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Abstract Species interactions may couple the resource dynamics of different primary producers and may enhance productivity by reducing loss from the system. In low‐resource systems, this biotic control may be especially important for maintaining productivity. In drylands, the activities of vascular plants and biological soil crusts can be decoupled in space because biocrusts grow on the soil surface but plant roots are underground, and decoupled in time due to biocrusts activating with smaller precipitation events than plants. Soil fungi are hypothesized to functionally couple the plants and biocrusts by transporting nutrients. We studied whether disrupting fungi between biocrusts and plants reduces nitrogen transfer and retention and decreases primary production as predicted by the fungal loop hypothesis. Additionally, we compared varying precipitation regimes that can drive different timing and depth of biological activities.We used field mesocosms in which the potential for fungal connections between biocrusts and roots remained intact or were impeded by mesh. We imposed a precipitation regime of small, frequent or large, infrequent rain events. We used15N to track fungal‐mediated nitrogen (N) transfer. We quantified microbial carbon use efficiency and plant and biocrust production and N content.Fungal connections with biocrusts benefitted plant biomass and nutrient retention under favourable (large, infrequent) precipitation regimes but not under stressful (small, frequent) regimes, demonstrating context dependency in the fungal loop. Translocation of a15N tracer from biocrusts to roots was marginally lower when fungal connections were impeded than intact. Under large, infrequent rains, when fungal connections were intact, the C:N of leaves converged towards the C:N of biocrusts, suggesting higher N retention in the plant, and plant above‐ground biomass was greater relative to the fungal connections‐impeded treatment. Carbon use efficiency in both biocrust and rooting zone soil was less C‐limited when connections were intact than impeded, again only in the large, infrequent precipitation regime.Synthesis. Although we did not find evidence of a reciprocal transfer of C and N between plants and biocrusts, plant production was benefited by fungal connections with biocrusts under favourable conditions.
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Positive interactions between an exotic invader and moss biocrusts vary across life stage and correspond with the effect of water pulses on soil nitrogen
Abstract The size and frequency of resource pulses can affect plant interactions and increase the abundance of invasive species relative to native species. We examined resource pulses generated during the desiccation and rehydration of communities of native biological soil crust (biocrust)‐forming mosses, in the context of positive associations between biocrusts and the invasive forb,Centaurea stoebe.We surveyedCentaureaand biocrust cover and evaluated how interactions amongCentaurea, biocrusts and water pulses influenced plant biomass and soil nitrogen in a field experiment.Centaureaseedling and biocrust interactions were also compared in a greenhouse experiment to evaluate differences related to life stage.In field surveys,Centaureaand biocrusts were positively associated. Across water pulse treatments, biocrust biomass decreased whenCentaureawas removed, indicating thatCentaureafacilitated biocrusts. Biocrusts did not affect adultCentaureain the field, butCentaureaseedling biomass was greater when grown with biocrusts in the greenhouse. Water pulses did not affect plant biomass, but interactions betweenCentaureaand biocrusts corresponded with variation in the effect of water pulses on soil nitrogen which were not evident whenCentaureaor biocrusts were grown alone. Twenty‐four hours after large water pulses were added, soilwas nine times higher in plots where biocrusts andCentaureaco‐occurred compared with small water pulse plots. In these same plots, soiltended to be lower at the end of the experiment.These results highlight positive interactions between an invasive exotic forb and native moss biocrust. Water pulses influenced soil nitrogen availability when both plants co‐occurred, but did not affect plant biomass, suggesting that resource pulses and species interactions can interact to affect ecosystem processes. A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
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- PAR ID:
- 10449680
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Functional Ecology
- Volume:
- 35
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 0269-8463
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 2108-2118
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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