Abstract
Plant attributes have direct and indirect effects on soil microbes via plant inputs and plant-mediated soil changes. However, whether plant taxonomic and functional diversities can explain the soil microbial diversity of restored forest ecosystems remains elusive. Here, we tested the linkage between plant attributes and soil microbial communities in four restored forests (Acacia species, Eucalyptus species, mixed coniferous species, mixed native species). The trait-based approaches were applied for plant properties and high-throughput Illumina sequencing was applied for fungal and bacterial diversity. The total number of soil microbial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) varied among the four forests. The highest richness of fungal OTUs was found in the Acacia forest. However, bacterial OTUs were highest in the Eucalyptus forest. Species richness was positively and significantly related to fungal and bacterial richness. Plant taxonomic diversity (species richness and species diversity) explained more of the soil microbial diversity than the functional diversity and soil properties. Prediction of fungal richness was better than that of bacterial richness. In addition, root traits explained more variation than the leaf traits. Overall, plant taxonomic diversity played a more important role than plant functional diversity and soil properties in shaping the soil microbial diversity of the four forests.
Highlights
Biodiversity conservation and protection of land from degradation are the key strategies behind ecosystem restoration [1]
We aimed to address three questions: (1) How does the soil microbial community structure differ among the four plantations? (2) What is the relative importance of plant functional diversity vs. taxonomic diversity for microbial diversity? (3) Which plant traits contribute more to determining the soil microbial community composition? We hypothesized that (1) restoration with diverse species through plant-mediated soil changes might alter soil microbial diversity [5,6,7]; (2) taxonomic diversity might contribute more than functional diversity due to species-specific linkage between microbes and individual plants [17,18,19]; and (3) belowground traits might contribute more due to their close association with soil microbes [27]
Maximum plant diversity was found in the Eucalyptus species (EE) forest, which was statistically similar to that in the mixed coniferous species forest (MC) and EE forests, while minimum plant diversity was recorded in the AM forest (Figure 1b)
Summary
Biodiversity conservation and protection of land from degradation are the key strategies behind ecosystem restoration [1]. Half of the world’s degraded tropical forests are restored through reforestation or are converted to secondary plantation forests [2]. These degraded forests are restored with monoculture or mixed plantations as a process of the restoration strategy [3]. Plantation types, preference of habitats and quality of plant inputs are the key factors that influence soil microbial communities during restoration [5,6]. Vegetation types having contrasting diversity of plant communities will have a distinct effect on soil properties through plant inputs, which in turn has diverse effects on soil microbial communities [3,4]. Long-term restoration with Pinus massoniana and Eucalyptus spp. causes soil degradation, which profoundly influences soil microbial communities [4]. Specific species were found to have a contrasting impact on specific taxa of bacteria during forest conversion from native to teak plantations [11]
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