Rapid turnover of hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi determined by AMS microanalysis of C-14

Processes in the soil remain among the least well-characterized components of the carbon cycle. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous root symbionts in many terrestrial ecosystems and account for a large fraction of photosynthate in a wide range of ecosystems; they therefore play a key role in the terrestrial carbon cycle. A large part of the fungal mycelium is outside the root ( the extraradical mycelium, ERM) and, because of the dispersed growth pattern and the small diameter of the hyphae (<5 micrometers), exceptionally difficult to study quantitatively. Critically, the longevity of these. ne hyphae has never been measured, although it is assumed to be short. To quantify carbon turnover in these hyphae, we exposed mycorrhizal plants to fossil ("carbon-14 - dead") carbon dioxide and collected samples of ERM hyphae ( up to 116 micrograms) over the following 29 days. Analyses of their carbon-14 content by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) showed that most ERM hyphae of AM fungi live, on average, 5 to 6 days. This high turnover rate reveals a large and rapid mycorrhizal pathway of carbon in the soil carbon cycle

Interactions between labile carbon, temperature and land use regulate carbon dioxide and methane production in tropical peat

Tropical peatlands are a significant carbon store and contribute to global carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions. Tropical peatlands are threatened by both land use and climate change, including the alteration of regional precipitation patterns, and the 3–4 °C predicted warming by 2100. Plant communities in tropical peatlands can regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes through labile carbon inputs, but the extent to which these inputs regulate the temperature response of CO2 and CH4 production in tropical peat remains unclear. We conducted an anoxic incubation experiment using three peat types of contrasting botanical origin to assess how carbon addition affects the temperature response (Q10) of CO2 and CH4 production. Peats from forested peatlands in Panama and Malaysia, and a converted oil palm and pineapple intercropping system in Malaysia, differed significantly in redox potential, total carbon and carbon: nitrogen ratio. The production of CO2 and CH4 varied significantly among peat types and increased with increasing temperature, with Q10s for both gases of 1.4. Carbon addition further increased gas fluxes, but did not influence the Q10 for CO2 or CH4 production or significantly affect the Q10 of either gas. These findings demonstrate that the production of CO2 and CH4 in tropical peat is sensitive to warming and varies among peat types, but that the effect of root inputs in altering Q10 appears to be limited. © 2019, The Author(s)

Peat properties, dominant vegetation type and microbial community structure in a tropical peatland

Tropical peatlands are an important carbon store and source of greenhouse gases, but the microbial component, particularly community structure, remains poorly understood. While microbial communities vary between tropical peatland land uses, and with biogeochemical gradients, it is unclear if their structure varies at smaller spatial scales as has been established for a variety of peat properties. We assessed the abundances of PLFAs and GDGTs, two membrane spanning lipid biomarkers in bacteria and fungi, and bacteria and archaea, respectively, to characterise peat microbial communities under two dominant and contrasting plant species, Campnosperma panamensis (a broadleaved evergreen tree), and Raphia taedigera (a canopy palm), in a Panamanian tropical peatland. The plant communities supported similar microbial communities dominated by Gram negative bacteria (38.9–39.8%), with smaller but significant fungal and archaeal communities. The abundance of specific microbial groups, as well as the ratio of caldarchaeol:crenarchaeol, isoGDGT: brGDGTs and fungi:bacteria were linearly related to gravimetric moisture content, redox potential, pH and organic matter content indicating their role in regulating microbial community structure. These results suggest that tropical peatlands can exhibit significant variability in microbial community abundance even at small spatial scales, driven by both peat botanical origin and localised differences in specific peat properties

Reinterpreting two regime shifts in North Sea plankton communities through the lens of functional traits

The so-called regime shifts in North Sea plankton communities provide an important historical case study to understand marine regime shifts. Previous studies characterized regime shifts using a variety of community metrics (e.g., indicator species abundances, taxonomic composition and chlorophyll biomass) but left the functional traits of plankton unassessed. Here, we explicitly re-assess the historically recognized North Sea regime shifts through the lens of plankton functional traits to gain a better understanding of these events

Composition and concentration of root exudate analogues regulate greenhouse gas fluxes from tropical peat

Tropical peatlands are a significant carbon store and source of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. Plants can contribute to these gas emissions through the release of root exudates, including sugars and organic acids amongst other biomolecules, but the roles of concentration and composition of exudates in regulating emissions remains poorly understood. We conducted a laboratory incubation to assess how the type and concentration of root exudate analogues regulate CO2 and CH4 production from tropical peats under anoxic conditions. For CO2 production, substrate concentration was the more important driver, with increased CO2 fluxes following higher addition rates of four out of the six exudate analogues. In contrast, exudate type was the more important driver of CH4 production, with acetate addition associated with the greatest production, and inverse correlations between exudate concentration and CH4 emission for the remaining five treatments. Root exudate analogues also altered pH and redox potential, dependent on the type of addition (organic acid or sugar) and the concentration. Overall, these findings demonstrate the contrasting roles of composition and concentration of root exudate inputs in regulating greenhouse gas emissions from tropical peatlands. In turn this highlights how changes in plant communities will influence emissions through species specific inputs, and the possible impacts of increased root exudation driven by rising atmospheric CO2 and warming

Root herbivores drive changes to plant primary chemistry, but root loss is mitigated under elevated atmospheric CO2

Above- and belowground herbivory represents a major challenge to crop productivity and sustainable agriculture worldwide. How this threat from multiple herbivore pests will change under anthropogenic climate change, via altered trophic interactions and plant response traits, is key to understanding future crop resistance to herbivory. In this study, we hypothesized that atmospheric carbon enrichment would increase the amount (biomass) and quality (C:N ratio) of crop plant resources for above- and belowground herbivore species. In a controlled environment facility, we conducted a microcosm experiment using the large raspberry aphid (Amphorophora idaei), the root feeding larvae of the vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus), and the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) host-plant. There were four herbivore treatments (control, aphid only, weevil only and a combination of both herbivores) and an ambient (aCO2) or elevated (eCO2) CO2 treatment (390 versus 650 ± 50 μmol/mol) assigned to two raspberry cultivars (cv Glen Ample or Glen Clova) varying in resistance to aphid herbivory. Contrary to our predictions, eCO2 did not increase crop biomass or the C:N ratio of the plant tissues, nor affect herbivore abundance either directly or via the host-plant. Root herbivory reduced belowground crop biomass under aCO2 but not eCO2, suggesting that crops could tolerate attack in a CO2 enriched environment. Root herbivory also increased the C:N ratio in leaf tissue at eCO2, potentially due to decreased N uptake indicated by lower N concentrations found in the roots. Root herbivory greatly increased root C concentrations under both CO2 treatments. Our findings confirm that responses of crop biomass and biochemistry to climate change need examining within the context of herbivory, as biotic interactions appear as important as direct effects of eCO2 on crop productivity

Direct isotopic evidence of biogenic methane production and efflux from beneath a temperate glacier

The base of glaciers and ice sheets provide environments suitable for the production of methane. High pressure conditions beneath the impermeable ‘cap’ of overlying ice promote entrapment of methane reserves that can be released to the atmosphere during ice thinning and meltwater evacuation. However, contemporary glaciers and ice sheets are rarely accounted for as methane contributors through field measurements. Here, we present direct field-based evidence of methane production and release from beneath the Icelandic glacier Sólheimajökull, where geothermal activity creates sub-oxic conditions suited to methane production and preservation along the meltwater flow path. Methane production at the glacier bed (48 tonnes per day, or 39 mM CH4 m−2 day−1), and evasion to the atmosphere from the proglacial stream (41 tonnes per day, or 32 M CH4 m−2 day−1) indicates considerable production and release to the atmosphere during the summer melt season. Isotopic signatures (−60.2‰ to −7.6‰ for δ13CCH4 and −324.3‰ to +161.1‰ for DCH4), support a biogenic signature within waters emerging from the subglacial environment. Temperate glacial methane production and release may thus be a significant and hitherto unresolved contributor of a potent greenhouse gas to the atmosphere

Soil microbial nutrient constraints along a tropical forest elevation gradient: a belowground test of a biogeochemical paradigm

Aboveground primary productivity is widely considered to be limited by phosphorus (P) availability in lowland tropical forests and by nitrogen (N) availability in montane tropical forests. However, the extent to which this paradigm applies to belowground processes remains unresolved. We measured indices of soil microbial nutrient status in lowland, sub-montane and montane tropical forests along a natural gradient spanning 3400 m in elevation in the Peruvian Andes. With increasing elevation there were marked increases in soil concentrations of total N, total P, and readily exchangeable P, but a decrease in N mineralization determined by in situ resin bags. Microbial carbon (C) and N increased with increasing elevation, but microbial C : N : P ratios were relatively constant, suggesting homeostasis. The activity of hydrolytic enzymes, which are rich in N, decreased with increasing elevation, while the ratio of enzymes involved in the acquisition of N and P increased with increasing elevation, further indicating an increase in the relative demand for N compared to P with increasing elevation. We conclude that soil microorganisms shift investment in nutrient acquisition from P to N between lowland and montane tropical forests, suggesting that different nutrients regulate soil microbial metabolism and the soil carbon balance in these ecosystems

Freshwater umbrella - the effects of nitrogen deposition & climate change on freshwaters in the UK

In upland areas of the UK located away from direct human disturbance through agriculture, industrial activities and urban pollution, atmospheric pollution poses one of the major threats to the chemical and biological quality of lakes and streams. One of the most important groups of pollutants is nitrogen (N) compounds, including oxidised forms of N called NOx, generated mainly by fossil fuel combustion especially in motor vehicles, and reduced forms of N (ammonia gas or dissolved ammonium compounds) generated mainly from agricultural activities and livestock. These nitrogen compounds may dissolve in rain or soilwater to form acids, or may be taken up as nutrients by plants and soil microbes in upland catchments, and then subsequently released in acid form associated with nitrate leaching at a later date. It is well established that nitrate leaching contributes to acidification of upland waters, with damage to aquatic ecosystems including plants, invertebrates and fish. However it has recently been suggested that nitrate leaching may also be associated with nutrient enrichment of upland waters that contain biological communities adapted to very low nutrient levels

Spatial variability of organic matter properties determines methane fluxes in a tropical forested peatland

Tropical peatland ecosystems are a significant component of the global carbon cycle and feature a range of distinct vegetation types, but the extent of links between contrasting plant species, peat biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas fluxes remains unclear. Here we assessed how vegetation affects small scale variation of tropical peatland carbon dynamics by quantifying in situ greenhouse gas emissions over 1 month using the closed chamber technique, and peat organic matter properties using Rock-Eval 6 pyrolysis within the rooting zones of canopy palms and broadleaved evergreen trees. Mean methane fluxes ranged from 0.56 to 1.2 mg m−2 h−1 and were significantly greater closer to plant stems. In addition, pH, ranging from 3.95 to 4.16, was significantly greater closer to stems. A three pool model of organic matter thermal stability (labile, intermediate and passive pools) indicated a large labile pool in surface peat (35–42%), with equivalent carbon stocks of 2236–3065 g m−2. Methane fluxes were driven by overall substrate availability rather than any specific carbon pool. No peat properties correlated with carbon dioxide fluxes, suggesting a significant role for root respiration, aerobic decomposition and/or methane oxidation. These results demonstrate how vegetation type and inputs, and peat organic matter properties are important determinants of small scale spatial variation of methane fluxes in tropical peatlands that are affected by climate and land use change