High Resolution DNA Stable Isotope Probing Reveals that Root Exudate Addition to Soil Changes the Identity of the Microbes that Degrade Cellulose but not the Rate of Degradation

Abstract:

Plant roots release compounds, such as root exudates, which can alter soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition and have large impacts on soil carbon (C) retention. The changes in SOM turnover resulting from the addition of organic and/or inorganic substrates are termed ‘priming effects’. In this study we examine the effects of root exudates on the priming of cellulose added as particulate organic matter. We amended soil microcosms with ¹³C-cellulose in the presence or absence of artificial root exudate additions and incubated over time for 45 days. Soils receiving the root exudate (RE) were given either one large dose or multiple, small doses of RE. In each treatment we tracked operational taxonomic units (OTUs) assimilating ¹³C from cellulose (herein, known as a ‘responder’) over time using DNA stable isotope probing coupled with next generation sequencing. In all treatments the same amount of cellulose-¹³C was respired indicating the addition of RE did not result in the priming of cellulose decomposition. However, cellulose responders were different depending on treatment and time of sampling (days 14, 28 and 45). We identified a total of 10,361 OTUs, of which there were 369 cellulose responders in the cellulose only treatment, 273 in the repeated, small dose RE treatment, and 358 in the RE single, large dose treatment. Most of the cellulose responders found in all treatments belonged to phyla Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Chloroflexi. The response time of phyla varies; for instance, more OTUs in Bacteroidetes were observed on day 14 and diminish with each subsequent sampling time. On the other hand, OTUs in Verrucomicrobia increased in response over time. Our study shows no priming effect resulting from the addition of root exudates, although the identity of the microbial mediators of cellulose decomposition varies in each treatment.