TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of a single freeze-thaw and dry-wet event on soil solutes and microbial metabolites
AU - Miura, Maki
AU - Hill, Paul W.
AU - Jones, Davey L.
PY - 2020/9
Y1 - 2020/9
N2 - Freeze-thaw and dry-wet cycles are common phenomena in temperate regions. Such events may have a significant influence on the functioning of the soil microbial community. Using non-targeted metabolomics, we compared the effects of a single freeze-thaw or dry-wet event on microbial metabolism in an agricultural soil with and without plants. We showed that a dry-wet cycle had a greater impact on solute and metabolite concentrations in the unplanted soil than a freeze-thaw cycle. Drying or freezing caused increases in dissolved organic C, sugars and polyols, suggesting enhanced microbial production to alleviate temperature or moisture stress. Increased nucleobase concentration in the unplanted soil after a dry-wet cycle, and increased amino acids following both stresses, suggested a breakdown of microbial DNA and proteins released from damaged cells. The impacts of stress on metabolites in the planted soil were less than in the unplanted soil. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the soil microbial community responds quickly to stress events by accumulating osmotic solutes (e.g. sugars and polyols) and that a freeze-thaw event causes less disruption than dry-rewetting, and that plants have a key role in the mitigation of the freezing or drying effects on soil microbial communities.
AB - Freeze-thaw and dry-wet cycles are common phenomena in temperate regions. Such events may have a significant influence on the functioning of the soil microbial community. Using non-targeted metabolomics, we compared the effects of a single freeze-thaw or dry-wet event on microbial metabolism in an agricultural soil with and without plants. We showed that a dry-wet cycle had a greater impact on solute and metabolite concentrations in the unplanted soil than a freeze-thaw cycle. Drying or freezing caused increases in dissolved organic C, sugars and polyols, suggesting enhanced microbial production to alleviate temperature or moisture stress. Increased nucleobase concentration in the unplanted soil after a dry-wet cycle, and increased amino acids following both stresses, suggested a breakdown of microbial DNA and proteins released from damaged cells. The impacts of stress on metabolites in the planted soil were less than in the unplanted soil. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the soil microbial community responds quickly to stress events by accumulating osmotic solutes (e.g. sugars and polyols) and that a freeze-thaw event causes less disruption than dry-rewetting, and that plants have a key role in the mitigation of the freezing or drying effects on soil microbial communities.
KW - Biogeochemical cycling
KW - Birch effect
KW - Climate stress response
KW - Metabolic profiling
KW - Osmoregulation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85084225575&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103636
DO - 10.1016/j.apsoil.2020.103636
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85084225575
SN - 0929-1393
VL - 153
JO - Applied Soil Ecology
JF - Applied Soil Ecology
M1 - 103636
ER -