Soil microbial response to Rhododendron understory removal in southern Appalachian forests: Effects on extracellular enzymes

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dc.contributor.authorOsburn, Ernest D.en
dc.contributor.authorElliott, Katherine J.en
dc.contributor.authorKnoepp, Jennifer D.en
dc.contributor.authorMiniat, Chelcy F.en
dc.contributor.authorBarrett, John E.en
dc.contributor.departmentBiological Sciencesen
dc.date.accessioned2020-03-09T19:34:09Zen
dc.date.available2020-03-09T19:34:09Zen
dc.date.issued2018-12en
dc.description.abstractRhododendron maximum is a native evergreen shrub that has expanded in Appalachian forests following declines of american chestnut (Castanea dentata) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). R. maximum is of concern to forest managers because it suppresses hardwood tree establishment by limiting light and soil nutrient availability. We are testing R. maximum removal as a management strategy to promote recovery of Appalachian forests. We hypothesized that R. maximum removal would increase soil nitrogen (N) availability, resulting in increased microbial C-demand (i.e. increased C-acquiring enzyme activity) and a shift towards bacterial-dominated microbial communities. R. maximum removal treatments were applied in a 2 x 2 factorial design, with two R. maximum canopy removal levels (removed vs not) combined with two O-horizon removal levels (burned vs unburned). Following removals, we sampled soils and found that dissolved organic carbon (DOC), N (TDN, NO3, NH4), and microbial biomass all increased with R. maximum canopy + O-horizon removal. Additionally, we observed increases in C-acquisition enzymes involved in degrading cellulose (beta-glucosidase) and hemicellulose (B-xylosidase) with canopy + O-horizon removal. We did not see treatment effects on bacterial dominance, though F:B ratios from all treatments increased from spring to summer. Our results show that R. maximum removal stimulates microbial activity by increasing soil C and N availability, which may influence recovery of forests in the Appalachian region.en
dc.description.adminPublic domain – authored by a U.S. government employeeen
dc.description.notesWe thank Bobbie Niederlehner for help with soil chemistry analyses and the VT Stream Team for their helpful comments on this work. This project was supported by the Coweeta LTER, funded by National Science Foundation grant DEB-1440485. We also thank the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service for support and the USDA Forest Service Nantahala Ranger District staff, Nantahala National Forest, for executing the treatments. Finally, we thank two anonymous reviewers, whose feedback greatly improved this manuscript. The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service.en
dc.description.sponsorshipCoweeta LTER - National Science Foundation [DEB-1440485]; Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Serviceen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.09.008en
dc.identifier.issn0038-0717en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/97268en
dc.identifier.volume127en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedicationen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/en
dc.subjectRhododendron maximumen
dc.subjectCarbonen
dc.subjectNitrogenen
dc.subjectExtracellular enzymesen
dc.subjectBacteriaen
dc.subjectFungien
dc.titleSoil microbial response to Rhododendron understory removal in southern Appalachian forests: Effects on extracellular enzymesen
dc.title.serialSoil Biology & Biochemistryen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.dcmitypeStillImageen

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