Work

Response of Archaeal Communities in the Rhizosphere of Maize and Soybean to Elevated Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Archaea are important to the carbon and nitrogen cycles, but it remains uncertain how rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations ([CO(2)]) will influence the structure and function of soil archaeal communities. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We measured abundances of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA and amoA genes, phylogenies of archaeal 16S rRNA and amoA genes, concentrations of KCl-extractable soil ammonium and nitrite, and potential ammonia oxidation rates in rhizosphere soil samples from maize and soybean exposed to ambient (∼385 ppm) and elevated (550 ppm) [CO(2)] in a replicated and field-based study. There was no influence of elevated [CO(2)] on copy numbers of archaeal or bacterial 16S rRNA or amoA genes, archaeal community composition, KCl-extractable soil ammonium or nitrite, or potential ammonia oxidation rates for samples from maize, a model C(4) plant. Phylogenetic evidence indicated decreased relative abundance of crenarchaeal sequences in the rhizosphere of soybean, a model leguminous-C(3) plant, at elevated [CO(2)], whereas quantitative PCR data indicated no changes in the absolute abundance of archaea. There were no changes in potential ammonia oxidation rates at elevated [CO(2)] for soybean. Ammonia oxidation rates were lower in the rhizosphere of maize than soybean, likely because of lower soil pH and/or abundance of archaea. KCl-extractable ammonium and nitrite concentrations were lower at elevated than ambient [CO(2)] for soybean. CONCLUSION: Plant-driven shifts in soil biogeochemical processes in response to elevated [CO(2)] affected archaeal community composition, but not copy numbers of archaeal genes, in the rhizosphere of soybean. The lack of a treatment effect for maize is consistent with the fact that the photosynthesis and productivity of maize are not stimulated by elevated [CO(2)] in the absence of drought.

Source: PLoS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015897

Authors: David M. Nelson, Isaac K. O. Cann, Roderick I. Mackie

Institutions: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois System

Language: English

Topic: Plant responses to elevated CO2

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Life on land, Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,382