Effects of Simulated Warming on Bacterial Community Structure in Litters of Chinese Fir Based on Displacement Test

Abstract

Bacterial communities are vital factors for regulating litter decomposition in forests. With the gradual increase in global climate change, the effects of global warming on the decomposition of forest litter have become a cause for concern. In this study, we used a displacement test to simulate the effects of warming (+2.5, +4.6, and +6.5 °C) on the composition and diversity of bacterial communities in Chinese fir litters based on the natural differences in temperature between the elevation of Wuyi Mountain. Warming significantly increased the abundance and diversity of bacterial communities and altered the functional abundance of bacterial communities. Warming significantly increased the relative abundance of Acidothermus and decreased that of Bacteroidetes and Mucilaginibacter. Structural variations in the bacterial communities were closely related to the chemical properties of the litter. The relative abundance of Planctomycetes exhibited a positive association with nitrogen content and a negative association with cellulose content, whereas phosphorus content was the main driving factor of Acidothermus abundance. Warming increased the complexity of the bacterial community structure, which promoted the decomposition of Chinese fir litter and accelerated nutrient cycling in the Chinese fir plantation ecosystem.