Spatial heterogeneity of physicochemical properties explains differences in microbial composition in arid soils from Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico

PeerJ

article

Silvia Pajares¹  Ana E. Escalante³  Ana M. Noguez⁴  Felipe García-Oliva⁵  Celeste Martínez-Piedragil⁵  Silke S. Cram⁶  Luis Enrique Eguiarte⁴  Valeria Souza⁴ 

[1] Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad Académica de Ecología y Biodiversidad Acuática, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México;Departamento de Procesos y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana;Instituto de Ecología, Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México;Instituto de Ecología, Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México;Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México;Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

关键词: Arid soils;    Physicochemical properties;    Spatial heterogeneity;    T-RFLPs;    Biological soil crusts;    Cuatro Cienegas Basin;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.2459

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Arid ecosystems are characterized by high spatial heterogeneity, and the variation among vegetation patches is a clear example. Soil biotic and abiotic factors associated with these patches have also been well documented as highly heterogeneous in space. Given the low vegetation cover and little precipitation in arid ecosystems, soil microorganisms are the main drivers of nutrient cycling. Nonetheless, little is known about the spatial distribution of microorganisms and the relationship that their diversity holds with nutrients and other physicochemical gradients in arid soils. In this study, we evaluated the spatial variability of soil microbial diversity and chemical parameters (nutrients and ion content) at local scale (meters) occurring in a gypsum-based desert soil, to gain knowledge on what soil abiotic factors control the distribution of microbes in arid ecosystems. We analyzed 32 soil samples within a 64 m2 plot and: (a) characterized microbial diversity using T-RFLPs of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, (b) determined soil chemical parameters, and (c) identified relationships between microbial diversity and chemical properties. Overall, we found a strong correlation between microbial composition heterogeneity and spatial variation of cations (Ca2, K+) and anions (HCO3−, Cl−, SO42−) content in this small plot. Our results could be attributable to spatial differences of soil saline content, favoring the patchy emergence of salt and soil microbial communities.

【 授权许可】

CC BY