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Effects of experimental and seasonal drying on soil microbial biomass and nutrient cycling in four lowland tropical forests

Biogeochemistry volume 161, pages 227–250 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Changes in precipitation represent a major effect of climate change on tropical forests, which contain some of the earth’s largest terrestrial carbon (C) stocks. Such changes are expected to influence microbes, nutrients, and the fate of C in tropical forest soils. To explore this, we assessed soil microbial biomass, potential extracellular enzyme activities, and nutrient availability in a partial throughfall exclusion experiment in four seasonal lowland tropical humid forests in Panama with wide variation in precipitation and soil fertility. We hypothesized that throughfall exclusion would reduce microbial biomass and activity and accentuate dry season soil nutrient accumulation, with larger effects in wetter, less drought-resistant forests. We observed a baseline seasonal pattern of decreased microbial biomass and increased extractable dissolved organic C (DOC), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), nitrate (NO3−), and resin-extractable phosphorus (P) in the dry season, with the strongest patterns for nitrogen (N). However, potential enzyme activities showed no consistent seasonality. In line with seasonal drying, throughfall exclusion decreased soil microbial biomass in the wet season and increased TDN and NO3−, especially in the dry season. In contrast to seasonal drying, throughfall exclusion decreased DOC and did not affect resin-extractable P, but slightly decreased potential phosphatase activities. Potential enzyme activities varied among sites and sampling times, but did not explain much variation in microbial biomass or substrate availability. We conclude that reduced rainfall in tropical forests might accentuate some dry season patterns, like reductions in microbial biomass and accumulation of extractable nutrients. However, our data also suggest new patterns, like reduced inputs of DOC to soils with drying, which could have cascading effects on soil ecological function and C storage.

Resumen

Los cambios en la precipitación representan un efecto principal del cambio climático en los bosques tropicales, los cuales contienen unas de las reservas terrestriales de carbono (C) más grandes del mundo. Se proyecta que tales cambios van a influir a los microbios, los nutrientes, y el destino del C en los suelos de los bosques tropicales. Aquí evaluamos la biomasa de microbios, la actividad potencial de enzimas extracelulares, y la disponibilidad de nutrientes del suelo en un experimento de exclusión parcial de lluvia en cuatro bosques húmedos tropicales estacionales de tierras bajas en Panamá, los cuales tienen variación grande en precipitación y fertilidad del suelo. Hipotetizamos que la exclusión de lluvia reduciría la biomasa y la actividad de microbios del suelo y acentuaría la acumulación de nutrientes en el suelo, los cuales occurren durante la estación seca. También hipotetizamos que la exclusión de lluvia tendría efectos más grandes en bosques relativamente más húmedos, los cuales probablemente son menos resistentes a la sequía. Observamos que la sequía estacional fue correlacionada con una reducción en la biomasa de microbios, con aumentos de C orgánico disuelto en los suelos (DOC), y con aumentos de nitrógeno soluble (TDN), nitrato (NO3−), y fósforo extraíble por resinas (P) en la estación seca, con el efecto más fuerte en nitrógeno (N). Sin embargo, las actividades de enzimas extracelulares potenciales no cambiaron consistentemente con las estaciones. La exclusión parcial de lluvia experimental disminuyó la biomasa de microbios del suelo en la estación lluviosa y aumentó el TDN y NO3−, especialmente en la estación seca, similar a los patrones naturales. En contraste con la sequía estacional, la exclusión de lluvia disminuyó el DOC. La exclusión parcial de lluvia no afectó el P extraíble, pero disminuyó un poco las actividades potenciales de las fosfatasas. Las actividades potenciales de enzimas extracelulares variaron entre sitios y fechas de colección, pero no explicaron mucha variación en la biomasa de microbios o la disponibilidad de sustratos. Estos resultados indican que las reducciones de lluvia en bosques tropicales pueden acentuar algunos patrones de la estación seca, como reducciones en la biomasa de microbios y la acumulación de nutrientes extraíbles. Sin embargo, nuestros datos también sugieren nuevos patrones, como ingresos reducidos de DOC al suelo, los cuales pueden causar efectos en cascada en las funciones ecológicas y el almacenamiento de C en los suelos.

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Data availability

The raw data from this project is being submitted as Online Resource 2.

Code availability

The R code used in analyzing the data is being submitted as Online Resource 3.

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Funding

Funding was provided by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Grant DE-SC0015898 to D. F. Cusack. We thank Alice Lin, Frida Perez, Korina Valencia, Clayton Coleman, and Maíra Oliveira Macedo for field and laboratory support, and we thank the STRI Soils Lab, especially Dayana Agudo and Aleksandra Bielnicka, for laboratory support. We thank Cynthia Kallenbach, Edzo Veldkamp, and one anonymous reviewer for thoughtful comments which substantially improved the manuscript. Assistance with the map was provided by Matt Zebrowski, cartographer, UCLA.

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Author notes

  1. Lee H. Dietterich

    Present address: US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Environmental Laboratory, Vicksburg, MS, 39180, USA

  2. Lee H. Dietterich

    Present address: University of Georgia, River Basin Center, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Campus Delivery 1476, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Lee H. Dietterich, Amanda L. Cordeiro, Carley Tsiames & Daniela F. Cusack

  2. Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles, 1255 Bunche Hall, Box 951524, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Lee H. Dietterich, Makenna Brown, Lily Colburn, Amanda L. Cordeiro, Alexandra Hedgpeth, Weronika Konwent, Gabriel Oppler, Jacqueline Reu, Anneke Zeko & Daniela F. Cusack

  3. Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Nicholas J. Bouskill & Stephany S. Chacon

  4. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Panama, Republic of Panama

    Biancolini Castro, Edwin H. García, Adonis Antonio Gordon, Eugenio Gordon, Eric Valdes & Daniela F. Cusack

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  1. Lee H. Dietterich
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Contributions

LHD and DFC led the experimental design and approach. LHD, MB, BC, SSC, LC, ALC, EHG, AAG, EG, AH, WK, GO, JR, CT, EV, AZ, and DFC assisted with experimental construction, maintenance, and data collection. BC, EHG, AAG, EG, and EV contributed valuable local knowledge and field expertise. LHD analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. NJB, MB, SSC, LC, ALC, AH, WK, GO, JR, CT, AZ, and DFC assisted with literature review and manuscript editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lee H. Dietterich.

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Supplementary material 2 (XLSX 796 kb)

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Supplementary material 3 (R 153 kb)

Online Resource 3. R code used to analyze data and make figures.

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Dietterich, L.H., Bouskill, N.J., Brown, M. et al. Effects of experimental and seasonal drying on soil microbial biomass and nutrient cycling in four lowland tropical forests. Biogeochemistry 161, 227–250 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-022-00980-2

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