Regional biogeography versus intra-annual dynamics of the root and soil
microbiome
Abstract
Root and soil microbial communities constitute the below-ground plant
microbiome, are drivers of nutrient cycling, and affect plant
productivity. However, our understanding of their spatiotemporal
patterns is confounded by exogenous factors that covary spatially, such
as changes in host plant species, climate, and edaphic factors. These
spatiotemporal patterns likely differ across microbiome domains
(bacteria and fungi) and niches (root vs. soil). To capture spatial
patterns at a regional scale, we sampled the below-ground microbiome of
switchgrass monocultures of five sites spanning >3 degrees
of latitude within the Great Lakes region. To capture temporal patterns,
we sampled the below-ground microbiome across the growing season within
a single site. We compared the strength of spatiotemporal factors to
nitrogen addition determining the major drivers in our perennial
cropping system. All microbial communities were most strongly structured
by sampling site, though collection date also had strong effects; in
contrast, nitrogen addition had little to no effect on communities.
Though all microbial communities were found to have significant
spatiotemporal patterns, the structure of bacterial communities was
better explained by spatiotemporal factors than fungal communities,
which appeared more structured by stochastic processes. Root
communities, especially bacterial, were more temporally structured than
soil communities which were more spatially structured, both across and
within sampling sites. These differential responses of bacterial and
fungal communities to spatiotemporal factors likely alter interactions
and assembly of the plant microbiome.