Variations of soil bacterial microbial community and functional structure under different land-uses

To reveal the differences between land-use patterns and the changes in soil properties, the changes in soil bacterial microbial communities and functions driven by land-use patterns were studied by 16SrRNA Gene Fragments and its high-throughput sequencing, relying on the wetland, farmland and forestland soils in the Hongxing National Nature Reserve of Heilongjiang Province. The study area was slightly acidic soil, and the water content, soil organic carbon content, total soil nitrogen and phosphorus contents of wetland soil were higher than farmland and forestland. The suitable C/N of wetland and farmland soil could promote the decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms. The OTUs sequence, Shannon diversity index, ACE index and Chao1 index were significantly higher in wetland than in farmland and forestland. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacteria in the tested soil samples. The abundance of Proteobacteria in wetland soil samples was significantly higher than in farmland and forestland. The abundance of Acidobacteria in farmland soil samples was significantly higher than in wetland and forestland. According to FAPROTAX algorithm and BugBase phenotype analysis, land-uses can change the abundance of soil functional microorganisms. The dominant functional genes are mainly Chemoheterotrophy and Aerobic chemoheterotrophy bacteria. Nitrification and Aerobic ammonia oxidation bacteria involved in nitrogen cycle in farmland soil are significantly different from wetland and forestland. Land-use mode leads to significant differences between Mobile elements and Gram negative bacteria. It is mainly related to the changes in soil physical and chemical properties such as soil pH, bulk density, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents.

Automated summary

This study investigated the changes in soil bacterial microbial communities and functions driven by land-use patterns in the Hongxing National Nature Reserve of Heilongjiang Province using 16SrRNA gene fragments and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed significant differences in soil properties between wetland, farmland, and forestland soils. Wetland soil had higher water content, soil organic carbon content, and total nitrogen and phosphorus contents compared to farmland and forestland. The dominant bacteria in the tested soil samples were Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. Land-use patterns were found to influence the abundance of soil functional microorganisms, with Chemoheterotrophy and Aerobic chemoheterotrophy bacteria being the dominant functional genes. The nitrogen cycle in farmland soil was significantly different from wetland and forestland soils. The differences in soil physical and chemical properties such as pH, bulk density, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen contents were mainly responsible for the differences in microbial communities and functions.