@article{df836fab95a94aeaad243694d03e8c05,
title = "Experimental assessment of tree canopy and leaf litter controls on the microbiome and nitrogen fixation rates of two boreal mosses",
abstract = "Nitrogen (N2)-fixing moss microbial communities play key roles in nitrogen cycling of boreal forests. Forest type and leaf litter inputs regulate moss abundance, but how they control moss microbiomes and N2-fixation remains understudied. We examined the impacts of forest type and broadleaf litter on microbial community composition and N2-fixation rates of Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi. We conducted a moss transplant and leaf litter manipulation experiment at three sites with paired paper birch (Betula neoalaskana) and black spruce (Picea mariana) stands in Alaska. We characterized bacterial communities using marker gene sequencing, determined N2-fixation rates using stable isotopes (15N2) and measured environmental covariates. Mosses native to and transplanted into spruce stands supported generally higher N2-fixation and distinct microbial communities compared to similar treatments in birch stands. High leaf litter inputs shifted microbial community composition for both moss species and reduced N2-fixation rates for H. splendens, which had the highest rates. N2-fixation was positively associated with several bacterial taxa, including cyanobacteria. The moss microbiome and environmental conditions controlled N2-fixation at the stand and transplant scales. Predicted shifts from spruce- to deciduous-dominated stands will interact with the relative abundances of mosses supporting different microbiomes and N2-fixation rates, which could affect stand-level N inputs.",
keywords = "Hylocomium splendens, N-fixation, Pleurozium schreberi, boreal forest, bryophyte, ecosystem process, microbiome, nitrogen cycle",
author = "M{\'e}lanie Jean and Hannah Holland-Moritz and Melvin, {April M.} and Johnstone, {Jill F.} and Mack, {Michelle C.}",
note = "Funding Information: Funding came from the NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity Program (NSF‐DEB 1542586), Department of Defense{\textquoteright}s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (RC‐2109), Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canada{\textquoteright}s Northern Scientific Training Program, and Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF DEB‐0620579) and USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW01‐JV11261952‐23). We thank Noah Fierer for his comments that greatly helped to improve the manuscript, as well as Alix Conway, Samantha Miller, Dominic Olver, Joanna van Bommel, Kristine Levesque and Gwendoline van der Kamp for field and laboratory work. Funding Information: Funding came from the NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity Program (NSF-DEB 1542586), Department of Defense?s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (RC-2109), Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canada?s Northern Scientific Training Program, and Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF DEB-0620579) and USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW01-JV11261952-23). We thank Noah Fierer for his comments that greatly helped to improve the manuscript, as well as Alix Conway, Samantha Miller, Dominic Olver, Joanna van Bommel, Kristine Levesque and Gwendoline van der Kamp for field and laboratory work. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 The Authors. New Phytologist {\textcopyright} 2020 New Phytologist Trust",
year = "2020",
month = sep,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1111/nph.16611",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "227",
pages = "1335--1349",
journal = "New Phytologist",
issn = "0028-646X",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
number = "5",
}