Depending on their tree species composition, forests recruit different soil microbial
communities. Likewise, the vertical nutrient gradient along soil profiles impacts these
communities and their activities. In forest soils, bacteria and fungi commonly compete,
coexist, and interact, which is challenging for understanding the complex mechanisms
behind microbial structuring. Using amplicon sequencing, we analyzed bacterial and
fungal diversity in relation to forest composition and soil depth. Moreover, employing
random forest models, we identified microbial indicator taxa of forest plots composed
of either deciduous or evergreen trees, or their mixtures, as well as of three soil
depths. We expected that forest composition and soil depth affect bacterial and fungal
diversity and community structure differently. Indeed, relative abundances of microbial
communities changed more across soil depths than in relation to forest composition. The
microbial Shannon diversity was particularly affected by soil depth and by the proportion
of evergreen trees. Our results also reflected that bacterial communities are primarily
shaped by soil depth, while fungi were influenced by forest tree species composition. An
increasing proportion of evergreen trees did not provoke differences in main bacterial
metabolic functions, e.g., carbon fixation, degradation, or photosynthesis. However,
significant responses related to specialized bacterial metabolisms were detected.
Saprotrophic, arbuscular mycorrhizal, and plant pathogenic fungi were related to the
proportion of evergreen trees, particularly in topsoil. Prominent microbial indicator taxa
in the deciduous forests were characterized to be r-strategists, whereas K-strategists
dominated evergreen plots. Considering simultaneously forest composition and soil
depth to unravel differences inmicrobial communities,metabolic pathways and functional
guilds have the potential to enlighten mechanisms that maintain forest soil functionality
and provide resistance against disturbances.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:87486 |
| Date | 19 October 2023 |
| Creators | Prada-Salcedo, Luis Daniel, Prada-Salcedo, Juan Pablo, Heintz-Buschart, Anna, Buscot, François, Goldmann, Kezia |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 10.3389/fmicb.2022.920618 |
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