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Phosphate Addition and Plant Species Alters Microbial Community Structure in Acidic Upland Grassland Soil

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Abstract

Agricultural improvement (addition of fertilizers, liming) of seminatural acidic grasslands across Ireland and the UK has resulted in significant shifts in floristic composition, soil chemistry, and microbial community structure. Although several factors have been proposed as responsible for driving shifts in microbial communities, the exact causes of such changes are not well defined. Phosphate was added to grassland microcosms to investigate the effect on fungal and bacterial communities. Plant species typical of unimproved grasslands (Agrostis capillaris, Festuca ovina) and agriculturally improved grasslands (Lolium perenne) were grown, and phosphate was added 25 days after seed germination, with harvesting after a further 50 days. Phosphate addition significantly increased root biomass (p < 0.001) and shoot biomass (p < 0.05), soil pH (by 0.1 U), and microbial activity (by 5.33 mg triphenylformazan [TPF] g−1 soil; p < 0.001). A slight decrease (by 0.257 mg biomass-C g−1 soil; p < 0.05) in microbial biomass after phosphate addition was found. The presence of plant species significantly decreased soil pH (p < 0.05; by up to 0.2 U) and increased microbial activity (by up to 6.02 mg TPF g−1 soil) but had no significant effect on microbial biomass. Microbial communities were profiled using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis. Multidimensional scaling plots and canonical correspondence analysis revealed that phosphate addition and its interactions with upland grassland plant species resulted in considerable changes in the fungal and bacterial communities of upland soil. The fungal community structure was significantly affected by both phosphate (R = 0.948) and plant species (R = 0.857), and the bacterial community structure was also significantly affected by phosphate (R = 0.758) and plant species (R = 0.753). Differences in microbial community structure following P addition were also revealed by similarity percentage analysis. These data suggest that phosphate application may be an important contributor to microbial community structural change during agricultural management of upland grasslands.

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Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency grant 2002-PHD2-16 under the Environmental Research Technological Development and Innovation (ERTDI) program. The authors would like to thank Deirdre Gleeson for statistical guidance and Mary Murphy for technical assistance and acknowledge valuable discussions with Nabla Kennedy and Lorraine Muckian. The authors also thank three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and advice on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbial Ecology Group, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Ardmore Annexe, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland

    Deirdre C. Rooney & Nicholas J. W. Clipson

  2. Department of Biology, University of York, Area 14, P.O. Box 373, York, YO10 5YW, UK

    Deirdre C. Rooney

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  1. Deirdre C. Rooney
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  2. Nicholas J. W. Clipson
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Correspondence to Deirdre C. Rooney.

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Rooney, D.C., Clipson, N.J.W. Phosphate Addition and Plant Species Alters Microbial Community Structure in Acidic Upland Grassland Soil. Microb Ecol 57, 4–13 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-008-9399-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-008-9399-2

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