Microbial community assembly in soil aggregates: a dynamic interplay of stochastic and deterministic processes

Understanding how distinct processes operate in mediating community assembly is a long-standing theme in (microbial) ecology. Particularly in soil microbial communities, we still lack a fundamental appreciation of how assembly processes structure communities at the fine-scale level of soil aggregates. In this study, samples from a long-term agricultural field subjected to different fertilization regimes were used to quantify the relative influences of stochastic and deterministic processes on soil bacterial community assembly. First, we found bacterial communities to be more phylogenetically clustered in larger soil aggregates comparatively to small aggregates (Spearman’s r = 􀀀 0.366, P < 0.05). Second, we found the overall relative influence of selection to gradually decrease with an increase of aggregate size (Mantel r = 0.161, P < 0.01). By partitioning aggregate sizes and fertilization regimes, we found that sites subjected to fertilization (including chemical, organic, and bio-organic fertilizers) displayed a stronger relaxation of selection and an increased influence of stochasticity with an increase in aggregate size; a pattern not significantly observed at the control (unfertilized) treatment. Collectively, our results highlight the importance of evaluating community assembly at the fine-scale levels of soil aggregates and illustrate how regional level disturbances (i.e., agricultural management) exert an influence on the dynamic interplay of stochastic and deterministic processes.

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Work Title Microbial community assembly in soil aggregates: a dynamic interplay of stochastic and deterministic processes
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Penn State
Creators
  1. Francisco Dini Andreote
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publication Date 2021
Deposited March 01, 2021

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    Description
    • Understanding how distinct processes operate in mediating community assembly is a long-standing theme in
    • (microbial) ecology. Particularly in soil microbial communities, we still lack a fundamental appreciation of how
    • assembly processes structure communities at the fine-scale level of soil aggregates. In this study, samples from a
    • long-term agricultural field subjected to different fertilization regimes were used to quantify the relative influences
    • of stochastic and deterministic processes on soil bacterial community assembly. First, we found bacterial
    • communities to be more phylogenetically clustered in larger soil aggregates comparatively to small aggregates
    • (Spearman’s r = 􀀀 0.366, P < 0.05). Second, we found the overall relative influence of selection to gradually
    • decrease with an increase of aggregate size (Mantel r = 0.161, P < 0.01). By partitioning aggregate sizes and
    • fertilization regimes, we found that sites subjected to fertilization (including chemical, organic, and bio-organic
    • fertilizers) displayed a stronger relaxation of selection and an increased influence of stochasticity with an increase
    • in aggregate size; a pattern not significantly observed at the control (unfertilized) treatment. Collectively,
    • our results highlight the importance of evaluating community assembly at the fine-scale levels of soil aggregates
    • and illustrate how regional level disturbances (i.e., agricultural management) exert an influence on the dynamic
    • interplay of stochastic and deterministic processes.
    License
    • https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
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