Multiple environmental factors, but not nutrient addition, directly affect wet grassland soil microbial community structure: a mesocosm study

Abstract

Nutrient addition may change soil microbial community structure, but soil microbes must simultaneously contend with other, interacting factors. We studied the effect of soil type (peat, mineral), water level (low, high) and nutrient addition (unfertilized, fertilized) on wet grassland soil microbial community structure in both vegetated and un-vegetated soils after five years of treatment application in a mesocosm, using Illumina sequencing of the bacterial V4 region of the small ribosomal sub-units. Soil type, water level and plant presence significantly affected the soil microbial structure both singly and interactively. Nutrient addition did not directly impact microbiome structure, but acted indirectly by increasing plant biomass. The abundance of possible plant growth promoting bacteria and heterotrophic bacteria indicate the importance of bacteria that promote plant growth. Based on our results, a drier and warmer future would result in nutrient-richer conditions, and changes to microbial community structure and total microbial biomass and /or abundances, with wet grasslands likely switching from areas acting as C sinks to C sources.

Diversity and Composition of Soil Acidobacterial Communities in Different Temperate Forest Types of Northeast China

“…Acidobacteria, as an important component of the soil bacterial community, is one of the most abundant bacterial taxa in soil, characterized by a wide range of metabolic and genetic functions, which can be found in a variety of habitats [9]. It is well known that soil bacterial communities are highly susceptible to changes in the surrounding environment [10], and Acidobacteria are no exception [11]. Changes in external environmental conditions affect the outcomes and functions of soil Acidobacterial communities [12].…”

Editorial: Theme issue on the ecology of soil microorganisms

“…Manure addition, however, needs to be considered with caution since it can increase the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (Sardar et al 2023 ). What the future can be of wet grassland soils under global change is demonstrated by Edwards et al ( 2023 ): higher plant productivity under future conditions with warmer climate and higher nutrient load may lead up to the switch of these ecosystems from C accumulators to C sources. Grasslands that are already affected should be restored—including their microbiomes.…”