Background and aimsWe lack studies evaluating how the identity of plant, lichen and moss species relates to microbial abundance and soil functioning on Antarctica. If species identity is associated with soil functioning, distributional changes of key species, linked to climate change, could significantly affect Antarctic soil functioning.MethodsWe evaluated how the identity of six Antarctic plant, lichen and moss species relate to a range of soil attributes (C, N and P cycling), microbial abundance and structure in Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica. We used an effect size metric to predict the association between species (vs. bare soil) and the measured soil attributes.ResultsWe observed species-specific effects of the plant and biocrust species on soil attributes and microbial abundance. Phenols, phosphatase and β-D-cellobiosidase activities were the most important attributes characterizing the observed patterns. We found that the evaluated species positively correlated with soil nutrient availability and microbial abundance vs. bare soil.ConclusionsWe provide evidence, from a comparative study, that plant and biocrust identity is associated with different levels of soil functioning and microbial abundance in Maritime Antarctica. Our results suggest that changes in the spatial distribution of these species linked to climate change could potentially entail changes in the functioning of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems.

中文翻译：

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植物、地衣和苔藓物种的特性与南极洲海洋微生物丰度和土壤功能有关


背景和目标我们缺乏评估植物、地衣和苔藓物种的特性如何与南极洲微生物丰度和土壤功能相关的研究。如果物种身份与土壤功能相关，那么与气候变化相关的关键物种的分布变化可能会显着影响南极土壤功能。方法我们评估了六种南极植物、地衣和苔藓物种的身份如何与一系列土壤属性相关（C 、氮和磷循环）、海洋南极洲利文斯顿岛的微生物丰度和结构。我们使用效应大小度量来预测物种（与裸土）和测量的土壤属性之间的关联。结果我们观察了植物和生物结皮物种对土壤属性和微生物丰度的物种特异性影响。酚类、磷酸酶和β-D-纤维二糖苷酶活性是表征观察到的模式的最重要属性。我们发现，与裸土相比，所评估的物种与土壤养分有效性和微生物丰度呈正相关。结论我们通过比较研究提供了证据，表明植物和生物结皮特性与南极洲海洋不同水平的土壤功能和微生物丰度相关。我们的研究结果表明，与气候变化相关的这些物种的空间分布变化可能会导致南极陆地生态系统功能的变化。