Bacteria Respond Stronger Than Fungi Across a Steep Wood Ash-Driven pH Gradient

Carla Cruz-Paredes*, Toke Bang-Andreasen, Søren Christensen, Flemming Ekelund, Tobias G. Frøslev, Carsten Suhr Jacobsen, Jesper Liengaard Johansen, Louise H. Mortensen, Regin Rønn, Mette Vestergård, Rasmus Kjøller

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Soil pH is probably the most important variable explaining bacterial richness and community composition locally as well as globally. In contrast, pH effects on fungi appear to be less pronounced, but also less studied. Here we analyze the community responses of bacteria and fungi in parallel over a local extreme pH gradient ranging from 4 to 8. We established the pH gradient by applying strongly alkaline wood ash in dosages of 0, 3, 9, 15, 30, and 90 t ha–1 to replicated plots in a Picea abies plantation and assessed bacterial and fungal community composition using high throughput amplicon sequencing 1 year after ash application. At the same time, the experiment investigated if returning wood ash to plantation forests pose any immediate threats for the microbial communities. Among the measured environmental parameters, pH was by far the major driver of the microbial communities, however, bacterial and fungal communities responded differently to the pH increment. Whereas both bacterial and fungal communities showed directional changes correlated with the wood ash-induced increase in pH, the bacterial community displayed large changes at wood ash dosages of 9 and 15 t ha–1 while only higher dosages (>30 t ha–1) significantly changed the fungal community. The results confirm that fungi are less sensitive to pH changes than bacteria but also that fertilizing plantation forests with wood ash, viewed through the lens of microbial community changes, is a safe management at standard dosages (typically 3 t ha–1).

Original languageEnglish
Article number781844
JournalFrontiers in Forests and Global Change
Volume4
Number of pages10
ISSN2624-893X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2021 Cruz-Paredes, Bang-Andreasen, Christensen, Ekelund, Frøslev, Jacobsen, Johansen, Mortensen, Rønn, Vestergård and Kjøller.

Keywords

  • bacteria
  • fungi
  • microbial communities
  • pH
  • soil
  • wood ash

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