Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal: Frontiers in Microbiology

Volume number: 13

eISSN: 1664-302X

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.937021

Publisher: Frontiers Media

Abstract: 
Soil organisms play an important role in the equilibrium and cycling of nutrients. Because elevated CO2 (eCO(2)) affects plant metabolism, including rhizodeposition, it directly impacts the soil microbiome and microbial processes. Therefore, eCO(2) directly influences the cycling of different elements in terrestrial ecosystems. Hence, possible changes in the cycles of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) were analyzed, alongside the assessment of changes in the composition and structure of the soil microbiome through a functional metatranscriptomics approach (cDNA from mRNA) from soil samples taken at the Giessen free-air CO2 enrichment (Gi-FACE) experiment. Results showed changes in the expression of C cycle genes under eCO(2) with an increase in the transcript abundance for carbohydrate and amino acid uptake, and degradation, alongside an increase in the transcript abundance for cellulose, chitin, and lignin degradation and prokaryotic carbon fixation. In addition, N cycle changes included a decrease in the transcript abundance of N2O reductase, involved in the last step of the denitrification process, which explains the increase of N2O emissions in the Gi-FACE. Also, a shift in nitrate (NO3-) metabolism occurred, with an increase in transcript abundance for the dissimilatory NO3- reduction to ammonium (NH4+) (DNRA) pathway. S metabolism showed increased transcripts for sulfate (SO42-) assimilation under eCO(2) conditions. Furthermore, soil bacteriome, mycobiome, and virome significantly differed between ambient and elevated CO2 conditions. The results exhibited the effects of eCO(2) on the transcript abundance of C, N, and S cycles, and the soil microbiome. This finding showed a direct connection between eCO(2) and the increased greenhouse gas emission, as well as the importance of soil nutrient availability to maintain the balance of soil ecosystems.

Harvard Citation style: Rosado-Porto, D., Ratering, S., Moser, G., Deppe, M., Müller, C. and Schnell, S. (2022) Soil metatranscriptome demonstrates a shift in C, N, and S metabolisms of a grassland ecosystem in response to elevated atmospheric CO2, Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, Article 937021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.937021

APA Citation style: Rosado-Porto, D., Ratering, S., Moser, G., Deppe, M., Müller, C., & Schnell, S. (2022). Soil metatranscriptome demonstrates a shift in C, N, and S metabolisms of a grassland ecosystem in response to elevated atmospheric CO2. Frontiers in Microbiology. 13, Article 937021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.937021