Mining the Microbiome of Key Species from African Savanna Woodlands: Potential for Soil Health Improvement and Plant Growth Promotion.

(1) Aims: Assessing bacterial diversity and plant-growth-promoting functions in the rhizosphere of the native African trees Colophospermum mopane and Combretum apiculatum in three landscapes of the Limpopo National Park (Mozambique), subjected to two fire regimes. (2) Methods: Bacterial communities were identified through Illumina Miseq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene amplicons, followed by culture dependent methods to isolate plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). Plant growth-promoting traits of the cultivable bacterial fraction were further analyzed. To screen for the presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, the promiscuous tropical legume Vigna unguiculata was used as a trap host. The taxonomy of all purified isolates was genetically verified by 16S rRNA gene Sanger sequencing. (3) Results: Bacterial community results indicated that fire did not drive major changes in bacterial abundance. However, culture-dependent methods allowed the differentiation of bacterial communities between the sampled sites, which were particularly enriched in Proteobacteria with a wide range of plant-beneficial traits, such as plant protection, plant nutrition, and plant growth. Bradyrhizobium was the most frequent symbiotic bacteria trapped in cowpea nodules coexisting with other endophytic bacteria. (4) Conclusion: Although the global analysis did not show significant differences between landscapes or sites with different fire regimes, probably due to the fast recovery of bacterial communities, the isolation of PGPB suggests that the rhizosphere bacteria are driven by the plant species, soil type, and fire regime, and are potentially associated with a wide range of agricultural, environmental, and industrial applications. Thus, the rhizosphere of African savannah ecosystems seems to be an untapped source of bacterial species and strains that should be further exploited for bio-based solutions.

Diversification of African Tree Legumes in Miombo-Mopane Woodlands.

The southern African Miombo and Mopane ecoregions constitute a unique repository of plant diversity whose diversification and evolutionary history is still understudied. In this work, we assessed the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of Miombo and Mopane tree legumes within the Zambezian phytoregion. Data were retrieved from several plant and gene databases and phylogenetic analyses were performed based on genetic barcodes. Seventy-eight species (74 from Miombo and 23 from Mopane, 19 common to both ecoregions) have been scored. Species diversity was high within both ecoregions, but information about the actual conservation status is scarce and available only for ca. 15% of the species. Results of phylogenetic analyses were consistent with current legume classification but did not allow us to draw any conclusion regarding the evolutionary history of Miombo and Mopane tree legumes. Future studies are proposed to dissect the diversity and structure of key species in order to consolidate the network of conservation areas.

Monitoring vegetation dynamics and carbon stock density in miombo woodlands.

BACKGROUND: The United Nation's Program for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) aims to reduce the 20% contribution to global emissions of greenhouse gases from the forest sector, offering a financial value of the carbon stored in forests as an incentive for local communities. The pre-requisite for the setup of a participatory REDD + Program is the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of baseline carbon stocks and their changes over time. In this study, we investigated miombo woodland's dynamics in terms of composition, structure and biomass over a 4-year period (2005-2009), and the Carbon Stock Density (CSD) for the year 2009. The study was conducted in the Niassa National Reserve (NNR) in northern Mozambique, which is the 14th largest protected area in the world. RESULTS: Mean tree density distributed across 79 species increased slightly between 2005 and 2009, respectively, from 548 to 587 trees ha-1. Julbernardia globiflora (Benth.) was the most important species in this area [importance value index (IVI2005= 61 and IVI2009 = 54)]. The woodlands presented an inverted J-shaped diametric curve, with 69% of the individuals representing the young cohort. Woody biomass had a net increase of 3 Mg ha-1 with the highest growth observed in Dyplorhynchus condilocarpon (Müll.Arg.) Pichon (0.54 Mg ha-1). J. globiflora had a net decrease in biomass of 0.09 Mg ha-1. Total CSD density was estimated at ca. 67 MgC ha-1 ± 24.85 with soils (average 34.72 ± 17.93 MgC ha-1) and woody vegetation (average 29.8 MgC ha-1 ± 13.07) representing the major carbon pools. The results point to a relatively stable ecosystem, but they call for the need to refocus management activities. CONCLUSIONS: The miombo woodlands in NNR are representative of the woodlands in the eco-region in terms of vegetation structure and composition. They experienced net increase in woody biomass, a considerable recruitment level and low mortality. According to our results, NNR may present good potential for carbon sequestration especially in soils and woody biomass, representing an important potential carbon sink. However, further investigations are needed in order to address the contribution of this area to MRV REDD + initiatives.