Biotic Interactions in Experimental Antarctic Soil Microcosms Vary with Abiotic Stress
Biotic interactions structure ecological communities but abiotic factors affect the strength of these relationships. These interactions are difficult to study in soils due to their vast biodiversity and the many environmental factors that affect soil species. The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctic...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2571-8789/3/3/57/ 2023-08-20T04:01:50+02:00 Biotic Interactions in Experimental Antarctic Soil Microcosms Vary with Abiotic Stress E. Ashley Shaw Diana H. Wall agris 2019-08-27 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3030057 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3030057 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Soil Systems; Volume 3; Issue 3; Pages: 57 nematode bacteria soil communities trophic interactions biological interactions polar desert top-down effects Text 2019 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3030057 2023-07-31T22:33:17Z Biotic interactions structure ecological communities but abiotic factors affect the strength of these relationships. These interactions are difficult to study in soils due to their vast biodiversity and the many environmental factors that affect soil species. The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, are relatively simple soil ecosystems compared to temperate soils, making them an excellent study system for the trophic relationships of soil. Soil microbes and relatively few species of nematodes, rotifers, tardigrades, springtails, and mites are patchily distributed across the cold, dry landscape, which lacks vascular plants and terrestrial vertebrates. However, glacier and permafrost melt are expected to cause shifts in soil moisture and solutes across this ecosystem. To test how increased moisture and salinity affect soil invertebrates and their biotic interactions, we established a laboratory microcosm experiment (4 community × 2 moisture × 2 salinity treatments). Community treatments were: (1) Bacteria only (control), (2) Scottnema (S. lindsayae + bacteria), (3) Eudorylaimus (E. antarcticus + bacteria), and (4) Mixed (S. lindsayae + E. antarcticus + bacteria). Salinity and moisture treatments were control and high. High moisture reduced S. lindsayae adults, while high salinity reduced the total S. lindsayae population. We found that S. lindsayae exerted top-down control over soil bacteria populations, but this effect was dependent on salinity treatment. In the high salinity treatment, bacteria were released from top-down pressure as S. lindsayae declined. Ours was the first study to empirically demonstrate, although in lab microcosm conditions, top-down control in the MDV soil food web. Text Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antarcticus McMurdo Dry Valleys permafrost polar desert MDPI Open Access Publishing Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys Soil Systems 3 3 57 |
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Open Polar |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
nematode bacteria soil communities trophic interactions biological interactions polar desert top-down effects |
spellingShingle |
nematode bacteria soil communities trophic interactions biological interactions polar desert top-down effects E. Ashley Shaw Diana H. Wall Biotic Interactions in Experimental Antarctic Soil Microcosms Vary with Abiotic Stress |
topic_facet |
nematode bacteria soil communities trophic interactions biological interactions polar desert top-down effects |
description |
Biotic interactions structure ecological communities but abiotic factors affect the strength of these relationships. These interactions are difficult to study in soils due to their vast biodiversity and the many environmental factors that affect soil species. The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, are relatively simple soil ecosystems compared to temperate soils, making them an excellent study system for the trophic relationships of soil. Soil microbes and relatively few species of nematodes, rotifers, tardigrades, springtails, and mites are patchily distributed across the cold, dry landscape, which lacks vascular plants and terrestrial vertebrates. However, glacier and permafrost melt are expected to cause shifts in soil moisture and solutes across this ecosystem. To test how increased moisture and salinity affect soil invertebrates and their biotic interactions, we established a laboratory microcosm experiment (4 community × 2 moisture × 2 salinity treatments). Community treatments were: (1) Bacteria only (control), (2) Scottnema (S. lindsayae + bacteria), (3) Eudorylaimus (E. antarcticus + bacteria), and (4) Mixed (S. lindsayae + E. antarcticus + bacteria). Salinity and moisture treatments were control and high. High moisture reduced S. lindsayae adults, while high salinity reduced the total S. lindsayae population. We found that S. lindsayae exerted top-down control over soil bacteria populations, but this effect was dependent on salinity treatment. In the high salinity treatment, bacteria were released from top-down pressure as S. lindsayae declined. Ours was the first study to empirically demonstrate, although in lab microcosm conditions, top-down control in the MDV soil food web. |
format |
Text |
author |
E. Ashley Shaw Diana H. Wall |
author_facet |
E. Ashley Shaw Diana H. Wall |
author_sort |
E. Ashley Shaw |
title |
Biotic Interactions in Experimental Antarctic Soil Microcosms Vary with Abiotic Stress |
title_short |
Biotic Interactions in Experimental Antarctic Soil Microcosms Vary with Abiotic Stress |
title_full |
Biotic Interactions in Experimental Antarctic Soil Microcosms Vary with Abiotic Stress |
title_fullStr |
Biotic Interactions in Experimental Antarctic Soil Microcosms Vary with Abiotic Stress |
title_full_unstemmed |
Biotic Interactions in Experimental Antarctic Soil Microcosms Vary with Abiotic Stress |
title_sort |
biotic interactions in experimental antarctic soil microcosms vary with abiotic stress |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3030057 |
op_coverage |
agris |
geographic |
Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antarcticus McMurdo Dry Valleys permafrost polar desert |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica antarcticus McMurdo Dry Valleys permafrost polar desert |
op_source |
Soil Systems; Volume 3; Issue 3; Pages: 57 |
op_relation |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3030057 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems3030057 |
container_title |
Soil Systems |
container_volume |
3 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
57 |
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1774725042075074560 |