Journal
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
Volume 93, Issue 9, Pages -Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fix110
Keywords
algae and photosynthetic exudates; leaf litter decomposition; fungi; labile carbon; nitrogen mining; priming effect
Categories
Funding
- Royal Physiographical Society in Lund (Kungliga Fysiografiska Sallskapet)
- Swedish Council (Vetenskapsradet) [2015-04942]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Microbial decomposers colonising submerged leaf litter are in close spatial proximity with periphytic algae and can use carbon (C) exudates released during photosynthesis. We investigated whether labile C delivered as algal exudates could affect the microbial colonisation and decomposition of leaf litter. Using microcosms, we submerged leaf litter in pond water and monitored fungal and bacterial growth over time and tested the effect of algal photosynthetic exudates by comparing microcosms in light and dark. In order to experimentally assign the effect of algal products to labile C delivery and test for a C driven mechanism, we ran a parallel experiment with microcosms in the dark where we mimicked the delivery of algal labile C by continuously adding glucose. Labile C delivered as algal exudates or glucose resulted in a dominance of fungal decomposers over bacteria, and stimulated the acquisition of m ore N-rich OM fractions from litter during periods of active fungal growth. Our results highlight that labile C stimulates fungal decomposers and increases N removal from leaf litter. Since fungal necromass is more resistant to degradation than bacterial, we expect that a fungal-dominated litter degradation might contribute to more protected C pools.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available