Divergent successional responses and environmental drivers of soil bacterial and fungal communities in subalpine forests of the Eastern Qilian Mountains

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.