Abstract
Purpose
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are commonly found in semi-arid ecosystems and complete biological nitrogen (N) fixation, build soil carbon (C) stocks, and increase soil moisture. Biocrusts were recently identified in Florida agroecosystems, and based on traits of semi-arid biocrusts, could contribute to crop growth and soil health. This study determined the influence of biocrusts in a Florida citrus orchard on microbial diversity and composition of surface and crop root zone soil as related to soil C, N, and moisture.
Methods
Soil samples were collected from areas with biocrust and proximate bare soil (control) in a Florida, USA, citrus orchard. Cores were divided into three soil depths, and soil bacterial and fungal communities were characterized using the 16S rRNA gene and ITS region sequences, respectively.
Results
Biocrust presence and sampling depth significantly impacted microbial community composition. Cyanobacteria and heterotrophic diazotrophs had low relative abundances compared to copiotrophic bacteria in the biocrust soil. Soil below biocrusts had increased moisture, nutrient concentrations, and relative abundances of nitrifying bacteria compared to the root zone below bare soil. Copiotrophic bacteria were enriched under biocrusts, indicating potential for nutrient competition between roots and microorganisms. Biocrust subsoil had elevated relative abundances of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota which contributed to higher fungal community richness and evenness in the rooting zone.
Conclusions
Biocrust subsoil had increased relative abundances of microbiota compared to bare soil without biocrusts, potentially influencing nutrient cycling, crop nutrient uptake and growth, and soil health.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Kira Sorochkina of the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center Soil Microbiology Lab for assistance with sample collection and Rachel Berner and David Toole for assistance with laboratory and data analysis. We also thank Devin Leonard and Sophia Barbour of the University of Florida Wetland Biogeochemistry Lab for assistance with sample processing and nutrient analyses. The University of Illinois at Chicago DNA Services Facility (Chicago, Illinois) performed sequencing and Research Computing at the University of Florida (HiPerGator) provided servers for bioinformatics analyses.
Funding
This project was supported by United States Department of Agriculture- National Institute of Food and Agriculture- Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant (2018-67019-27707) awarded to SLS and PWI and Hatch Grant (1011186) (SLS).
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Nevins, C.J., Inglett, P.W. & Strauss, S.L. Biological soil crusts structure the subsurface microbiome in a sandy agroecosystem. Plant Soil 462, 311–329 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04868-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04868-2