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Soil Microbial Diversity in the Vicinity of Desert Shrubs

  • Soil Microbiology
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Abstract

Water and nutrient availability are the major limiting factors of biological activity in arid and semiarid ecosystems. Therefore, perennial plants have developed different ecophysiological adaptations to cope with harsh conditions. The chemical profile of the root exudates varies among plant species and this can induce variability in associated microbial populations. We examined the influence of two shrubs species, Artemisia sieberi and Noaea mucronata, on soil microbial diversity. Soil samples were collected monthly, from December 2006 to November 2007, near canopies of both shrubs (0–10-cm depth). Samples were used for abiotic tests and determination of soil bacterial diversity. No significant differences were found in the abiotic variables (soil moisture, total organic matter, and total soluble nitrogen (TSN)) between soil samples collected from under the two shrubs during the study period. No obvious differences in the Shannon–Weaver index, evenness values, or total phylogenetic distances were found for the soil microbial communities. However, detailed denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) clustering as well as taxonomic diversity analyses indicated clear shifts in the soil microbial community composition. These shifts were governed by seasonal variability in water availability and, significantly, by plant species type.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Lilach Iasur, Hila Elifantz, and Patricia Bucki (students of Dr. Dror Minz), and Dr. Einav Mayzlish-Gati for consultation and guidance. Many thanks go to Dr. Orit Shaul for providing the necessary equipment. Special thanks to Ms. Sharon Victor for language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel

    Vered Saul-Tcherkas & Yosef Steinberger

  2. Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA

    Adrian Unc

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  1. Vered Saul-Tcherkas
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  2. Adrian Unc
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  3. Yosef Steinberger
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Correspondence to Yosef Steinberger.

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This paper is dedicated in loving memory to Saul Saul (father of V.S.-T.).

Subject category: Microbial population and community ecology: environmental factors (biotic and abiotic) defining the distribution and abundance of microbial populations.

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Saul-Tcherkas, V., Unc, A. & Steinberger, Y. Soil Microbial Diversity in the Vicinity of Desert Shrubs. Microb Ecol 65, 689–699 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-012-0141-8

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