Frontiers in microbiology
Divergent successional responses and environmental drivers of soil bacterial and fungal communities in subalpine forests of the Eastern Qilian Mountains
By Chen Z, Zong W, Ling L and 1 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Soil microbial communities and extracellular enzyme activities play critical roles in regulating carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycling in forest ecosystems. However, whether bacterial and fungal communities exhibit similar or divergent successional trajectories, and how environmental factors regulate these responses during long-term subalpine forest succession, remain poorly understood.
Methods
We investigated a natural successional sequence from broadleaved mixed forest to mature Picea wilsonii forest in Xinglong Mountain, Eastern Qilian Mountains, using high-throughput sequencing combined with measurements of soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, and extracellular enzyme activities.