Precipitation regimes are predicted to become more variable with more extreme rainfall events punctuated by longer intervening dry periods. Water-limited ecosystems are likely to be highly responsive ...to altered precipitation regimes. The bucket model predicts that increased precipitation variability will reduce soil moisture stress and increase primary productivity and soil respiration in aridland ecosystems. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally altered the size and frequency of precipitation events during the summer monsoon (July through September) in 2007 and 2008 in a northern Chihuahuan Desert grassland in central New Mexico, USA. Treatments included (1) ambient rain, (2) ambient rain plus one 20 mm rain event each month, and (3) ambient rain plus four 5 mm rain events each month. Throughout two monsoon seasons, we measured soil temperature, soil moisture content (θ), soil respiration (Rs), along with leaf-level photosynthesis (Anet), predawn leaf water potential (Ψpd), and seasonal aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of the dominant C₄ grass, Bouteloua eriopoda. Treatment plots receiving a single large rainfall event each month maintained significantly higher seasonal soil θ which corresponded with a significant increase in Rs and ANPP of B. eriopoda when compared with plots receiving multiple small events. Because the strength of these patterns differed between years, we propose a modification of the bucket model in which both the mean and variance of soil water change as a consequence of interannual variability from 1 year to the next. Our results demonstrate that aridland ecosystems are highly sensitive to increased precipitation variability, and that more extreme precipitation events will likely have a positive impact on some aridland ecosystem processes important for the carbon cycle.
About the Authors: Paris S. Hamm Affiliation: Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6168-5723 John ...W. Taylor Affiliation: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5794-7700 Joseph A. Cook Affiliations Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America, Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3985-0670 Donald O. Natvig * E-mail: dnatvig@unm.edu Affiliation: Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0891-6534 Introduction The vertebrate lung is the organ with the largest surface area presented to the external environment. Lung surface areas and inhalation volumes for small mammals are comparable to those of humans when scaled for size. ...many small mammals live in microenvironments (notably burrows and understories) where they are exposed to high densities of airborne spores derived from the growth of fungi on substrates in soil and litter. ...next-generation sequencing efforts now provide important new contexts for the study of lung-inhabiting fungi that began more than seven decades ago. Initial investigations of the human lung mycobiome involved individuals with lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF) 7, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The broad distribution and high colonization rates of plant roots by a variety of endophytic fungi suggest that these symbionts have an important role in the function of ecosystems. Semiarid and arid ...lands cover more than one-third of the terrestrial ecosystems on Earth. However, a limited number of studies have been conducted to characterize root-associated fungal communities in semiarid grasslands. We conducted a study of the fungal community associated with the roots of a dominant grass, Bouteloua gracilis, at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA sequences from roots collected in May 2005, October 2005, and January 2006 were amplified using fungal-specific primers, and a total of 630 sequences were obtained, 69% of which were novel (less than 97% similarity with respect to sequences in the NCBI database). B. gracilis roots were colonized by at least 10 different orders, including endophytic, coprophilous, mycorrhizal, saprophytic, and plant pathogenic fungi. A total of 51 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found, and diversity estimators did not show saturation. Despite the high diversity found within B. gracilis roots, the root-associated fungal community is dominated by a novel group of dark septate fungi (DSF) within the order Pleosporales. Microscopic analysis confirmed that B. gracilis roots are highly colonized by DSF. Other common orders colonizing the roots included Sordariales, Xylariales, and Agaricales. By contributing to drought tolerance and nutrient acquisition, DSF may be integral to the function of arid ecosystems.
The fungal loop model of semiarid ecosystems integrates microtopographic structures and pulse dynamics with key microbial processes. However limited data exist about the composition and structure of ...fungal communities in these ecosystems. The goal of this study was to characterize diversity and structure of soil fungal communities in a semiarid grassland. The effect of long-term nitrogen fertilization on fungi also was evaluated. Samples of rhizosphere (soil surrounding plant roots) and biological soil crust (BSC) were collected in central New Mexico, USA. DNA was amplified from the samples with fungal specific primers. Twelve clone libraries were generated with a total of 307 (78 operational taxonomic units, OTUs) and 324 sequences (67 OTUs) for BSC and rhizosphere respectively. Approximately 40% of soil OTUs were considered novel (less than 97% identity when compared to other sequences in NCBI using BLAST). The dominant organisms were dark-septate (melanized fungi) ascomycetes belonging to Pleosporales. Effects of N enrichment on fungi were not evident at the community level; however the abundance of unique sequences, sampling intensity and temporal variations may be uncovering the effect of N in composition and diversity of fungal communities. The fungal communities of rhizosphere soil and BSC overlapped substantially in composition, with a Jaccard abundance similarity index of 0.75. Further analyses are required to explore possible functions of the dominant species colonizing zones of semiarid grassland soils.
•Members of the fungal order Xylariales lack canonical mating-type regions.•Homology searches failed to find homologs for MAT1-1-1 or MAT1-1-2 genes.•Distant homologs were observed for MAT1-2-1 and ...MAT1-1-3 genes, but it is unknown if any are functional mating-type genes.
A survey of genomes reported here for 10 isolates of Monosporascus species and an additional 25 genomes from other members of the Xylariales (representing 15 genera) available in public databases indicated that genes typically associated with MAT1-1 (mat A) or MAT1-2 (mat a) mating types are absent or have diverged greatly relative to counterparts in other Pezizomycotina. This was particularly surprising for isolates known to be homothallic, given that homothallic members of the Pezizomycotina typically possess a MAT1-1-1 (mat A-1) gene and one or both of two other closely-linked mating-type genes, MAT1-1-2 (mat A-2) and MAT1-1-3 (mat A-3), in addition to MAT1-2-1 (mat a-1). We failed to detect candidate genes for either MAT1-1-1 or MAT1-1-2 in any member of the Xylariales. Genes related to MAT1-2-1 and MAT1-1-3 are present in the genomes examined, but most appear to be orthologs of MATA_HMG (high-mobility group) genes with non-mating-type functions rather than orthologs of mating-type genes. Several MATA_HMG genes were found in genome positions that suggest they are derived from mating-type genes, but these genes are highly divergent relative to known MAT1-2-1 and MAT1-1-3 genes. The genomes examined represent substantial diversity within the order and include M. cannonballus, M. ibericus, Xylaria hypoxylon, X. striata, Daldinia eschscholzii, Eutypa lata, Rosellinia necatrix, Microdochium bolleyi and several others. We employed a number of avenues to search for homologs, including multiple BLAST approaches and examination of annotated genes adjacent to genes known to flank mating regions in other members of the Ascomycota. The results suggest that the mating regions have been lost from, or altered dramatically in, the Xylariales genomes examined and that mating and sexual development in these fungi are controlled differently than has been reported for members of the Pezizomycotina studied to date.
Climate models suggest that extreme rainfall events will become more common with increased atmospheric warming. Consequently, changes in the size and frequency of rainfall will influence biophysical ...drivers that regulate the strength and timing of soil CO2 efflux – a major source of terrestrial carbon flux. We used a rainfall manipulation experiment during the summer monsoon season (July–September) to vary both the size and frequency of precipitation in an arid grassland 2 years before and 2 years after a lightning‐caused wildfire. Soil CO2 efflux rates were always higher under increased rainfall event size than under increased rainfall event frequency, or ambient precipitation. Although fire reduced soil CO2 efflux rates by nearly 70%, the overall responses to rainfall variability were consistent before and after the fire. The overall sensitivity of soil CO2 efflux to temperature (Q10) converged to 1.4, but this value differed somewhat among treatments especially before the fire. Changes in rainfall patterns resulted in differences in the periodicity of soil CO2 efflux with strong signals at 1, 8, and 30 days. Increased rainfall event size enhanced the synchrony between photosynthetically active radiation and soil CO2 efflux over the growing season before and after fire, suggesting a change in the temporal availability of substrate pools that regulate the temporal dynamics and magnitude of soil CO2 efflux. We conclude that arid grasslands are capable of rapidly increasing and maintaining high soil CO2 efflux rates in response to increased rainfall event size more than increased rainfall event frequency both before and after a fire. Therefore, the amount and pattern of multiple rain pulses over the growing season are crucial for understanding CO2 dynamics in burned and unburned water‐limited ecosystems.
Thermostable enzymes and thermophilic cell factories may afford economic advantages in the production of many chemicals and biomass-based fuels. Here we describe and compare the genomes of two ...thermophilic fungi, Myceliophthora thermophila and Thielavia terrestris. To our knowledge, these genomes are the first described for thermophilic eukaryotes and the first complete telomere-to-telomere genomes for filamentous fungi. Genome analyses and experimental data suggest that both thermophiles are capable of hydrolyzing all major polysaccharides found in biomass. Examination of transcriptome data and secreted proteins suggests that the two fungi use shared approaches in the hydrolysis of cellulose and xylan but distinct mechanisms in pectin degradation. Characterization of the biomass-hydrolyzing activity of recombinant enzymes suggests that these organisms are highly efficient in biomass decomposition at both moderate and high temperatures. Furthermore, we present evidence suggesting that aside from representing a potential reservoir of thermostable enzymes, thermophilic fungi are amenable to manipulation using classical and molecular genetics.
The genus
represents an enigmatic group of fungi important in agriculture and widely distributed in natural arid ecosystems. Of the nine described species, two (
and
) are important pathogens on the ...roots of members of Cucurbitaceae in agricultural settings. The remaining seven species are capable of colonizing roots from a diverse host range without causing obvious disease symptoms. Recent molecular and culture studies have shown that members of the genus are nearly ubiquitous as root endophytes in arid environments of the Southwestern United States. Isolates have been obtained from apparently healthy roots of grasses, shrubs and herbaceous plants located in central New Mexico and other regions of the Southwest. Phylogenetic and genomic analyses reveal substantial diversity in these isolates. The New Mexico isolates include close relatives of
and
, as well as isolates that represent previously unrecognized lineages. To explore evolutionary relationships within the genus and gain insights into potential ecological functions, we sequenced and assembled the genomes of three
isolates, one
isolate, and six diverse New Mexico isolates. The assembled genomes were significantly larger than what is typical for the Sordariomycetes despite having predicted gene numbers similar to other members of the class. Differences in predicted genome content and organization were observed between endophytic and pathogenic lineages of
Several
isolates appear to form associations with members of the bacterial genus
(Burkholdariaceae).
Understanding the resistance and resilience of foundation plant species to climate change is a critical issue because the loss of these species would fundamentally reshape communities and ecosystem ...processes. High levels of population genetic diversity may buffer foundation species against climate disruptions, but the strong selective pressures associated with climatic shifts may also rapidly reduce such diversity. We characterized genetic diversity and its responsiveness to experimental drought in the foundation plant, black grama grass (Bouteloua eriopoda), which dominates many western North American grasslands and shrublands. Previous studies suggested that in arid ecosystems, black grama reproduces largely asexually via stolons, and thus is likely to have low genetic variability, which might limit its potential to respond to climate disruptions. Using genotyping-by-sequencing, we demonstrated unexpectedly high genetic variability among black grama plants in a 1 ha site within the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico, suggesting some level of sexual reproduction. Three years of experimental, growing season drought reduced black grama survival and biomass (the latter by 96%), with clear genetic differentiation (higher F ST) between plants succumbing to drought and those remaining alive. Reduced genetic variability in the surviving plants in drought plots indicated that the experimental drought had forced black grama populations through selection bottlenecks. These results suggest that foundation grass species, such as black grama, may experience rapid evolutionary change if future climates include more severe droughts.
The mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea is a classic experimental model for multicellular development in fungi because it grows on defined media, completes its life cycle in 2 weeks, produces some 10⁸ ...synchronized meiocytes, and can be manipulated at all stages in development by mutation and transformation. The 37-megabase genome of C. cinerea was sequenced and assembled into 13 chromosomes. Meiotic recombination rates vary greatly along the chromosomes, and retrotransposons are absent in large regions of the genome with low levels of meiotic recombination. Single-copy genes with identifiable orthologs in other basidiomycetes are predominant in low-recombination regions of the chromosome. In contrast, paralogous multicopy genes are found in the highly recombining regions, including a large family of protein kinases (FunK1) unique to multicellular fungi. Analyses of P450 and hydrophobin gene families confirmed that local gene duplications drive the expansions of paralogous copies and the expansions occur in independent lineages of Agaricomycotina fungi. Gene-expression patterns from microarrays were used to dissect the transcriptional program of dikaryon formation (mating). Several members of the FunK1 kinase family are differentially regulated during sexual morphogenesis, and coordinate regulation of adjacent duplications is rare. The genomes of C. cinerea and Laccaria bicolor, a symbiotic basidiomycete, share extensive regions of synteny. The largest syntenic blocks occur in regions with low meiotic recombination rates, no transposable elements, and tight gene spacing, where orthologous single-copy genes are overrepresented. The chromosome assembly of C. cinerea is an essential resource in understanding the evolution of multicellularity in the fungi.
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