CAREER:Exploring the Unknowns: Responses of Soil Microbial Communities to Increased Plant Functional Trait Diversity in Managed Ecosystems

Clemson University, Clemson SC

Investigators

Abstract

Soil microorganisms are integral components of natural and agricultural ecosystems. Our ability to manipulate and manage soil microbial abundance and diversity can improve the capacities of ecosystems to provide goods and services to human society, such as water purification, nutrient regeneration, food, fiber, and energy production. However, such ability is constrained by our limited understanding of the complexity of microbial communities below ground and their connections to plants, and overall ecosystem function. Research in this NSF CAREER grant will investigate the interaction between plant diversity and soil microbial communities and the processes that they carry out. These include plant matter decomposition, nutrient regeneration, carbon retention and contributions to atmospheric gases. The synergistic nature of research and educational components of this project will produce well-trained personnel who will work effectively to address the Nation's agricultural and environmental challenges and opportunities. Communication of research-based information will increase public awareness of soil biological health, environmental literacy and agricultural advancement via research and education. The project will broaden participation of underrepresented groups in science, including first-generation college graduates, and inspire their interests to participate in scientific research. This research addresses two fundamental questions: (1) how increased above ground biodiversity (using cover crops as a model study system) affects soil microbial community composition and functional traits related to soil biogeochemical processes that underpin soil health and agroecosystem productivity and sustainability; and (2) whether the linkages between soil microbial biodiversity and agroecosystem function can be understood. A whole ecosystem approach, ranging from the molecular to the ecosystem level, will be performed with the application of cutting-edge experimental techniques, including stable isotope probing and metagenomics, to investigate the response of microbiota. This project will improve our understanding of the interactions among plants, soil, microbes, and the environment, the four major components of ecosystems. The project will untangle the mystery of how plants modify soil microbial communities through their organic inputs and how microbial biomass, in turn, influences plant performance by regulating soil carbon and nutrient cycling. The completion of this project will advance our knowledge of the relationships between microbial communities and specific soil functions (e.g. nutrient retention, biogeochemical cycling and plant residue decomposition), as well as how microbial communities can be controlled to direct biogeochemical processes that are important to the productivity and sustainability of managed ecosystems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.