Plant Sciences Commons^™

One-Time Nitrogen Fertilization Shifts Switchgrass Soil Microbiomes Within A Context Of Larger Spatial And Temporal Variation, Huaihai Chen, Zamin K. Yang, Dan Yip, Reese H. Morris, Steven J. Lebreux, Melissa A. Cregger, Dawn M. Klingeman, Dafeng Hui, Robert L. Hettich, Steven W. Wilhelm, Gangsheng Wang, Frank E. Löffler, Christopher W. Schadt

Biology Faculty Research

Soil microbiome responses to short-term nitrogen (N) inputs remain uncertain when compared with previous research that has focused on long-term fertilization responses. Here, we examined soil bacterial/archaeal and fungal communities pre- and post-N fertilization in an 8 year-old switchgrass field, in which twenty-four plots received N fertilization at three levels (0, 100, and 200 kg N ha-1 as NH4NO3) for the first time since planting. Soils were collected at two depths, 0–5 and 5–15 cm, for DNA extraction and amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and ITS regions for assessment of microbial community composition. Baseline assessments prior to fertilization revealed …