DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1ns1rn94h
title: Evidence for phosphorus cycling parity in nodulating and non-nodulating N2 fixing pioneer plant species in glacial primary succession

description: Nodulating leguminous and actinorhizal N2-fixation pioneer plants are
 well-known drivers of primary succession as they may facilitate soil
 development and the growth of neighboring non-nodulating plant species as
 a result of their N2-fixing capacity. However, recent studies have shown
 that some non-nodulating species may also obtain N through endophytic
 diazatrophs although the N2-fixing capacity is relatively low when
 compared to the traditionally nodulating species. There remains limited
 understanding of how these two categories of N2 fixing pioneer plant
 species (nodulating and non-nodulating) acquire recalcitrant resident soil
 phosphorus (P) pools and facilitate soil P cycling. To address this
 knowledge gap, we investigated whether pioneering plant species belonging
 to different functional groups, i.e., nodulating N2-fixing species
 (leguminous Astragalus mahoshanicus and actinorhizal seabuckthorn
 Hippophae rhamnoides) and non-nodulating endophytic N2-fixing willow
 species (Salix rehderiana), have distinct rhizosphere soil P chemistry
 when grown on barren deglaciated moraine. We also examined if
 plant-induced changes in soil P transformations are related to the
 relative abundance of microbial P transformation genes. Our results showed
 that pioneer plant colonization enhanced soil P cycling as indicated by
 higher concentrations of available P (Olsen-P), alkaline phosphatase
 activity, and abundance of key genes governing microbial P-cycling in
 rhizosphere soils compared to bulk soils. Among plant species, the
 astragalus and the willow had the greatest available P concentrations
 along with greater organic acid concentrations, total organic P
 transformation gene and organic P mineralization gene abundances. On the
 other hand, seabuckthorn had the lowest available P concentration and
 organic P mineralization gene abundance. The willow species, S.
 rehderiana, was the only plant studied that had greater total abundance of
 inorganic P solublization genes, gcd, ppk, as well as the organic
 P mineralization gene phoD than that found in bulk soil. Willow also had
 the greatest capability for releasing recalcitrant inorganic P in
 infertile barren moraine. These novel studies suggest that the nodulating
 N2-fixing species were not categorically better than non-nodulating
 endophytic N2-fixing species at accessing P as measured by soil available
 P concentrations in rhizosphere soils or microbial P transformation genes.
 This study provides new insights into potential mechanisms of ecosystem
 primary succession with broader implications for ecosystem management and
 restoration efforts. 
description: Data was collected on the foreland of Hailuogou
 Glacier<em> </em>(29°34′N, 102°00′E, 2982-2855 m) on Gongga
 Mountain on the eastern slope of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Data files
 are raw data. Detailed methods are described in the associated
 paper.
description: # Evidence for phosphorus cycling parity in nodulating and non-nodulating
 N2 fixing pioneer plant species in glacial primary succession
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1ns1rn94h](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1ns1rn94h) ## Description of the data and file structure The data was collected on the foreland of Hailuogou Glacier* *(29°34′N, 102°00′E, 2982-2855 m) on Gongga Mountain on the eastern slope of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. ### Data files include: Soil basic chemical properties.xlsx This file contains data on soil pH, TN, SOC, TP, and AP concentrations. | Variables | Units | Description | | :----------- | :---------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Soil samples | categorical | BS=bulk soil; AS=Astragalus soil, HI=Seabuckthorn Soil; SR=Willow soil | | Stand age | yr |   | | pH | number |   | | TN | mg g-1 | Total nitrogen | | SOC | mg g-1 | Soil organic carbon | | TP | mg g-1 | Total phosphorus | | AP (Olsen-P) | mg kg-1 | Available phosphorus (Olsen-P) | Soil alkaline phosphatase activity and organic acid concentrations.xlsx This file contains data on alkaline phosphatase activity and orgaic acid concentrations. | Variables | Units | Description | | :---------------------------- | :---------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Soil samples | categorical | BS=bulk soil; AS=Astragalus soil, HI=Seabuckthorn Soil; SR=Willow soil | | Stand age | yr |   | | Alkaline phosphatase activity | μmol ρNPP g-1 h-1 |   | | Oxalic acid | mg g-1 |   | | Pyruvic acid | mg g-1 |   | | Tartaric acid | mg g-1 |   | | Malonic acid | mg g-1 |   | | Malic acid | mg g-1 |   | | Citric acid | mg g-1 |   | | Succinic acid | mg g-1 |   | | Total organic acids | mg g-1 |   | Alpha diversity of soil microbes.xlsx This file contains data on Chao 1 index, Shannon index and Simpson index of soil microbes. | Variables | Units | Description | | :------------ | :---------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Soil samples | categorical | BS=bulk soil; AS=Astragalus soil, HI=Seabuckthorn Soil; SR=Willow soil | | Stand age | yr |   | | Chao index | number |   | | Shannon index | number |   | | Simpson index | number |   | Relative abundance of representative microbial genes related to soil P cycling.xlsx This file contains data on alkaline phosphatase activity and orgaic acid concentrations. | Variables | Units | Description | | :------------- | :---------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Soil samples | categorical | BS=bulk soil; AS=Astragalus soil, HI=Seabuckthorn Soil; SR=Willow soil | | Stand age (yr) | yr |   | | appA | % | K01093 | | glpA,glpD | % | K00111 | | glpB | % | K00112 | | glpC | % | K00113 | | glpK | % | K00864 | | glpQ,ugpQ | % | K01126 | | phnA | % | K19670 | | phnG | % | K06166 | | phnH | % | K06165 | | phnI | % | K06164 | | phnJ | % | K06163 | | phnL | % | K05780 | | phnM | % | K06162 | | phnN | % | K05774 | | phnO | % | K09994 | | phnP | % | K06167 | | phnW | % | K03430 | | phnX | % | K05306 | | phoA,phoB | % | K01077 | | phoD | % | K01113 | | phoN | % | K09474 | | gcd | % | K00117 | | ppa | % | K01507 | | ppk | % | K00937 | | glpP | % | K17322 | | glpT | % | K02445 | | glpT | % | K17325 | | phnC | % | K02041 | | phnD | % | K02044 | | phnE | % | K02042 | | phnK | % | K05781 | | phnU | % | K11083 | | phnV | % | K11082 | | ugpA | % | K05814 | | ugpB | % | K05813 | | ugpC | % | K05816 | | ugpE | % | K05815 | | pit | % | K03306 | | pstA | % | K02038 | | pstB | % | K02036 | | pstC | % | K02037 | | pstS | % | K02040 | | phoB | % | K07657 | | phoB1, phoP | % | K07658 | | phoP | % | K07660 | | phoR | % | K07636 | | phoU | % | K02039 | | OPMG | % | Organic P mineralization genes | | IPSG | % | Inorganic solublization genes | | OPTG | % | Organic P transportation genes | | IPTG | % | Inorganic P transportation genes | | PRG | % | P-starvation response regulation | | TPG | % | Total P transformation genes | | AKPG | % | Alkaline phosphatase related genes | | OPM-IPS | % | Organic P mineralization and inorganic solublization genes | | PTG | % | Organic and inorganic P transportation and P-starvation response regulation genes |