Microbial community structure in recovering forests of Mount St. Helens

IntroductionThe 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens had devastating effects above and belowground in forested montane ecosystems, including the burial and destruction of soil microbes. Soil microbial propagules and legacies in recovering ecosystems are important for determining post-disturbance succes...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mia Rose Maltz, Michael F. Allen, Michala L. Phillips, Rebecca R. Hernandez, Hannah B. Shulman, Linton Freund, Lela V. Andrews, Jon K. Botthoff, Emma L. Aronson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiomes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frmbi.2024.1399416/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846170577555947520
author Mia Rose Maltz
Mia Rose Maltz
Michael F. Allen
Michael F. Allen
Michala L. Phillips
Rebecca R. Hernandez
Hannah B. Shulman
Linton Freund
Linton Freund
Lela V. Andrews
Jon K. Botthoff
Emma L. Aronson
Emma L. Aronson
author_facet Mia Rose Maltz
Mia Rose Maltz
Michael F. Allen
Michael F. Allen
Michala L. Phillips
Rebecca R. Hernandez
Hannah B. Shulman
Linton Freund
Linton Freund
Lela V. Andrews
Jon K. Botthoff
Emma L. Aronson
Emma L. Aronson
author_sort Mia Rose Maltz
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionThe 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens had devastating effects above and belowground in forested montane ecosystems, including the burial and destruction of soil microbes. Soil microbial propagules and legacies in recovering ecosystems are important for determining post-disturbance successional trajectories. Soil microorganisms regulate nutrient cycling, interact with many other organisms, and therefore may support successional pathways and complementary ecosystem functions, even in harsh conditions. Historic forest management methods, such as old-growth and clearcut regimes, and locations of historic short-term gopher enclosures (Thomomys talpoides), to evaluate community response to forest management practices and to examine vectors for dispersing microbial consortia to the surface of the volcanic landscape. These biotic interactions may have primed ecological succession in the volcanic landscape, specifically Bear Meadow and the Pumice Plain, by creating microsite conditions conducive to primary succession and plant establishment.Methods and resultsUsing molecular techniques, we examined bacterial, fungal, and AMF communities to determine how these variables affected microbial communities and soil properties. We found that bacterial/archaeal 16S, fungal ITS2, and AMF SSU community composition varied among forestry practices and across sites with long-term lupine plots and gopher enclosures. The findings also related to detected differences in C and N concentrations and ratios in soil from our study sites. Fungal communities from previously clearcut locations were less diverse than in gopher plots within the Pumice Plain. Yet, clearcut meadows harbored fewer ancestral AM fungal taxa than were found within the old-growth forest.DiscussionBy investigating both forestry practices and mammals in microbial dispersal, we evaluated how these interactions may have promoted revegetation and ecological succession within the Pumice Plains of Mount St. Helens. In addition to providing evidence about how dispersal vectors and forest structure influence post-eruption soil microbiomes, this project also informs research and management communities about belowground processes and microbial functional traits in facilitating succession and ecosystem function.
format Article
id doaj-art-16c007a6135a4ebb96b6c7c9b78e55c1
institution Kabale University
issn 2813-4338
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Microbiomes
spelling doaj-art-16c007a6135a4ebb96b6c7c9b78e55c12024-11-11T15:30:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiomes2813-43382024-11-01310.3389/frmbi.2024.13994161399416Microbial community structure in recovering forests of Mount St. HelensMia Rose Maltz0Mia Rose Maltz1Michael F. Allen2Michael F. Allen3Michala L. Phillips4Rebecca R. Hernandez5Hannah B. Shulman6Linton Freund7Linton Freund8Lela V. Andrews9Jon K. Botthoff10Emma L. Aronson11Emma L. Aronson12Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United StatesCenter for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United StatesCenter for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United StatesMicrobiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, United StatesDepartment of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United StatesLand, Air, and Water, Resources Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesEcology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United StatesMicrobiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, United StatesGenetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United StatesTecan Genomics, Redwood City, CA, United StatesCenter for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United StatesCenter for Conservation Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United StatesMicrobiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, United StatesIntroductionThe 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens had devastating effects above and belowground in forested montane ecosystems, including the burial and destruction of soil microbes. Soil microbial propagules and legacies in recovering ecosystems are important for determining post-disturbance successional trajectories. Soil microorganisms regulate nutrient cycling, interact with many other organisms, and therefore may support successional pathways and complementary ecosystem functions, even in harsh conditions. Historic forest management methods, such as old-growth and clearcut regimes, and locations of historic short-term gopher enclosures (Thomomys talpoides), to evaluate community response to forest management practices and to examine vectors for dispersing microbial consortia to the surface of the volcanic landscape. These biotic interactions may have primed ecological succession in the volcanic landscape, specifically Bear Meadow and the Pumice Plain, by creating microsite conditions conducive to primary succession and plant establishment.Methods and resultsUsing molecular techniques, we examined bacterial, fungal, and AMF communities to determine how these variables affected microbial communities and soil properties. We found that bacterial/archaeal 16S, fungal ITS2, and AMF SSU community composition varied among forestry practices and across sites with long-term lupine plots and gopher enclosures. The findings also related to detected differences in C and N concentrations and ratios in soil from our study sites. Fungal communities from previously clearcut locations were less diverse than in gopher plots within the Pumice Plain. Yet, clearcut meadows harbored fewer ancestral AM fungal taxa than were found within the old-growth forest.DiscussionBy investigating both forestry practices and mammals in microbial dispersal, we evaluated how these interactions may have promoted revegetation and ecological succession within the Pumice Plains of Mount St. Helens. In addition to providing evidence about how dispersal vectors and forest structure influence post-eruption soil microbiomes, this project also informs research and management communities about belowground processes and microbial functional traits in facilitating succession and ecosystem function.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frmbi.2024.1399416/fullsuccessionbacteriafungiAM fungiMount St. Helenscommunity assembly
spellingShingle Mia Rose Maltz
Mia Rose Maltz
Michael F. Allen
Michael F. Allen
Michala L. Phillips
Rebecca R. Hernandez
Hannah B. Shulman
Linton Freund
Linton Freund
Lela V. Andrews
Jon K. Botthoff
Emma L. Aronson
Emma L. Aronson
Microbial community structure in recovering forests of Mount St. Helens
Frontiers in Microbiomes
succession
bacteria
fungi
AM fungi
Mount St. Helens
community assembly
title Microbial community structure in recovering forests of Mount St. Helens
title_full Microbial community structure in recovering forests of Mount St. Helens
title_fullStr Microbial community structure in recovering forests of Mount St. Helens
title_full_unstemmed Microbial community structure in recovering forests of Mount St. Helens
title_short Microbial community structure in recovering forests of Mount St. Helens
title_sort microbial community structure in recovering forests of mount st helens
topic succession
bacteria
fungi
AM fungi
Mount St. Helens
community assembly
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frmbi.2024.1399416/full
work_keys_str_mv AT miarosemaltz microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT miarosemaltz microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT michaelfallen microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT michaelfallen microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT michalalphillips microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT rebeccarhernandez microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT hannahbshulman microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT lintonfreund microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT lintonfreund microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT lelavandrews microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT jonkbotthoff microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT emmalaronson microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens
AT emmalaronson microbialcommunitystructureinrecoveringforestsofmountsthelens