Abstract
Aims
Spatial heterogeneity of resources and soil biota distribution in drylands is hypothesized to control perennial patterns of vegetation patchiness. The buildup of labile nutrient pools in soils under annual plants may indirectly facilitate succession by other plants, thus aiding the establishment of vegetation patches in deserts. Nutrient accumulation under annual plants can lead to faster nitrogen (N) cycling and increased resource availability.
Methods
To understand how the establishment of annual plants affects soil nutrient dynamics, we planted patches of a widespread local summer annual plant, unarmed saltwort (Salsola inermis Forssk.) and assessed how these patches influence the soil N cycle and soil N2O emissions. We hypothesized that annual plant establishment would enhance resource accumulation and accelerate soil N cycle rates in the soil beneath the plant patch.
Results
Our results supported our hypothesis; we measured the highest soil N cycle rates and soil N2O emissions under the plant patch, while they decreased across the patch-to-bare-soil gradient, suggesting an accelerated N cycle within the planted areas. Water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) and ammonia accumulation in the surface soil beneath the plants was associated with a large burst in soil N2O emissions within the patch, following dry soil wetting by the first winter rains.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that the establishment of annual summer-flourishing plants affects soil nutrient dynamics and accumulation, thus creating nutrient-rich microsites for potential succession by other annuals and perennials, processes that may lead to fertility island establishment in the Negev Desert ecosystem.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
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Funding
Financial support for this work was provided by the Daniel Koshland Foundation and the Israel Science Foundation (Award No. 305/20). Isaac Yagle was supported, in part, by an interdisciplinary scholarship funded by the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies, and the 2019–2020 French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands Scholarship for Excellence. Special thanks go to S.K. Hamilton for insightful comments on the manuscript and S. Bell and E. Wilkman for their editorial contributions.
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Ilya Gelfand conceptualized the initial study. Ilya Gelfand and Michal Segoli designed the field experiment and acquired funding. Data collection and analysis were performed by Isaac Yagle. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Ilya Gelfand and Isaac Yagle and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Yagle, I., Segoli, M. & Gelfand, I. Patch establishment of the summer annual saltwort plant (Salsola inermis Forssk.) increases N cycling rates and soil nitrous oxide emissions in Israel’s Negev Desert. Plant Soil 487, 373–387 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-05933-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-05933-8