TY - JOUR
T1 - Accurate detection of soil microbial community responses to environmental change requires the use of multiple methods
AU - Osburn, Ernest D.
AU - McBride, Steven G.
AU - Kupper, Joseph V.
AU - Nelson, Jim A.
AU - McNear, David H.
AU - McCulley, Rebecca L.
AU - Barrett, J. E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - Identifying general patterns in microbial community responses to global change factors remains a challenge in soil ecology, partially due to different methods used to characterize microbial communities among studies. In this study, we used DNA-based (qPCR, sequencing) and PLFA approaches to assess microbial responses to both land use change and drought-rewetting. Both methods detected microbial community responses to land use change but the drought-rewetting responses detected by the two methods were qualitatively different: PLFAs revealed clear effects of soil drying on microbial communities, which 16S sequencing did not. In contrast, sequencing revealed strong responses to rewetting, which PLFAs did not show. Further, PLFAs revealed a marked increase in fungal:bacterial (F:B) ratios following drought, which was not evident in our qPCR data. Overall, our results show that full elucidation of microbial community responses to global change will require the use of multiple methodological approaches.
AB - Identifying general patterns in microbial community responses to global change factors remains a challenge in soil ecology, partially due to different methods used to characterize microbial communities among studies. In this study, we used DNA-based (qPCR, sequencing) and PLFA approaches to assess microbial responses to both land use change and drought-rewetting. Both methods detected microbial community responses to land use change but the drought-rewetting responses detected by the two methods were qualitatively different: PLFAs revealed clear effects of soil drying on microbial communities, which 16S sequencing did not. In contrast, sequencing revealed strong responses to rewetting, which PLFAs did not show. Further, PLFAs revealed a marked increase in fungal:bacterial (F:B) ratios following drought, which was not evident in our qPCR data. Overall, our results show that full elucidation of microbial community responses to global change will require the use of multiple methodological approaches.
KW - Drought
KW - Forest
KW - PLFA
KW - Rewetting
KW - Sequencing
KW - fungal:bacterial
KW - qPCR
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129443212&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85129443212&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108685
DO - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108685
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85129443212
SN - 0038-0717
VL - 169
JO - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
JF - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
M1 - 108685
ER -