TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of Ant Mounds on the Plant and Soil Microbial Community in an Alpine Meadow of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
AU - Wang, Changting
AU - Wang, Genxu
AU - Wu, Pengfei
AU - Rafique, Rashid
AU - Zi, Hongbiao
AU - Li, Xiangzhen
AU - Luo, Yiqi
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors appreciate our colleagues who provide assistance in the fieldwork. The study is supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (no. 2013CBA01807), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 31370542), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (no. 2014NZYTD01).
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PY - 2017/7
Y1 - 2017/7
N2 - Ants are important soil engineers, affecting the structure and function of ecosystems. To address the impacts of ants (Camponotus herculeanus) on the properties of an alpine meadow ecosystem of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, we investigated the effects of ant mounds on plant biomass, soil physicochemical properties, microbial diversity, and functions. We found that the total biomass of plant community was significantly greater in ant mound periphery. Plant species richness in ant mounds was reduced compared with that of control plots without ant mounds. Significant changes in physicochemical properties of soil were also observed. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, total potassium, and available potassium increased in ant mound soil due to the excavation activities by ants as well as the accumulation of organic matter and other nutrients during mound construction. For example, roots/soil contents (g/g) and soil moisture in ant mound soils were lower than those in controls. Microbial community composition and microbial biomass were clearly changed in ant mound soils. BIOLOG analysis further indicated that the functional diversity of the microbial community of ant mound soil increased and differed from that of controls. This study indicates that ant-induced modification of soil properties indirectly influences plant biomass and species composition, and ant mounds have different microbial communities from those of control soil.
AB - Ants are important soil engineers, affecting the structure and function of ecosystems. To address the impacts of ants (Camponotus herculeanus) on the properties of an alpine meadow ecosystem of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, we investigated the effects of ant mounds on plant biomass, soil physicochemical properties, microbial diversity, and functions. We found that the total biomass of plant community was significantly greater in ant mound periphery. Plant species richness in ant mounds was reduced compared with that of control plots without ant mounds. Significant changes in physicochemical properties of soil were also observed. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, total potassium, and available potassium increased in ant mound soil due to the excavation activities by ants as well as the accumulation of organic matter and other nutrients during mound construction. For example, roots/soil contents (g/g) and soil moisture in ant mound soils were lower than those in controls. Microbial community composition and microbial biomass were clearly changed in ant mound soils. BIOLOG analysis further indicated that the functional diversity of the microbial community of ant mound soil increased and differed from that of controls. This study indicates that ant-induced modification of soil properties indirectly influences plant biomass and species composition, and ant mounds have different microbial communities from those of control soil.
KW - BIOLOG
KW - Qinghai–Tibet plateau
KW - ant mounds
KW - phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA)
KW - soil microbial community
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U2 - 10.1002/ldr.2681
DO - 10.1002/ldr.2681
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85018977010
SN - 1085-3278
VL - 28
SP - 1538
EP - 1548
JO - Land Degradation and Development
JF - Land Degradation and Development
IS - 5
ER -