Microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities
Plants affect the spatial distribution of soil microorganisms, but the influence of the local abiotic context is poorly documented. We investigated the effect of a single plant species, the cushion plant Silene acaulis, on habitat conditions and microbial community. We collected soil from inside (In...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:efb77f538d6c49ffab410cc819aa9094 2023-05-15T18:19:44+02:00 Microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities Julien eRoy Cécile Hélène Albert Philippe eCholer Jean-Christophe eClément Sébastien eIbanez Sébastien eLavergne Patrick eSaccone Lucie eZinger Roberto Alejandro Geremia 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00064 https://doaj.org/article/efb77f538d6c49ffab410cc819aa9094 EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00064/full https://doaj.org/toc/1664-302X 1664-302X doi:10.3389/fmicb.2013.00064 https://doaj.org/article/efb77f538d6c49ffab410cc819aa9094 Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol 4 (2013) beta diversity soil microbial communities Alpine ecosystems foundation species molecular fingerprint Silene acaulis Microbiology QR1-502 article 2013 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00064 2022-12-30T21:17:40Z Plants affect the spatial distribution of soil microorganisms, but the influence of the local abiotic context is poorly documented. We investigated the effect of a single plant species, the cushion plant Silene acaulis, on habitat conditions and microbial community. We collected soil from inside (In) and outside (Out) of the cushions on calcareous and siliceous cliffs in the French Alps along an elevation gradient (2,000-3,000 m.a.s.l.). The composition of the microbial communities was assessed by Capillary-Electrophoresis Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (CE-SSCP). Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to characterise the response of the microbial beta-diversity to soil parameters (total C, total N, soil water content, N-NH4+, N-NO3- and pH). Cushions affected the microbial communities, modifying soil properties. The fungal and bacterial communities did not respond to the same abiotic factors. Outside the cushions, the bacterial communities were strongly influenced by bedrock. Inside the cushions, the bacterial communities from both types of bedrock were highly similar, due to the smaller pH differences than in open areas. By contrast, the fungal communities were equally variable inside and outside of the cushions. Outside the cushions, the fungal communities responded weakly to soil pH. Inside the cushions, the fungal communities varied strongly with bedrock and elevation as well as increases in soil nutrients and water content. Furthermore, the dissimilarities in the microbial communities between the In and Out habitats increased with increasing habitat modification and environmental stress. Our results indicate that cushions act as a selective force that counteracts the influence of the bedrock and the resource limitations on the bacterial and fungal communities by buffering soil pH and enhancing soil nutrients. Cushion plants structure microbial communities, and this effect increases in stressful, acidic and nutrient-limited environments. Article in Journal/Newspaper Silene acaulis Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Frontiers in Microbiology 4 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
beta diversity soil microbial communities Alpine ecosystems foundation species molecular fingerprint Silene acaulis Microbiology QR1-502 |
spellingShingle |
beta diversity soil microbial communities Alpine ecosystems foundation species molecular fingerprint Silene acaulis Microbiology QR1-502 Julien eRoy Cécile Hélène Albert Philippe eCholer Jean-Christophe eClément Sébastien eIbanez Sébastien eLavergne Patrick eSaccone Lucie eZinger Roberto Alejandro Geremia Microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities |
topic_facet |
beta diversity soil microbial communities Alpine ecosystems foundation species molecular fingerprint Silene acaulis Microbiology QR1-502 |
description |
Plants affect the spatial distribution of soil microorganisms, but the influence of the local abiotic context is poorly documented. We investigated the effect of a single plant species, the cushion plant Silene acaulis, on habitat conditions and microbial community. We collected soil from inside (In) and outside (Out) of the cushions on calcareous and siliceous cliffs in the French Alps along an elevation gradient (2,000-3,000 m.a.s.l.). The composition of the microbial communities was assessed by Capillary-Electrophoresis Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (CE-SSCP). Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to characterise the response of the microbial beta-diversity to soil parameters (total C, total N, soil water content, N-NH4+, N-NO3- and pH). Cushions affected the microbial communities, modifying soil properties. The fungal and bacterial communities did not respond to the same abiotic factors. Outside the cushions, the bacterial communities were strongly influenced by bedrock. Inside the cushions, the bacterial communities from both types of bedrock were highly similar, due to the smaller pH differences than in open areas. By contrast, the fungal communities were equally variable inside and outside of the cushions. Outside the cushions, the fungal communities responded weakly to soil pH. Inside the cushions, the fungal communities varied strongly with bedrock and elevation as well as increases in soil nutrients and water content. Furthermore, the dissimilarities in the microbial communities between the In and Out habitats increased with increasing habitat modification and environmental stress. Our results indicate that cushions act as a selective force that counteracts the influence of the bedrock and the resource limitations on the bacterial and fungal communities by buffering soil pH and enhancing soil nutrients. Cushion plants structure microbial communities, and this effect increases in stressful, acidic and nutrient-limited environments. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Julien eRoy Cécile Hélène Albert Philippe eCholer Jean-Christophe eClément Sébastien eIbanez Sébastien eLavergne Patrick eSaccone Lucie eZinger Roberto Alejandro Geremia |
author_facet |
Julien eRoy Cécile Hélène Albert Philippe eCholer Jean-Christophe eClément Sébastien eIbanez Sébastien eLavergne Patrick eSaccone Lucie eZinger Roberto Alejandro Geremia |
author_sort |
Julien eRoy |
title |
Microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities |
title_short |
Microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities |
title_full |
Microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities |
title_fullStr |
Microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities |
title_sort |
microbes on the cliff: alpine cushion plants structure bacterial and fungal communities |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00064 https://doaj.org/article/efb77f538d6c49ffab410cc819aa9094 |
genre |
Silene acaulis |
genre_facet |
Silene acaulis |
op_source |
Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol 4 (2013) |
op_relation |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00064/full https://doaj.org/toc/1664-302X 1664-302X doi:10.3389/fmicb.2013.00064 https://doaj.org/article/efb77f538d6c49ffab410cc819aa9094 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00064 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Microbiology |
container_volume |
4 |
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1766196959268306944 |