Effects of land-use change and fungicide application on soil respiration in playa wetlands and adjacent uplands of the U.S. High Plains

With the increased use of fungicides in cultivated regions such as the southern High Plains (SHP), U.S., unintentional runoff and drift as well as direct overspray during aerial application lead to environmental exposures that may influence soil microbial communities and related biogeochemical functioning. Our goal was to examine the effects of two popular fungicides Headline® (pyraclostrobin) and Quilt® (azoxystrobin/propiconazole) on respiration from soil microbial communities in playa wetlands embedded in cropland and native grassland and their adjacent watersheds. We monitored fungicide effects (at levels of 0, .1 ×, 1 × and 10 × the label rate) by measuring respiration from plant matter amended soils collected from 6 cropland and 6 grassland playas and uplands. In addition, differences in microbial community structure among land use types were determined by measuring ergosterol levels in cropland and native grassland playas and uplands. Native grassland playas and their associated watersheds had up to 43% higher soil respiration rates than cropland playas and watersheds, indicating higher soil microbial activity. Application of either fungicide had no effect on soil respiration at any concentration in either land use type or habitat type (playa/watershed). Native grassland playas and watersheds had 3 and 1.6 times higher ergosterol content than cropland playas and watersheds. The lack of soil respiration response to fungicide application does not necessarily suggest that fungicides used in this study do not affect non-target soil microbial communities due to potential compensation by other biota. Future studies should further elucidate existing microorganism communities in playas and their watersheds.