Archaeal communities change responding to anthropogenic and natural treatments of freeze-thawed soils

Abstract

The coverage of accumulated snow plays a significant role in inducing changes in both microbial activity and environmental factors within freeze-thaw soil systems. This study aimed to analyze the impact of snow cover on the dynamics of archeal communities in freeze-thaw soil. Furthermore, it seeks to investigate the role of fertilization in freeze-thaw soil. Four treatments were established based on snow cover and fertilization:No snow and no fertilizer (CK–N), snow cover without fertilizer (X–N), fertilizer without snow cover (T-N), and both fertilizer and snow cover (T-X). The research findings indicated that after snow cover treatment, the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content in freeze-thaw soil exhibit periodic fluctuations. Snow covered effectively altered the community composition of bacteria and archaea in the soil, with a greater impact on archaeal communities than on bacterial communities. Snow covered improves the stability of archaeal communities in freeze-thaw soil. Additionally, the arrival of snow also enhanced the correlation between archaea and environmental factors, with the key archaeal phyla involved being Nanoarchaeota and Crenarchaeota. Further research showed that the application of organic fertilizers also had some impact on freeze-thaw soil, but this impact was smaller compared to snow cover. In summary, the arrival of snow could alter the archaeal community and protect nutrient elements in freeze-thaw soil, reducing their loss, and its effect is more pronounced compared to the application of organic fertilizers.