title: Climate-induced die-off affects plant-soil-microbe ecological relationship and functioning.
abstract: This study reports the relationship between the diversity and functioning of fungal and bacterial soil communities with vegetation in Mediterranean woodland that experienced severe die-off after a drought episode. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorfism (TRFLP) was used to describe microbial community structure and diversity five years after the episode in different habitats (Juniperus woodland, shrubland, grassland), when the vegetation had not yet recovered. Vegetation diversity was positively related to TRF bacterial richness under unaffected canopies and was higher in diverse grassland. Fungal TRF richness correlated with vegetation type, being greater in Juniperus woodland. Microbial respiration increased in grassland, whereas microbial biomass, estimated from soil substrate-induced respiration (SIR), decreased with bacterial diversity. Die-off increased bacterial richness and changed bacterial composition, particularly in Juniperus woodland, where herbaceous species increased, while fungal diversity was reduced in Juniperus woodland. Die-off increased microbial respiration rates. The impact on vegetation from extreme weather episodes spread to microbial communities by modifying vegetation composition and litter quantity and quality, particularly as a result of the increase in herbaceous species. Our results suggest that climate-induced die-off triggers significant cascade effects on soil microbial communities, which may in turn further influence ecosystem C dynamics.
authors.affiliation: CREAF, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), E-08193 Catalonia, Spain U. Ecologia, Dept. Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), Spain francisco.lloret@uab.cat.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lloret
authors.affiliation: CREAF, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), E-08193 Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mattana
authors.affiliation: CREAF, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), E-08193 Catalonia, Spain Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), CSIC, Serrano 115 dpdo, E-28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Curiel Yuste
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D044822:Biodiversity; D018533:Biomass; D002980:Climate; D055864:Droughts; D065928:Forests; D005658:Fungi / Q000254:growth & development*; D059013:Microbial Consortia; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012987:Soil; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: climate change; drought episode; extreme climatic event; microbial diversity; microbial soil respiration; soil microbial community