Bedrock modulates the elevational patterns of soil microbial communities
Xianjin He,
Ruiqi Wang,
Daniel S. Goll,
Laurent Augusto,
Naoise Nunan,
M.D. Farnon Ellwood,
Quanzhou Gao,
Junlong Huang,
Shenhua Qian,
Yonghua Zhang,
Zufei Shu,
Buhang Li,
Chengjin Chu
Affiliations
Xianjin He
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, China; Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, IPSL-LSCE, CEA/CNRS/UVSQ, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France
Ruiqi Wang
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, China
Daniel S. Goll
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, IPSL-LSCE, CEA/CNRS/UVSQ, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France
Laurent Augusto
ISPA, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, INRAE, 33140 Villenave d’Ornon, France
Naoise Nunan
Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences – Paris, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, P7, UPEC, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France; Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden
M.D. Farnon Ellwood
School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG, United Kingdom
Quanzhou Gao
Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geosimulation of Guangdong Province, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Junlong Huang
Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region’s Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Shenhua Qian
Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region’s Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Yonghua Zhang
College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Zufei Shu
Guangdong Chebaling National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau, Shaoguan, China
Buhang Li
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, China
Chengjin Chu
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518033, China; Corresponding author.
Elevational gradients are often used to reveal how soil microorganisms will respond to climate change. However, inconsistent microbial distribution patterns across different elevational transects have raised doubts about their practical applicability. We hypothesized that variations in bedrock, which influence soil physical and chemical properties, would explain these inconsistencies. We therefore investigated soil microbial communities (bacterial and fungal) along two adjacent elevational transects with different bedrocks (granite vs. slate) in a subtropical forest. Our findings reveal that soil microbial communities are shaped by complex interactions between bedrock type and environmental factors along elevational gradients. Bacterial biomass was higher on slate, whereas fungal biomass was higher on granite. On granite, both bacterial and fungal biomass increased with elevation, whereas divergent patterns were observed on slate, likely due to the distinct soil properties or combinations of properties influencing microbial biomass on each bedrock. Bedrock and elevation strongly influenced microbial beta-diversity, with beta-diversity on granite driven primarily by soil total phosphorus and moisture, and on slate by soil organic carbon and pH. In contrast, alpha-diversity was impacted less by bedrock and elevation, but its relationship with environmental factors varied markedly between bedrock types. Overall, our results highlight the critical influence of bedrock in determining soil microbial community structure along elevational gradients and their potential responses to climate change.
