Abstract
Peat from four geographically separated peatlands (up to 1,500 km apart) with distinct vegetation across North America was sterilized and inoculated with microbial consortia from either the home site or from the other sites. This reciprocal inoculation microcosm experiment examined how different microbial communities adapted to various peat substrates and how this in turn influenced C-mineralization patterns. The experimental approach allows distinctions to be made as to whether microbial community structure, peat properties, or imposed environmental conditions are primary drivers of peat C mineralization. Two additional inocula collected from other freshwater environments (industrially polluted harbor and lake sediments) were also added to each peat type to investigate the response of clearly disparate microbial communities. We hypothesized that the peat properties, such as substrate quality and physical structure, would dictate microbial community composition and activity, thus inoculations from different sites into the same peat soil would lead to the establishment of very similar microbial communities both phylogenetically and functionally. Post-incubation, the bacterial communities in each site converged towards a similar community regardless of the inoculum source, with the exception of peat inoculated with polluted harbor sediment. Inoculum type had no effect on C mineralization rates compared with controls, except for the two disparate inocula, which had lower rates in all peat types. Variation in microbial community structure measured as nonmetric multidimensional scaling axes scores or richness did not correlate significantly with microbial activity. Overall, these findings suggest that abiotic variables (e.g., pH, aeration, moisture content, and temperature) are the dominant control on peatland microbial activity and community composition, and in natural peatlands the microbial community can quickly adapt to future environmental change.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
