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Rhizosphere bacteria are more strongly related to plant root traits than fungi in temperate montane forests: insights from closed and open forest patches along an elevational gradient

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Abstract

Aims

Heterogeneous canopies in temperate montane forests affect microclimate and soil characteristics, with important effects on soil microbial communities and related processes. Here, we studied the interactions between plant root traits and soil bacterial and fungal communities in closed forest and open gaps in a mixed forest along an elevational gradient in the French Alps (1400, 1700 and 2000 m).

Methods

Samples were separated into three fractions (plant root, rhizosphere and bulk soil), to further investigate the influence of plant zones on microbial communities. Bacterial (16S) and fungal (ITS) biodiversity was determined using high throughput sequencing, along with standard measures of soil, litter and root traits.

Results

We found that (i) microbial community diversity was higher in gaps than in closed forest because of increased root trait diversity and density; (ii) open versus closed forest patches affected phylogenetic dispersion despite differences in elevations with phylogenetic clustering in closed forest; (iii) the interaction between root traits and microbial communities was stronger for rhizosphere and root fractions than for bulk soil and (iv) bacterial community composition was better explained by root traits than for fungi.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the importance of open gaps versus closed forest patches and associated root traits affecting microbial community structure, particularly for bacterial assemblages that exhibited a stronger interaction with root traits than for fungi.

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Acknowledgements

LMM was funded with a Marie Curie IEF fellowship (FP7 European program, ref. 626666/2013). Funding for CFB was provided by the French and Mexican governments (ECOPICS project, ANR-16-CE03-0009 and CONACYT-273659). Many thanks to Hervé Rey (CIRAD, France), Francois Pailler (INRA France) and Patricia Tabernero for their help with field and laboratory work. Thanks are due to the Mairie de Chamrousse for access to fieldsites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Montpellier, Amap, INRAE, Cirad, Cnrs, Ird, Montpellier, France

    Luis Merino-Martín, Clément Furget-Bretagnon, Zhun Mao & Alexia Stokes

  2. C.N.R.S., UMR CEFE, Montpellier, France

    Luis Merino-Martín

  3. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK

    Luis Merino-Martín, Robert I. Griffiths, Hyun S. Gweon & Anna Oliver

  4. Harborne Building, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Hyun S. Gweon

  5. INRAE, UMR1221 LISAH, Montpellier, France

    Yves Le Bissonnais

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  1. Luis Merino-Martín
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Contributions

LMM, RIG, AS, YLB designed, carried out the experimental research and analysed the data. HSG, CFB, AO carried out the experimental research and analysed the data. LMM, RIG, AS wrote the manuscript. All authors edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Luis Merino-Martín.

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Responsible Editor: Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo.

Highlights

• Interactions between microbial community structure and root traits were more intense in communities isolated from rhizosphere and root endosphere than from bulk soil.

• Bacterial community composition was better explained by root traits than in fungal communities.

• Microbial community diversity was higher in gaps than in closed forest because of increased root trait diversity and density.

• Gaps and closed forest influenced bacterial and fungal community structure.

• Phylogenetic diversity and dispersion were higher in gaps than in closed forest.

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Merino-Martín, L., Griffiths, R.I., Gweon, H.S. et al. Rhizosphere bacteria are more strongly related to plant root traits than fungi in temperate montane forests: insights from closed and open forest patches along an elevational gradient. Plant Soil 450, 183–200 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04479-3

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