TY - JOUR
T1 - Depth-dependent effects of tree species identity on soil microbial community characteristics and multifunctionality
AU - Xu, Zhiyuan
AU - Hu, Zhenhong
AU - Jiao, Shuo
AU - Bell, Stephen M.
AU - Xu, Qian
AU - Ma, Longlong
AU - Chen, Ji
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - Soil microbes play key roles that support forest ecosystem functioning, while their community characteristics are strongly determined by tree species identity. However, the majority studies primarily focus on soil microorganisms in the topsoil, resulting in limited understanding of the linkages between tree species identity and the microbial communities that inhabit deep soils. Here we investigated the diversity, structure, function, and co-occurrence networks of soil bacterial and fungal communities, as well as related soil physicochemical properties, to a depth of two meters in dryland forests dominated by either Pinus tabuliformis, a native coniferous species, Robinia pseudoacacia, an exotic broadleaf and nitrogen-fixing species, or both. Tree species identity had stronger effects on soil multifunctionality and microbial community structure in the deep layers (80–200 cm) than in the top layers (0–60 cm). In addition, fungal communities were more responsive to tree species identity, whereas bacteria were more sensitive to soil depth. Tree species identity strongly influenced microbial network stability and complexity, with higher quantities in R. pseudoacacia than the other plantations, by affecting microbial composition and their associations. The increased in microbial network complexity and the relative abundance of keystone taxa enhance the soil multifunctionality of microbial productivity, sugar and chitin degradation, and nutrient availability and cycling. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of keystone taxa was more representative of soil multifunctionality than microbial diversity. Our study highlights that tree species identity significantly influences soil microbial community characteristics and multifunctionality, especially in deep soils, which will help us understand soil nutrients processed in plantation forest ecosystem and provide a reference for tree species selection in ecological restoration.
AB - Soil microbes play key roles that support forest ecosystem functioning, while their community characteristics are strongly determined by tree species identity. However, the majority studies primarily focus on soil microorganisms in the topsoil, resulting in limited understanding of the linkages between tree species identity and the microbial communities that inhabit deep soils. Here we investigated the diversity, structure, function, and co-occurrence networks of soil bacterial and fungal communities, as well as related soil physicochemical properties, to a depth of two meters in dryland forests dominated by either Pinus tabuliformis, a native coniferous species, Robinia pseudoacacia, an exotic broadleaf and nitrogen-fixing species, or both. Tree species identity had stronger effects on soil multifunctionality and microbial community structure in the deep layers (80–200 cm) than in the top layers (0–60 cm). In addition, fungal communities were more responsive to tree species identity, whereas bacteria were more sensitive to soil depth. Tree species identity strongly influenced microbial network stability and complexity, with higher quantities in R. pseudoacacia than the other plantations, by affecting microbial composition and their associations. The increased in microbial network complexity and the relative abundance of keystone taxa enhance the soil multifunctionality of microbial productivity, sugar and chitin degradation, and nutrient availability and cycling. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of keystone taxa was more representative of soil multifunctionality than microbial diversity. Our study highlights that tree species identity significantly influences soil microbial community characteristics and multifunctionality, especially in deep soils, which will help us understand soil nutrients processed in plantation forest ecosystem and provide a reference for tree species selection in ecological restoration.
KW - Biomarker
KW - Co-occurrence network
KW - Deep soil layers
KW - Keystone taxa
KW - Microbial stability
KW - Plantation forest
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150937514&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162972
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162972
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36958562
AN - SCOPUS:85150937514
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 878
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 162972
ER -