Soil bacterial networks are less stable under drought than fungal networks

de Vries, Franciska T. and Griffiths, Rob I. and Bailey, Mark and Craig, Hayley and Girlanda, Mariangela and Gweon, Hyun Soon and Hallin, Sara and Kaisermann, Aurore and Keith, Aidan M. and Kretzschmar, Marina and Lemanceau, Philippe and Lumini, Erica and Mason, Kelly E. and Oliver, Anna and Ostle, Nick and Prosser, James I. and Thion, Cecile and Thomson, Bruce and Bardgett, Richard D. (2018) Soil bacterial networks are less stable under drought than fungal networks. Nature Communications, 9: 3033. ISSN 2041-1723

Abstract

Soil microbial communities play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning, but it is unknown how co-occurrence networks within these communities respond to disturbances such as climate extremes. This represents an important knowledge gap because changes in microbial networks could have implications for their functioning and vulnerability to future disturbances. Here, we show in grassland mesocosms that drought promotes destabilising properties in soil bacterial, but not fungal, co-occurrence networks, and that changes in bacterial communities link more strongly to soil functioning during recovery than do changes in fungal communities. Moreover, we reveal that drought has a prolonged effect on bacterial communities and their co-occurrence networks via changes in vegetation composition and resultant reductions in soil moisture. Our results provide new insight in the mechanisms through which drought alters soil microbial communities with potential long-term consequences, including future plant community composition and the ability of aboveground and belowground communities to withstand future disturbances.