Effects of Litter and Root Manipulations on Soil Bacterial and Fungal Community Structure and Function in a Schrenk's Spruce (Picea schrenkiana) Forest

Soil microorganisms are the key driver of the geochemical cycle in forest ecosystem. Changes in litter and roots can affect soil microbial activities and nutrient cycling; however, the impact of this change on soil microbial community composition and function remain unclear. Here, we explored the effects of litter and root manipulations [control (CK), doubled litter input (DL), litter removal (NL), root exclusion (NR), and a combination of litter removal and root exclusion (NI)] on soil bacterial and fungal communities and functional groups during a 2-year field experiment, using illumina HiSeq sequencing coupled with the function prediction platform of PICRUSt and FUNGuild. Our results showed that litter and root removal decreased the diversity of soil bacteria and fungi (AEC, Shannon, and Chao1). The bacterial communities under different treatments were dominated by the phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinomycetes, and NL and NR reduced the relative abundance of the first two phyla. For the fungal communities, Basidiomycetes, Ascomycota, and Mortierellomycota were the dominant phyla. DL increased the relative abundance of Basidiomycetes, while NL and NR decreased the relative abundance of Ascomycota. We also found that litter and root manipulations altered the functional groups related to the metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, lipid metabolism, biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, environmental adaptation, cell growth, and death. The functional groups including ectomycorrhizal, ectomycorrhizal-orchid mycorrhizal root-associated biotrophs and soil saprotrophs in the fungal community were also different among the different treatments. Soil organic carbon (SOC), pH, and soil water content are important factors driving changes in bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the changes in plant detritus altered the soil microbial community structure and function by affecting soil physicochemical factors, which provides important data for understanding the material cycle of forest ecosystems under global change.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of changes in litter and roots on soil microbial communities and functions in forest ecosystems. The results showed that these changes can reduce the diversity of soil bacteria and fungi, and soil organic carbon, pH, and soil water content play important roles in driving these community changes. Understanding the impact of plant detritus on soil microbial communities is crucial for studying the material cycle of forest ecosystems under global change.