Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.

Diversity of Archaea II

Diversity of Archaea II

Archaea, one of the three domains of life, exhibit remarkable diversity and adaptability, thriving in both extreme and moderate environments. Historically, most identified archaea have been classified into two major phyla: Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota. However, recent molecular studies have expanded this classification to include three additional phyla: Thaumarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota, and Korarchaeota, each exhibiting unique characteristics and ecological roles.Thaumarchaeota: Mesophiles...

The Soil Ecosystem

The Soil Ecosystem

Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

Diversity of Archaea IV

Diversity of Archaea IV

Hyperthermophilic archaea are a group of extremophiles thriving at temperatures above 80°C, often in hydrothermal vents and volcanic soils where conditions surpass the boiling point of water. At such temperatures, proteins, membranes, and DNA in most organisms degrade, but hyperthermophiles have evolved remarkable adaptations to maintain stability and function.Unique Cellular FeaturesHyperthermophilic membranes are composed of a monolayer of biphytanyl tetraether lipids, which resist...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Tree community resource economics control soil food web multifunctionality.

Nature·2026

Same author

Phylogenetic history shapes the composition of floral scents in a specialized pollination mutualism.

The New phytologist·2026

Same author

Geographic variation in floral scent reinforces local pollinator attraction in the fig-fig wasp mutualism.

BMC ecology and evolution·2026

Same author

Root mixing effects on belowground decomposition depend on mycorrhizal type.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Convergent iridescence and divergent chemical signals in sympatric sister-species of Amazonian butterflies.

eLife·2025

Same author

Improving forest ecosystem functions by optimizing tree species spatial arrangement.

Nature communications·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 14, 2025

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

Higher tree diversity increases soil microbial resistance to drought.

Lauren M Gillespie¹, Nathalie Fromin², Alexandru Milcu^2,3

¹Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), CNRS, UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France. lgillespie155@gmail.com.

Communications Biology

|July 16, 2020

Summary

Increased drought may alter soil microbes. Tree species diversity enhances microbial drought resistance, suggesting mixed forests offer greater stability for soil functions under future climate change.

More Related Videos

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Published on: July 24, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 14, 2025

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Published on: July 24, 2018

Area of Science:

Ecology
Soil Science
Microbiology

Background:

Drought frequency and severity are predicted to increase.
Plant community characteristics influence microbial drought resistance and recovery.
The impact of plant diversity on microbial drought responses remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how repeated drying-rewetting cycles affect soil microbial functioning.
To determine if tree species diversity modifies soil microbial responses to drought.
To assess the resilience of microbial communities in diverse forest ecosystems.

Main Methods:

A microcosm experiment was conducted using soils from various European forests.
Repeated drying-rewetting cycles simulated drought conditions.
Soil microbial aerobic respiration and denitrification were measured.

Main Results:

Drought significantly reduced microbial aerobic respiration and denitrification.
Microbial communities in mixed tree species forests exhibited greater drought resistance compared to mono-specific forests.
The positive effect of tree species diversity on microbial drought resistance was consistent across different forest types.

Conclusions:

Mixed forests mitigate the negative impacts of drought on soil microbial processes.
Increased tree species diversity enhances the stability of soil microbial functioning under drought stress.
These findings suggest that diverse forest ecosystems may be more resilient to climate change-induced drought.