Abstract
Ecosystem development theory predicts that successional turnover in community composition can influence ecosystem functioning. However, tests of this theory in natural systems are made difficult by a lack of replicable and tractable model systems. Using the microbial digestive associates of a carnivorous pitcher plant, I tested hypotheses linking host age-driven microbial community development to host functioning. Monitoring the yearlong development of independent microbial digestive communities in two pitcher plant populations revealed a number of trends in community succession matching theoretical predictions. These included mid-successional peaks in bacterial diversity and metabolic substrate use, predictable and parallel successional trajectories among microbial communities, and convergence giving way to divergence in community composition and carbon substrate use. Bacterial composition, biomass, and diversity positively influenced the rate of prey decomposition, which was in turn positively associated with a host leaf’s nitrogen uptake efficiency. Overall digestive performance was greatest during late summer. These results highlight links between community succession and ecosystem functioning and extend succession theory to host-associated microbial communities.
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Acknowledgements
I thank Anna Petrosky, Ramon Leon, & Stefani Brandt for assistance with data collection. Ellen Simms, Todd Dawson, and the UC Berkeley Forestry Camp provided facilities and equipment. I thank Stuart Jones, Mary Firestone, Mary Power & Wayne Sousa for critical feedback. Field collection permits were provided by Jim Belsher-Howe (USFS). Data are publically available on the MG-RAST server under project ID mgp14344. Funding was provided by NSF DEB-1406524 & an NSF GRFP.
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DWA conceived this work, performed data collection and analysis, and wrote the manuscript.
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Armitage, D. Linking the development and functioning of a carnivorous pitcher plant’s microbial digestive community. ISME J 11, 2439–2451 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2017.99
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2017.99
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