Prada-Salcedo, Luis Daniel
[Author];
Prada-Salcedo, Juan Pablo
[Author];
Heintz-Buschart, Anna
[Author];
Buscot, François
[Author];
Goldmann, Kezia
[Author]
Effects of Tree Composition and Soil Depth on Structure and Functionality of Belowground Microbial Communities in Temperate European Forests
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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Effects of Tree Composition and Soil Depth on Structure and Functionality of Belowground Microbial Communities in Temperate European Forests
Contributor:
Prada-Salcedo, Luis Daniel
[Author];
Prada-Salcedo, Juan Pablo
[Author];
Heintz-Buschart, Anna
[Author];
Buscot, François
[Author];
Goldmann, Kezia
[Author]
imprint:
Lausanne: Frontiers Media S.A., [2023]
Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology ; 13 (2022), Seite 1-16
Description:
Depending on their tree species composition, forests recruit different soil microbialcommunities. Likewise, the vertical nutrient gradient along soil profiles impacts thesecommunities and their activities. In forest soils, bacteria and fungi commonly compete,coexist, and interact, which is challenging for understanding the complex mechanismsbehind microbial structuring. Using amplicon sequencing, we analyzed bacterial andfungal diversity in relation to forest composition and soil depth. Moreover, employingrandom forest models, we identified microbial indicator taxa of forest plots composedof either deciduous or evergreen trees, or their mixtures, as well as of three soildepths. We expected that forest composition and soil depth affect bacterial and fungaldiversity and community structure differently. Indeed, relative abundances of microbialcommunities changed more across soil depths than in relation to forest composition. Themicrobial Shannon diversity was particularly affected by soil depth and by the proportionof evergreen trees. Our results also reflected that bacterial communities are primarilyshaped by soil depth, while fungi were influenced by forest tree species composition. Anincreasing proportion of evergreen trees did not provoke differences in main bacterialmetabolic 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 theproportion of evergreen trees, particularly in topsoil. Prominent microbial indicator taxain the deciduous forests were characterized to be r-strategists, whereas K-strategistsdominated evergreen plots. Considering simultaneously forest composition and soildepth to unravel differences inmicrobial communities,metabolic pathways and functionalguilds have the potential to enlighten mechanisms that maintain forest soil functionalityand provide resistance against disturbances.