Distinct Elevational Patterns and Their Linkages of Soil Bacteria and Plant Community in An Alpine Meadow of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Soil microbes play important roles in determining plant community composition and terrestrial ecosystem functions, as well as the direction and extent of terrestrial ecosystem feedback to environmental changes. Understanding the distribution patterns of plant and soil microbiota along elevation gradients is necessary to shed light on important ecosystem functions. In this study, soil bacteria along an elevation gradient in an alpine meadow ecosystem of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau were investigated using Illumina sequencing and GeoChip technologies. The community structure of the soil bacteria and plants presented a continuous trend along the elevation gradient, and their alpha diversity displayed different distribution patterns; however, there were no linkages between them. Beta diversity of the soil bacteria and plants was significantly influenced by elevational distance changes (p < 0.05). Functional gene categories involved in nitrogen and phosphorus cycling had faster changes than those involved in carbon degradation, and functional genes involved in labile carbon degradation also had faster variations than those involved in recalcitrant carbon degradation with elevational changes. According to Pearson’s correlation, partial Mantel test analysis, and canonical correspondence analysis, soil pH and mean annual precipitation were important environmental variables in influencing soil bacterial diversity. Soil bacterial diversity and plant diversity had different distribution patterns along the elevation gradient.

The Impact and Determinants of Mountainous Topographical Factors on Soil Microbial Community Characteristics

“…The soil contains a diverse range of microorganisms, with bacteria and fungi being the most abundant [4]. Studies have shown that in alpine meadows the bacterial community is mainly composed of Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria, and the most numerous fungal communities are Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, and not only with high plasticity and adaptability to the environment, but also, perform a vital function in crucial processes such as plant production, greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient cycling, which are essential for the maintenance of numerous ecosystem functions [5][6][7][8].…”