TY - JOUR
T1 - Highly variable functional response of microbial communities to experimental temperature disturbances
AU - Wanek, Wolfgang
AU - Mooshammer, Maria
AU - Hofhansl, Florian
AU - Frank, Alexander H.
AU - Leitner, Sonja
AU - Schnecker, Jörg
AU - Wild, Birgit
AU - Watzka, Margarete
AU - Keiblinger, Katharina M.
AU - Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Sophie
AU - Richter, Andreas
PY - 2015/4/1
Y1 - 2015/4/1
N2 - Climate change is expected to alter the frequency and intensity of
climate excursions, such as heat, drought and freeze-thaw events,
requiring a thorough mechanistic understanding of the response of
microbially-mediated nutrient cycling processes to such transient but
severe disturbances. Here, we investigated the resistance and resilience
of major gross processes of microbial carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and
phosphorus (P) cycling, determined by isotope pool dilution assays, as
well as potential enzyme activities in decomposing beech litter to two
contrasting temperature disturbances (freeze-thaw and heat treatment for
9 days) in four different litter types. Microbial processes were
substantially altered by the temperature disturbances but both the
magnitude and direction of the disturbance effect varied among them.
Phosphorus processes and hydrolytic enzyme activities showed lowest
resistance as well as resilience, whereas N processes were more
resistant and C processes intermediate. In general, responses of
microbial processes were mainly consistent across disturbances but
partially dependent on litter-specific microbial communities. The
transient disturbances affected the relative availability of essential
nutrients through a decoupling of microbial C, N and P cycling
processes. Understanding the underlying mechanisms through which a
decoupling of the supply of these elements as a result of microbial
responses to environmental disturbances occurs will help to better
predicting ecosystem responses to global change.
AB - Climate change is expected to alter the frequency and intensity of
climate excursions, such as heat, drought and freeze-thaw events,
requiring a thorough mechanistic understanding of the response of
microbially-mediated nutrient cycling processes to such transient but
severe disturbances. Here, we investigated the resistance and resilience
of major gross processes of microbial carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and
phosphorus (P) cycling, determined by isotope pool dilution assays, as
well as potential enzyme activities in decomposing beech litter to two
contrasting temperature disturbances (freeze-thaw and heat treatment for
9 days) in four different litter types. Microbial processes were
substantially altered by the temperature disturbances but both the
magnitude and direction of the disturbance effect varied among them.
Phosphorus processes and hydrolytic enzyme activities showed lowest
resistance as well as resilience, whereas N processes were more
resistant and C processes intermediate. In general, responses of
microbial processes were mainly consistent across disturbances but
partially dependent on litter-specific microbial communities. The
transient disturbances affected the relative availability of essential
nutrients through a decoupling of microbial C, N and P cycling
processes. Understanding the underlying mechanisms through which a
decoupling of the supply of these elements as a result of microbial
responses to environmental disturbances occurs will help to better
predicting ecosystem responses to global change.
M3 - Meeting abstract/Conference paper
SP - 9920
JO - Geophysical Research Abstracts
JF - Geophysical Research Abstracts
SN - 1029-7006
T2 - European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2015
Y2 - 12 April 2015 through 17 April 2015
ER -
