Reconciling plant and microbial ecological strategies to elucidate cover crop effects on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling
Data files
Sep 23, 2024 version files 4.19 MB
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Functional_composition.csv
3.33 MB
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Microbial_strategies.csv
3.77 KB
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Plant_species_PCA_scores.csv
2.78 KB
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plant_traits.xlsx
15.79 KB
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README.md
3.25 KB
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Soil_variables.csv
10.08 KB
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Taxonomic_composition.csv
809.70 KB
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YAS_kegg_L3_traits.csv
17.53 KB
Abstract
Plant economics, the way plants allocate and utilize resources, affect multiple soil processes through interactions with root and associated microbial communities. However, the interplay between plant economics and microbial ecological strategies remains poorly understood, which is crucial for integrated manipulation of plant- and microbe-mediated functions in mitigating climate change and sustaining soil health.
We used a field experiment with 11 cover crop species grown monocultures in the same base soil to test whether microbial ecological strategies are associated with plant economic strategies and if their interactions are linked to soil functions. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on root and leaf traits to identify the loadings of cover crop species on the plant trait space. Metagenomic analysis of rhizosphere microbial communities was conducted to infer their ecological strategies based on genetically encoded community-aggregated traits.
We found a synchronous relationship between the conservation gradient of plant economic strategies and the trade-offs in microbial ecological strategies. Conservative plant strategists, such as Lolium multiflorum, Triticum turgidum, and Brassica juncea, fostered microbial communities characterized by high growth yield potentials (Y-strategies). This included increased microbial carbon fixation pathways, citrate cycle, ribosome, and valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis. As a result, microbial metabolic efficiency improved, shown by higher microbial biomass carbon content and a lower metabolic quotient (qCO2), led to enhanced soil organic carbon accumulation. In comparison, acquisitive plants like Astragalus sinicus, Vicia villosa, Trifolium incarnatum, and Medicago sativa stimulated microbial resource-acquisition strategies (A-strategies). This included enhanced bacterial chemotaxis, secretion systems, biotin metabolism, and cell motility pathways, which in turn increased soil exoenzyme activity and accelerated soil nitrogen mineralization. Consequently, these species enhanced soil nitrogen availability and had substantial feedbacks on subsequent main crop productivity.
Synthesis. This study demonstrates how plant economic strategies influence the balance between different microbial ecological strategies, specifically the trade-offs in Y- and A-strategies. These interactions exert control over carbon and nitrogen dynamics in the soil ecosystem. Our findings provide the insights for implementing nature-based solutions to improve agroecosystem management practices.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nvx0k6f21
Description of the data and file structure
Files and variables
File: Plant_species_PCA_scores.csv
Variables
- Group: The identity of the plant species
- Sample: The sample ID for each plant species
- pc1: The first dimension of the plant trait space (PCA axis 1)
- pc2: The second dimension of the plant trait space (PCA axis 2)
File: Soil_variables.csv
Variables
- Group: The identity of the plant species
- Sample: The sample ID for each plant species
- NH4: Soil NH4+-N content (mg N kg−1 dry soil)
- NO3: Soil NO3–N content (mg N kg−1 dry soil)
- DOC: Soil dissolved organic carbon content (mg C kg−1 dry soil)
- Nmin: Soil net N mineralization rates (mg N kg-1 dry soil h-1)
- SWC: Soil water content (%)
- MBC: Microbial biomass carbon content (mg C kg−1 dry soil)
- BR: Soil basal respiration (mg CO2−C g−1 dry soil h−1)
- qCO2: Microbial metabolic quotient (mg CO2-C mg-1 MBC h-1)
- SOC: Soil organic carbon content (g C kg−1 dry soil)
- MainCropYield: The yield of main crop maize (kg m-2)
- AG: Soil α-1,4-glucosidase activity (nmol h−1 g−1 dry soil)
- BG: Soil β-1,4-glucosidase activity (nmol h−1 g−1 dry soil)
- CB: Soil cellobiohydrolase activity (nmol h−1 g−1 dry soil)
- LAP: Soil leucine aminopeptidase activity (nmol h−1 g−1 dry soil)
- NAG: Soil N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity (nmol h−1 g−1 dry soil)
- XYL: Soil β-xylosidase activity (nmol h−1 g−1 dry soil)
File: plant_traits.xlsx
Variables
- Group: The identity of the plant species
- Sample: The sample ID for each plant species
- LDMC: Leaf dry matter content (mg mg-1)
- SLA: Specific leaf area (mm2 mg-1)
- LNC: leaf N content (mg g-1)
- LeafCN: Leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio (%)
- SRL: Specific root length (cm g-1)
- RTD: Root tissue density (g cm-3)
- RD: Mean root diameter (mm)
- RNC: Root N content (mg g-1)
- RDMC: Root dry matter content (mg mg-1)
- RootCN: Root carbon to nitrogen ratio (%)
- ExudationC: Root carbon exudation rates (nmol C g-1 root DW-1 h-1)
- RBI: Root branching intensity (tips cm-1)
File: Microbial_strategies.csv
Variables
- Group: The identity of the plant species
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Sample: The sample ID for each plant species
- Y: High growth yield strategy
- A: Resource acquisition strategy
- S: Stress tolerance strategy
- A.Y: The ratio of A strategy to Y strategy
File: Taxonomic_composition.csv
Variables
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Group: The identity of the plant species
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Sample: The sample ID for each plant species
File: Functional_composition.csv
Variables
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Group: The identity of the plant species
- Sample: The sample ID for each plant species
- KO: KEGG Orthology
File: YAS_kegg_L3_traits.csv
Variables
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Group: The identity of the plant species
- Sample: The sample ID for each plant species
- Y_: Microbial high growth yield trait
- A_: Microbial resource acquisition trait
- S_: Microbial stress tolerance trait
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