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Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Causes a Decline of Intra- and Extraradical Abundance of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Changes in Microbial Community Structure in Northern Hardwood Forests

Ecosystems volume 13, pages 683–695 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Increased nitrogen (N) deposition caused by human activities has altered ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. To understand the effects of altered N availability, we measured the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the microbial community in northern hardwood forests exposed to long-term (12 years) simulated N deposition (30 kg N ha−1 y−1) using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and hyphal in-growth bags. Intra- and extraradical AMF biomass and total microbial biomass were significantly decreased by simulated N deposition by 36, 41, and 24%, respectively. Both methods of extraradical AMF biomass estimation (soil PLFA 16:1ω5c and hyphal in-growth bags) showed comparable treatment responses, and extraradical biomass represented the majority of total (intra-plus extraradical) AMF biomass. N deposition also significantly affected the microbial community structure, leading to a 10% decrease in fungal to bacterial biomass ratios. Our observed decline in AMF and total microbial biomass together with changes in microbial community structure could have substantial impacts on the nutrient and carbon cycling within northern hardwood forest ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the NSF (Grant # 0614422 and 0735116) and the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station for their continued support of this project, and the Ecosystem Science Center from Michigan Technological University for their research grant which supported part of this project. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments on a previous version of this manuscript. Further, we are thankful to Cheryl Krol for analyzing some of the PLFA samples (Argonne National Laboratory).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecosystem Science Center, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, 49931, USA

    Linda T. A. van Diepen

  2. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Houghton, Michigan, 49931, USA

    Erik A. Lilleskov

  3. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 89512, USA

    Kurt S. Pregitzer

  4. Environmental Research Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, 60439-4843, USA

    R. Michael Miller

  5. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 830 North University, 2019 Kraus Natural Science Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1048, USA

    Linda T. A. van Diepen

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  1. Linda T. A. van Diepen
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  2. Erik A. Lilleskov
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  3. Kurt S. Pregitzer
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Correspondence to Linda T. A. van Diepen.

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Author Contributions

LVD, EAL and KSP designed the study. EAL, KSP and RMM contributed to writing paper. LVD performed research, analyzed data and wrote the paper.

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van Diepen, L.T.A., Lilleskov, E.A., Pregitzer, K.S. et al. Simulated Nitrogen Deposition Causes a Decline of Intra- and Extraradical Abundance of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Changes in Microbial Community Structure in Northern Hardwood Forests. Ecosystems 13, 683–695 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-010-9347-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-010-9347-0

Keywords

  • arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
  • phospholipid fatty acid
  • nitrogen
  • mycelium
  • microbial community
  • sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
  • forest
  • in-growth bags

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