Agricultural practice negatively affects soil microbial diversity and nitrogen functional genes comparing to adjacent native forest soils

Abstract

Soil microbial diversity and community are determined by anthropogenic activities and environmental conditions, which greatly affect the functioning of ecosystem. We investigated the soil bacterial diversity, communities, and nitrogen (N) functional genes with different disturbance intensity levels from crop, transition, to forest soils at three locations in the coastal region of Georgia, USA. Illumina high-throughput DNA sequencing based on bacterial 16S rRNA genes were performed for bacterial diversity and community analyses. Nitrifying (AOB amoA) and denitrifying (nirK) functional genes were further detected using quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE). Soil bacterial community structure determined by Illumina sequences were significantly different between crop and forest soils (p < 0.01), as well as between crop and transition soils (p = 0.01). However, there is no difference between transition and forest soils. Compared to less disturbed forest, agricultural practice significantly decreased soil bacterial richness and Shannon diversity. Soil pH and nitrate contents together contributed highest for the observed different bacterial communities (Correlations = 0.381). Two OTUs (OTU5, OTU8) belonging to Acidobacteriales species decreased in crop soils, however, agricultural practices significantly increased an OTU (OTU4) of Nitrobacteraceae. The relative abundance of AOB amoA gene was significantly higher in crop soils than in forest and transition soils. Distinct grouping of soil denitrifying bacterial nirK communities was observed and agricultural practices significantly decreased the diversity of nirK gene compared to forest soils. Anthropogenic effects through agricultural practices negatively affecting the soil bacterial diversity, community structure, and N functional genes.