Abstract
Purpose
The effects of trees on soil nematode communities are related to nutrient cycles in forest ecosystems. We conducted greenhouse pot experiments to determine the effects of a single tree species for each of coniferous and broad-leaved tree on soil nematodes.
Methods
Soils were collected from a coniferous plantation and broad-leaved forests. Seedlings of a coniferous tree (Cryptomeria japonica) and a broad-leaved tree (Quercus serrata) were planted in soils derived from each species. After 11 months, seedling biomass, soil properties, and ectomycorrhizal fungal colonization of Q. serrata were measured. Soil nematodes were morphologically identified to the genus/family level and differentiated by community and trophic composition.
Results
C. japonica root biomass was significantly higher than that of Q. serrata regardless of the soil and nematode community structures were significantly different between the species. The fungal: bacterial ratio and density of fungivorous nematodes were significantly higher in broad-leaved soils. Herbivorous nematodes increased significantly in C. japonica seedlings grown in broad-leaved soils. Structural equation modeling indicated that soil origin and tree species directly regulated nematode trophic compositions.
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that tree species modify soil micro-food webs by affecting microbial abundance and nematode trophic composition. Specifically, C. japonica, with a larger root biomass, increased the number of herbivorous nematodes, whereas Q. serrata, with ectomycorrhizal fungal symbiosis, increased the number of fungivorous nematodes. Thus, tree species are tightly involved in shaping nematode communities in forest ecosystems through root traits and mycorrhizal types.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Mr. G. Yamanaka (The Mie Prefectural Forestry Research Center) for permission to access study sites. We also thank members of the laboratory of Forest Mycology at Mie University for their support with field sampling. We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing. This study was supported in part by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) 18H02237, 21H02232 to YM and JSPS Research Fellow 18 J13285, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists 21 K14876 to YK from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
Funding
This study was supported in part by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) 18H02237, 21H02232 to YM and JSPS Research Fellow 18 J13285, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists 21 K14876 to YK from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by YK, KS and YM. The first draft of the manuscript was written by YK and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Fig. S1. A conceptual figure of pot experiment. (a) 4 soil and tree species treatment combinations were established; Cryptomeria japonica soil with C. japonica seedlings (CC); Quercus serrata soil with C. japonica seedlings (QC); C. japonica soil with Q. serrata seedlings (CQ); Q. serrata soil with Q. serrata seedlings (QQ). (b) C. japonica and Q. serrata seedlings in pots grown for 11 months. (c) Procedures of experimental set-up. Fig. S2. Hypothesized initial full model. Soil origins and tree species were indicated as a categorical explanatory variable, i.e. soil origins; C. japonica (1) and Q. serrata (2), tree species; C. japonica (1) and Q. serrata (2). Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to reduce the dimensions of soil abiotic factors, i.e., soil pH and C/N. The first principal component of soil properties (Soil PC1) was negatively correlated with soil pH and C/N ratio (see Fig. S3). Bact, abundance of bacterivores; Fung, abundance of fungivores; Herb, abundance of herbivores; Pred&Omni, abundance of predators and omnivores. Fig. S3. Principal component analysis of soil abiotic factors (soil pH and C/N ratio) from 96 pots. Cryptomeria japonica soil with C. japonica seedlings (CC); Quercus serrata soil with C. japonica seedlings (QC); C. japonica soil with Q. serrata seedlings (CQ); Q. serrata soil with Q. serrata seedlings (QQ). Fig. S4. Non-metric multidimensional scaling scatterplot of Chao dissimilarity based on the abundance of nematode taxa derived from four treatments and no seedling pots as control. Stress value = 0.227. Treatment codes show Cryptomeria japonica soil with C. japonica seedlings (CC); Quercus serrata soil with C. japonica seedlings (QC); C. japonica soil with Q. serrata seedlings (CQ); Q. serrata soil with Q. serrata seedlings (QQ). The “origin” showed the dataset at the time of sampling. The “control” showed the dataset of no tree treatments. Nematode community structures were clustered significantly into each treatment (PERMANOVA, P < 0.001, R2 = 0.73). Fig. S5. Number of total nematodes and four trophic groups per 100-g dry soil at four different treatments and no seedling pots as control. Columns are means (n = 24) with standard errors excepting for the number of control pots (n = 9). Treatment codes show Cryptomeria japonica soil with C. japonica seedlings (CC); Quercus serrata soil with C. japonica seedlings (QC); C. japonica soil with Q. serrata seedlings (CQ); Q. serrata soil with Q. serrata seedlings (QQ). C and Q indicate no tree treatments, i.e., only C. japonica and Q. serrata soils, respectively. (PPTX 452 kb)
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Kitagami, Y., Suzuki, K. & Matsuda, Y. Effects of tree species identity and soil origin on soil nematode communities and trophic composition in coniferous and broad-leaved forests. Plant Soil (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06599-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06599-6