Experimental Manipulation of Soil Moisture Regime Impacts Soil Microbial Community Abundance, Diversity, and Function in a Semi-Arid Sagebrush Steppe

Rising global temperatures are predicted to alter regional climate regimes, including the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation. In water-limited (e.g. arid and semi-arid) ecosystems annual precipitation is low and shows a high degree of variability. In these environments, soil microbes occupy a pivotal seat coupling the effects of water availability and plant productivity to biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem function. Using a long running ecological field experiment (>15 years) sited in Idaho’s sagebrush steppe, effects of experimentally manipulated precipitation regime on microbial diversity, abundance, and terrestrial carbon cycling are being explored. Soils were sampled in January (winter) of 2009. Replicate cores collected at 15-20cm and 95-100cm, were taken from field plots planted with native vegetation under three different precipitation amendments; Ambient, Summer (+200mm in June), or Fall/Spring (+200mm in April or October). Bacterial and Fungal community structure was analyzed by high-resolution 454 pyrosequencing. Edaphic properties (soil moisture, pH, total C, total N, organic C, inorganic N, ortho P) were measured and used as factors for general linear modeling of Bacterial and Fungal community structure against field treatments. Labile soil carbon pools were measured as C mineralization rates by gas chromatography using long term soil incubations. Pyrosequencing analysis of soil Bacterial communities has revealed greater Bacterial community abundance and diversity across all treatments relative to Archaeal and Fungal communities. General linear modeling of sequences obtained from 454 pyrosequencing showed significant interactions of phyla-level Bacterial and Fungal abundance with experimental precipitation regime and depth of sampling. Edaphic properties such as soil moisture and pH also showed significant interactions with phyla-level Bacterial and Fungal abundance. Long-term soil incubation studies revealed treatment effects on labile soil carbon pools which were dependent on sampling depth and experimental precipitation regime. Our results provide a significant example of ecohydrological interactions structuring unique microbial communities in the semi-arid sagebrush steppe. Additionally, we observe precipitation regime as an important factor in governing the quality and quantity of soil carbon in this ecosystem, with feedback implications to a changing global climate.