82 research outputs found
Arbuscular mycorrhizas in phosphate-polluted soil: interrelations between root colonization and nitrogen
To investigate whether arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) – abundant in a phosphate-polluted but nitrogen-poor field site – improve plant N nutrition, we carried out a two-factorial experiment, including N fertilization and fungicide treatment.
Percentage of root length colonized (% RLC) by AMF and tissue element concentrations were determined for four resident plant species. Furthermore, soil nutrient levels and N effects on aboveground biomass of individual species were measured. Nitrogen fertilization lowered % RLC by AMF of
Artemisia vulgaris L., Picris hieracioides L. and Poa compressa L., but not of Bromus japonicus Thunb. This – together with positive N addition effects on N status, N:P-ratio and aboveground biomass of most species – suggested that plants are mycorrhizal because of N deficiency. Fungicide treatment, which reduced % RLC in all species, resulted in lower N concentrations in A. vulgaris and P. hieracioides, a higher N concentration in P. compressa, and did not consistently affect N status of B. japonicus. Evidently, AMF had an influence on the N nutrition of plants in this P-rich soil; however – potentially due to differences in their mycorrhizal responsiveness – not all species seemed to benefit froma mycorrhiza-mediated N uptake and accordingly, N distribution
Forest age and plant species composition determine the soil fungal community composition in a Chinese subtropical forest
Non peer reviewedPublisher PD
DNA- and RNA- Derived Fungal Communities in Subsurface Aquifers Only Partly Overlap but React Similarly to Environmental Factors
Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies have revolutionized
our understanding of microbial diversity and composition in relation to their environment. HTS-based
characterization of metabolically active (RNA-derived) and total (DNA-derived) fungal communities
in different terrestrial habitats has revealed profound differences in both richness and community
compositions. However, such DNA- and RNA-based HTS comparisons are widely missing for
fungal communities of groundwater aquifers in the terrestrial biogeosphere. Therefore, in this
study, we extracted DNA and RNA from groundwater samples of two pristine aquifers in the
Hainich CZE and employed paired-end Illumina sequencing of the fungal nuclear ribosomal internal
transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region to comprehensively test difference/similarities in the “total” and
“active” fungal communities. We found no significant differences in the species richness between
the DNA- and RNA-derived fungal communities, but the relative abundances of various fungal
operational taxonomic units (OTUs) appeared to differ. We also found the same set of environmental
parameters to shape the “total” and “active” fungal communities in the targeted aquifers. Furthermore,
our comparison also underlined that about 30%–40% of the fungal OTUs were only detected in
RNA-derived communities. This implies that the active fungal communities analyzed by HTS
methods in the subsurface aquifers are actually not a subset of supposedly total fungal communities.
In general, our study highlights the importance of differentiating the potential (DNA-derived) and
expressed (RNA-derived) members of the fungal communities in aquatic ecosystems
Climate change and cropland management compromise soil integrity and multifunctionality
Soils provide essential ecosystem functions that are threatened by climate change and intensified land use. We explore how climate and land use impact multiple soil function simultaneously, employing two datasets: (1) observational – 456 samples from the European Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey; and (2) experimental – 80 samples from Germany’s Global Change Experimental Facility. We aim to investigate whether manipulative field experiment results align with observable climate, land use, and soil multifunctionality trends across Europe, measuring seven ecosystem functions to calculate soil multifunctionality. The observational data showed Europe-wide declines in soil multifunctionality under rising temperatures and dry conditions, worsened by cropland management. Our experimental data confirmed these relationships, suggesting that changes in climate will reduce soil multifunctionality across croplands and grasslands. Land use changes from grasslands to croplands threaten the integrity of soil systems, and enhancing soil multifunctionality in arable systems is key to maintain multifunctionality in a changing climate
Challenges of and opportunities for protecting European soil biodiversity
Soil biodiversity and related ecosystem functions are neglected in most biodiversity assessments and nature conservation actions. We examined how society, and particularly policy makers, have addressed these factors worldwide with a focus on Europe and explored the role of soils in nature conservation in Germany as an example. We reviewed past and current global and European policies, compared soil ecosystem functioning in- and outside protected areas, and examined the role of soils in nature conservation management via text analyses. Protection and conservation of soil biodiversity and soil ecosystem functioning have been insufficient. Soil-related policies are unenforceable and lack soil biodiversity conservation goals, focusing instead on other environmental objectives. We found no evidence of positive effects of current nature conservation measures in multiple soil ecosystem functions in Europe. In German conservation management, soils are considered only from a limited perspective (e.g., as physicochemical part of the environment and as habitat for aboveground organisms). By exploring policy, evidence, and management as it relates to soil ecosystems, we suggest an integrative perspective to move nature conservation toward targeting soil ecosystems directly (e.g., by setting baselines, monitoring soil threats, and establishing a soil indicator system)
Growing Research Networks on Mycorrhizae for Mutual Benefits
Research on mycorrhizal interactions has traditionally developed into separate disciplines addressing different organizational levels. This separation has led to an incomplete understanding of mycorrhizal functioning. Integration of mycorrhiza research at different scales is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the context dependency of mycorrhizal associations, and to use mycorrhizae for solving environmental issues. Here, we provide a road map for the integration of mycorrhiza research into a unique framework that spans genes to ecosystems. Using two key topics, we identify parallels in mycorrhiza research at different organizational levels. Based on two current projects, we show how scientific integration creates synergies, and discuss future directions. Only by overcoming disciplinary boundaries, we will achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the functioning of mycorrhizal associations
Designing forest biodiversity experiments : general considerations illustrated by a new large experiment in subtropical China
Funded by German Research Foundation. Grant Number: DFG FOR 891/1 and 2 National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Numbers: NSFC 30710103907, 30930005, 31170457 , 31210103910 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Sino-German Centre for Research Promotion in BeijingPeer reviewedPublisher PD
Towards a methodical framework for comprehensively assessing forest multifunctionality
Funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Grant Number: DFG FOR 891/1-3 National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Numbers: 30710103907, 30930005, 31170457, 31210103910 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Sino-German Centre for Research Promotion in Beijing. Grant Number: GZ 986Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Contribution a l'etude d'une espece de morille de la foret rhenane Morchella rotunda (Pers.) Boudier : perspectives de domestication
SIGLECNRS T Bordereau / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc
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