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Applied and Environmental Microbiology
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Environmental Microbiology

High Microbial Diversity Promotes Soil Ecosystem Functioning

Pierre-Alain Maron, Amadou Sarr, Aurore Kaisermann, Jean Lévêque, Olivier Mathieu, Julien Guigue, Battle Karimi, Laetitia Bernard, Samuel Dequiedt, Sébastien Terrat, Abad Chabbi, Lionel Ranjard
Harold L. Drake, Editor
Pierre-Alain Maron
aUMR 1347 Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Amadou Sarr
aUMR 1347 Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Aurore Kaisermann
aUMR 1347 Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Jean Lévêque
bUMR 6282 CNRS/uB Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Olivier Mathieu
bUMR 6282 CNRS/uB Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Julien Guigue
bUMR 6282 CNRS/uB Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Battle Karimi
aUMR 1347 Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Laetitia Bernard
cInstitut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR Eco&Sols, Montpellier, France
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Samuel Dequiedt
aUMR 1347 Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Sébastien Terrat
aUMR 1347 Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Abad Chabbi
dUMR ECOSYS, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Thiverval-Grignon, France
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Lionel Ranjard
aUMR 1347 Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
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Harold L. Drake
University of Bayreuth
Roles: Editor
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DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02738-17
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ABSTRACT

In soil, the link between microbial diversity and carbon transformations is challenged by the concept of functional redundancy. Here, we hypothesized that functional redundancy may decrease with increasing carbon source recalcitrance and that coupling of diversity with C cycling may change accordingly. We manipulated microbial diversity to examine how diversity decrease affects the decomposition of easily degradable (i.e., allochthonous plant residues) versus recalcitrant (i.e., autochthonous organic matter) C sources. We found that a decrease in microbial diversity (i) affected the decomposition of both autochthonous and allochthonous carbon sources, thereby reducing global CO2 emission by up to 40%, and (ii) shaped the source of CO2 emission toward preferential decomposition of most degradable C sources. Our results also revealed that the significance of the diversity effect increases with nutrient availability. Altogether, these findings show that C cycling in soil may be more vulnerable to microbial diversity changes than expected from previous studies, particularly in ecosystems exposed to nutrient inputs. Thus, concern about the preservation of microbial diversity may be highly relevant in the current global-change context assumed to impact soil biodiversity and the pulse inputs of plant residues and rhizodeposits into the soil.

IMPORTANCE With hundreds of thousands of taxa per gram of soil, microbial diversity dominates soil biodiversity. While numerous studies have established that microbial communities respond rapidly to environmental changes, the relationship between microbial diversity and soil functioning remains controversial. Using a well-controlled laboratory approach, we provide empirical evidence that microbial diversity may be of high significance for organic matter decomposition, a major process on which rely many of the ecosystem services provided by the soil ecosystem. These new findings should be taken into account in future studies aimed at understanding and predicting the functional consequences of changes in microbial diversity on soil ecosystem services and carbon storage in soil.

FOOTNOTES

    • Received 18 December 2017.
    • Accepted 13 February 2018.
    • Accepted manuscript posted online 16 February 2018.
  • Supplemental material for this article may be found at https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02738-17.

  • Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

All Rights Reserved.

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High Microbial Diversity Promotes Soil Ecosystem Functioning
Pierre-Alain Maron, Amadou Sarr, Aurore Kaisermann, Jean Lévêque, Olivier Mathieu, Julien Guigue, Battle Karimi, Laetitia Bernard, Samuel Dequiedt, Sébastien Terrat, Abad Chabbi, Lionel Ranjard
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Apr 2018, 84 (9) e02738-17; DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02738-17

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High Microbial Diversity Promotes Soil Ecosystem Functioning
Pierre-Alain Maron, Amadou Sarr, Aurore Kaisermann, Jean Lévêque, Olivier Mathieu, Julien Guigue, Battle Karimi, Laetitia Bernard, Samuel Dequiedt, Sébastien Terrat, Abad Chabbi, Lionel Ranjard
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Apr 2018, 84 (9) e02738-17; DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02738-17
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KEYWORDS

microbial diversity
soil organic matter
priming effect
functional redundancy
carbon mineralization

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