Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

About: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is a education organization based out in Uppsala, Sweden. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Soil water. The organization has 13510 authors who have published 35241 publications receiving 1414458 citations. The organization is also known as: Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet & SLU.

Changes in fungal communities along a boreal forest soil fertility gradient

Abstract: Boreal forests harbour diverse fungal communities with decisive roles in decomposition and plant nutrition. Although changes in boreal plant communities along gradients in soil acidity and nitrogen (N) availability are well described, less is known about how fungal taxonomic and functional groups respond to soil fertility factors. We analysed fungal communities in humus and litter from 25 Swedish old-growth forests, ranging from N-rich Picea abies stands to acidic and N-poor Pinus sylvestris stands. 454-pyrosequencing of ITS2 amplicons was used to analyse community composition, and biomass was estimated by ergosterol analysis. Fungal community composition was significantly related to soil fertility at the levels of species, genera/orders and functional groups. Ascomycetes dominated in less fertile forests, whereas basidiomycetes increased in abundance in more fertile forests, both in litter and humus. The relative abundance of mycorrhizal fungi in the humus layer remained high even in the most fertile soils. Tolerance to acidity and nitrogen deficiency seems to be of greater importance than plant carbon (C) allocation patterns in determining responses of fungal communities to soil fertility, in old-growth boreal forests.

Xyloglucan Endotransglycosylases Have a Function during the Formation of Secondary Cell Walls of Vascular Tissues

Abstract: Xyloglucan transglycosylases (XETs) have been implicated in many aspects of cell wall biosynthesis, but their function in vascular tissues, in general, and in the formation of secondary walls, in particular, is less well understood. Using an in situ XET activity assay in poplar stems, we have demonstrated XET activity in xylem and phloem fibers at the stage of secondary wall formation. Immunolocalization of fucosylated xylogucan with CCRC-M1 antibodies showed that levels of this species increased at the border between the primary and secondary wall layers at the time of secondary wall deposition. Furthermore, one of the most abundant XET isoforms in secondary vascular tissues (PttXET16A) was cloned and immunolocalized to fibers at the stage of secondary wall formation. Together, these data strongly suggest that XET has a previously unreported role in restructuring primary walls at the time when secondary wall layers are deposited, probably creating and reinforcing the connections between the primary and secondary wall layers. We also observed that xylogucan is incorporated at a high level in the inner layer of nacreous walls of mature sieve tube elements.

Prevalence of Plasmodiophora brassicae in a spring oilseed rape growing area in central Sweden and factors influencing soil infestation levels

Abstract: During 1986–87 the presence of clubroot in soils sampled from 190 fields was assessed using a bioassay method, based on baiting the soils with Brassica campestris spp. pekinesis cv. Granaat. Clubroot was detected in 148 (72%) of the fields investigated and, on average, 49.2% of the plants were infected according to the bioassay. Subsequent testing of fields in 1990 and 1992 (54 and 81 fields, respectively) where no further Brassica crops had been grown indicated a significant decrease in the degree of infestation to 7.1% in 1992. Clay soils showed, on average, the highest degree of infestation, and high infestation was recorded for a wide range of pH values (5.2–6.6). The highest degree of infestation was recorded on fields where oilseeds were grown five times during the period 1965–85. The results presented show that, in a field with 100% infestation, the level of infestation declined to below the detection level after a period of 17.3 years. The half-life of the spore inoculum was determined to be 3.6 years. During the sensitivity testing of different Brassica species and cultivars, it was found that Chinese cabbage showed a low percentage of infestation in two soils, whilst some oilseed rape and spring oilseed turnip rape cultivars showed high degrees of infestation in these soils.

Deterministic processes vary during community assembly for ecologically dissimilar taxa

Abstract: The continuum hypothesis states that both deterministic and stochastic processes contribute to the assembly of ecological communities. However, the contextual dependency of these processes remains an open question that imposes strong limitations on predictions of community responses to environmental change. Here we measure community and habitat turnover across multiple vertical soil horizons at 183 sites across Scotland for bacteria and fungi, both dominant and functionally vital components of all soils but which differ substantially in their growth habit and dispersal capability. We find that habitat turnover is the primary driver of bacterial community turnover in general, although its importance decreases with increasing isolation and disturbance. Fungal communities, however, exhibit a highly stochastic assembly process, both neutral and non-neutral in nature, largely independent of disturbance. These findings suggest that increased focus on dispersal limitation and biotic interactions are necessary to manage and conserve the key ecosystem services provided by these assemblages.