Abstract
Creation of artificial forest plantations on a global scale is one of the ways to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on ecosystems, at the same time providing soil protection from erosion, regulation of the hydrological regime and carbon sequestration in soils of different natural and climatic zones. However, the change of the dominant plant community cause significant ecosystem changes, reflecting at the structure and functioning of the soil microbial complex as well. The shifts in prokaryotic community of the meadow soil resulting from the conversion of the native meadow (further grassland) phytocenosis to the artificial forest plantations was investigated with the use of NGS sequencing technology and metabarcoding approach–amplicon sequencing of V4 region of 16 S rRNA (performed on Illumina Miseq platform). The identified shifts in taxonomic structure and diversity may be the result of changes in the physic-chemical conditions of soils and, on the other hand, may serve as indicators of such changes. Cultivation of larch led to an increase in the diversity of the prokaryotic community and its stratification by depth. The acidifying effect of larch manifested itself in an increase in the proportion and diversity of acidobacteria, in the abundance of oligotrophic microorganisms of phyla Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, and a simultaneous comparative decrease in the bacteria of Verrucomicrobia phylum, alphaproteobacteria of or. Rhizobiales and Burkholderiales. The absence of clearly expressed dominants in the prokaryotic community, as well as a significant increase in alpha-diversity indices, compared with the control plot of native mountain-meadow soil under grassland vegetation, suggests a transitional nature of the soil ecosystem of artificial forest plantations.
Highlights
Creation of man-made forests is one of the ways to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on ecosystems, while ensuring soil protection against erosion, regulation of the hydrological regime of soils, carbon sequestration, etc
The conversion of secondary forest into larch cultivation led to changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of soil organic matter (SOM), which was expressed in an increase in its light fraction, and, a decrease in the amount of stable SOM in the soils of northeastern China [4]
Our work revealed clear dominants in the structure of prokaryotic communities in soil under meadow vegetation, while the proportions of microbial taxa in soil under larch differed not so dramatically, which is probably due to dynamic changes in the architecture and organization of ecological niches occupied by microorganisms and, as a result, colonization of new habitats by diverse microorganisms
Summary
Creation of man-made forests is one of the ways to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on ecosystems, while ensuring soil protection against erosion, regulation of the hydrological regime of soils, carbon sequestration, etc. The conversion of secondary forest into larch cultivation led to changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of soil organic matter (SOM), which was expressed in an increase in its light fraction, and, a decrease in the amount of stable SOM in the soils of northeastern China [4]. This was accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in the values of microbiological parameters–the amount of microbial biomass, enzymatic activity, and C and N mineralization rate [4, 5]. The study of Crimean soils showed that larch growth contributed to an overall increase in humus content in the upper part of the profile, compared with mixed forest and long-term fallow lands [3, 6]
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.
