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Despite decades of research, there are still opportunities to further integrate ecology and evolution, especially in the study of multispecies systems. Relaxing the traditional emphasis on the distinction between evolutionary and ecological processes is particularly helpful for studying microbial communities, where defining species is difficult. Additionally, exporting key processes of evolutionary theory, such as adaptation, to higher hierarchical levels can help understand biodiversity dynamics. Broadening the perspective of eco-evolutionary dynamics to include all biodiversity will open up new research directions and address the challenge of predicting changes in biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change.
Article
Microbiology
Sarai S. S. Finks, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Plasmids are mobile genetic elements that play a key role in bacterial evolution and ecology. This study analyzed the properties and accessory traits of 9,725 unique plasmid sequences from different environments. The analysis revealed that plasmid traits varied with both the host's taxonomy and the environment, highlighting the diversity of traits encoded by plasmids.
Article
Microbiology
Gabin Piton, Steven D. Allison, Mohammad Bahram, Falk Hildebrand, Jennifer B. H. Martiny, Kathleen K. Treseder, Adam C. Martiny
Summary: This study analyzes shotgun metagenomes from terrestrial biomes to study the genomic traits that capture the life history strategies of bacterial communities. The results show a triangle of life history strategies shaped by two trait dimensions, and reveal that soil pH, C:N ratio, and precipitation patterns are important drivers of the dominant life history strategy and distribution of soil bacterial communities.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Martin M. Gossner, Ludwig Beenken, Kirstin Arend, Dominik Begerow, Derek Persoh
Summary: This study assessed the phenotypic plasticity of 15 fungal isolates from a Southern California grassland, finding differences in plasticity along the temperature and moisture gradients. Fungal biomass and extracellular enzyme activities varied with temperature and moisture levels. More closely related fungi exhibited more similar extracellular enzyme activities at the highest temperature. This evidence suggests that with global warming, fungal biodiversity may become increasingly important as functional traits tend to diverge along phylogenetic lines at higher temperatures.
ISME COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarai S. Finks, Claudia Weihe, Sarah Kimball, Steven D. Allison, Adam C. Martiny, Kathleen K. Treseder, Jennifer B. H. Martiny
Summary: Research on the Loma Ridge Global Change Experiment in Southern California revealed that microbial and plant community changes are closely related to plant community composition, and global change treatments also affect microbial composition in an ecosystem-dependent manner.
ELEMENTA-SCIENCE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE
(2021)