Abstract
The soil microbial community structure is critical to the cycling of carbon and nitrogen in forest soils. As afforestation practices increasingly promote different functional traits of tree species, it has become critical to understand how they influence soil microbial community structures, which directly influence soil biogeochemical processes. We used fungi ITS and bacteria 16S rDNA to investigate soil microbial community structures in three monoculture plantations consisting of a non-native evergreen conifer (Pinus sibirica), a native deciduous conifer (Larix gmelinii), and a native deciduous angiosperm (Betula platyphylla) and compared them with two 1:1 mixed-species plantations (P. sibirica and L. gmelinii, P. sibirica and B. platyphylla). The fungal community structure of the conifer–angiosperm mixed plantation was similar to that of the non-native evergreen conifer, and the bacterial community structure was similar to that of the angiosperm monoculture plantation. Fungal communities were strongly related to tree species, but bacterial communities were strongly related to soil nitrogen. The co-occurrence networks were more robust in the mixed plantations, and the microbial structures associated with soil carbon and nitrogen were significantly increased. Our results provide a comparative study of the soil microbial ecology in response to afforestation of species with different functional traits and enhance the understanding of factors controlling the soil microbial community structure.
Highlights
Introduction iationsSoil microorganisms play important roles in global biogeochemical cycles, but their communities can be negatively influenced by environmental changes such as climate warming, nitrogen deposition, and the loss of biodiversity [1,2]
The fungal community structure in mixed-species plantations resembled a mixture of fungal communities from monoculture plantations, but this depended on the plantation mixture
The P and B monoculture plantations did not exhibit any overlap in fungal communities, and the PB mixed-species plantation did not overlap with either monoculture, it was much more closely clustered toward the P as compared to the B monoculture plantation (Figure 1a)
Summary
Introduction iationsSoil microorganisms play important roles in global biogeochemical cycles, but their communities can be negatively influenced by environmental changes such as climate warming, nitrogen deposition, and the loss of biodiversity [1,2]. Understanding the factors controlling the microbial community structure can potentially mitigate the consequences of ecological disturbances [3] or inform strategies for forest management to influence ecosystem processes [4]. This will contribute information to soil science and provide recommendations for achieving the United Nations’ goal of moving from exploitation to the sustainable use of the earth’s resources [5]. Recent methodological developments have facilitated the determination of soil microbial diversity, which has provided a more comprehensive understanding of factors controlling the microbial community structure [6]. While it is clear that tree species and a variety of abiotic factors can have a large influence on soil
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
