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Title: Transition of soil microbial communities in a tallgrass prairie restoration chronosequence

Author
item JANGID, K - UGA
item WILLIAMS, M - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
item Franzluebbers, Alan
item BLAIR, J - KANSAS STATE UNIV
item COLEMAN, D - UGA
item WHITMAN, W - UGA

Submitted to: Federation of European Microbiological Societies Microbiology Ecology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/2/2009
Publication Date: 6/28/2009
Citation: Jangid, K., Williams, M.A., Franzluebbers, A.J., Blair, J.M., Coleman, D.C., Whitman, W.B. 2009. Transition of soil microbial communities in a tallgrass prairie restoration chronosequence [abstract]. Federation of European Microbiological Societies Microbiology Ecology.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Extensive agriculture since the 1830’s has led to a 82-99% decline of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem in North America. Restoration of these prairies is of great interest. Objectives were to: (1) investigate the change in soil microbial communities during grassland restoration and (2) study the influence of soil type on soil microbial communities. Soil microbial communities were studied in a restoration chronosequence of conventionally tilled cropland (CTC), two grasslands restored in 1998 (RG98) and 1978 (RG78), and an annually burned native tallgrass prairie (BNP) using both 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and phospholipid fatty acid analyses. Influence of soil type on the recovery of microbial communities was studied on grassland that experienced similar management practices as RG98 but was restored in 2000 (RG00). Soil physicochemical characteristics changed monotonically with grassland restoration age. Microbial PLFAs changed gradually within the chronosequence. Clone libraries showed significant differences between the composition but not the diversity of bacterial communities in the chronosequence. Relative abundances of some bacterial taxa changed significantly with restoration age. Most abundant operational taxonomic units possessed different patterns: some remained abundant through out, others decreased or increased with restoration age, and some were more abundant in RG98 and RG78 than CTC or BNP. The RG98 and RG00 soils differed in bacterial community composition but not the diversity. We conclude that (1) transitional bacterial communities formed during restoration that differed from communities in either the highly disturbed CTC or the undisturbed BNP and (2) soil type has a significant influence on microbial communities during grassland restoration.