Soil humus-reducing bacteria in the Xisha islands, South China sea: unveiling diversity and predicting functions
Abstract Humic-reducing bacteria (HRB) play crucial roles in various biogeochemical cycles, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) cycles. Tropical reef islands, constituting unique ecosystems, possess distinct soil properties. This study represents the first comprehensive exploration of...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | BMC Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04137-7 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849402966432284672 |
|---|---|
| author | Xiao Deng Saba Najeeb Kun Liu Huadong Tan Yi Li Chunyuan Wu Yi Zhang |
| author_facet | Xiao Deng Saba Najeeb Kun Liu Huadong Tan Yi Li Chunyuan Wu Yi Zhang |
| author_sort | Xiao Deng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Humic-reducing bacteria (HRB) play crucial roles in various biogeochemical cycles, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) cycles. Tropical reef islands, constituting unique ecosystems, possess distinct soil properties. This study represents the first comprehensive exploration of HRB communities in soil profiles on the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. Our research aimed to understand their vertical distribution, diversity, and ecological functions. Soil samples collected from different layers (0–12 cm, 12–25 cm, 25–55 cm, and 55–80 cm) on Zhaoshu Island (ZSI), North Island (NI), and Middle Sandbar (MS) were analyzed using High-throughput sequencing and functional annotation of prokaryotic taxa (FAPROTAX). The results demonstrated that Firmicutes was the predominant phylum across all studied reef islands. HRB communities primarily comprised the Firmicutes (60.5–81.7%) and Proteobacteria (18.2–39.3%) phyla. Firmicutes exhibited higher abundance in tropical reef islands than in other habitats, whereas Proteobacteria were less so. The relative abundance of Firmicutes was lower in surface layers, whereas Proteobacteria showed an opposite pattern. Alpha diversity of HRB communities was significantly higher in 0–25 cm than in 25–80 cm depths. Beta diversity in HRB communities’ beta diversity differed significantly between depths of 0–25 cm and 25–80 cm. Soil pH, organic matter, available phosphorus, and five other factors were significantly correlated with the HRB community structure. Further analysis using FAPROTAX corroborated that HRB communities on tropical reef islands primarily functioned in C, Mn, and S cycles, exhibiting significant differences between the 0–25 cm and 25–80 cm depths. These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between HRB communities and soil environments, offering valuable insights into conserving the Xisha Islands’ ecosystem. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-24c94caadcb54d1aa8986e7314c855b0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2180 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-24c94caadcb54d1aa8986e7314c855b02025-08-20T03:37:23ZengBMCBMC Microbiology1471-21802025-07-0125111810.1186/s12866-025-04137-7Soil humus-reducing bacteria in the Xisha islands, South China sea: unveiling diversity and predicting functionsXiao Deng0Saba Najeeb1Kun Liu2Huadong Tan3Yi Li4Chunyuan Wu5Yi Zhang6Environmental and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural SciencesEnvironmental and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural SciencesSansha Municipal Bureau of Marine Development and FisheriesEnvironmental and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural SciencesEnvironmental and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural SciencesEnvironmental and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural SciencesEnvironmental and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural SciencesAbstract Humic-reducing bacteria (HRB) play crucial roles in various biogeochemical cycles, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) cycles. Tropical reef islands, constituting unique ecosystems, possess distinct soil properties. This study represents the first comprehensive exploration of HRB communities in soil profiles on the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. Our research aimed to understand their vertical distribution, diversity, and ecological functions. Soil samples collected from different layers (0–12 cm, 12–25 cm, 25–55 cm, and 55–80 cm) on Zhaoshu Island (ZSI), North Island (NI), and Middle Sandbar (MS) were analyzed using High-throughput sequencing and functional annotation of prokaryotic taxa (FAPROTAX). The results demonstrated that Firmicutes was the predominant phylum across all studied reef islands. HRB communities primarily comprised the Firmicutes (60.5–81.7%) and Proteobacteria (18.2–39.3%) phyla. Firmicutes exhibited higher abundance in tropical reef islands than in other habitats, whereas Proteobacteria were less so. The relative abundance of Firmicutes was lower in surface layers, whereas Proteobacteria showed an opposite pattern. Alpha diversity of HRB communities was significantly higher in 0–25 cm than in 25–80 cm depths. Beta diversity in HRB communities’ beta diversity differed significantly between depths of 0–25 cm and 25–80 cm. Soil pH, organic matter, available phosphorus, and five other factors were significantly correlated with the HRB community structure. Further analysis using FAPROTAX corroborated that HRB communities on tropical reef islands primarily functioned in C, Mn, and S cycles, exhibiting significant differences between the 0–25 cm and 25–80 cm depths. These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between HRB communities and soil environments, offering valuable insights into conserving the Xisha Islands’ ecosystem.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04137-7Community compositionFunctional traitsHumic-reducing bacteriaSoil environmentTropical reef ecosystemVertical distribution |
| spellingShingle | Xiao Deng Saba Najeeb Kun Liu Huadong Tan Yi Li Chunyuan Wu Yi Zhang Soil humus-reducing bacteria in the Xisha islands, South China sea: unveiling diversity and predicting functions BMC Microbiology Community composition Functional traits Humic-reducing bacteria Soil environment Tropical reef ecosystem Vertical distribution |
| title | Soil humus-reducing bacteria in the Xisha islands, South China sea: unveiling diversity and predicting functions |
| title_full | Soil humus-reducing bacteria in the Xisha islands, South China sea: unveiling diversity and predicting functions |
| title_fullStr | Soil humus-reducing bacteria in the Xisha islands, South China sea: unveiling diversity and predicting functions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil humus-reducing bacteria in the Xisha islands, South China sea: unveiling diversity and predicting functions |
| title_short | Soil humus-reducing bacteria in the Xisha islands, South China sea: unveiling diversity and predicting functions |
| title_sort | soil humus reducing bacteria in the xisha islands south china sea unveiling diversity and predicting functions |
| topic | Community composition Functional traits Humic-reducing bacteria Soil environment Tropical reef ecosystem Vertical distribution |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04137-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiaodeng soilhumusreducingbacteriainthexishaislandssouthchinaseaunveilingdiversityandpredictingfunctions AT sabanajeeb soilhumusreducingbacteriainthexishaislandssouthchinaseaunveilingdiversityandpredictingfunctions AT kunliu soilhumusreducingbacteriainthexishaislandssouthchinaseaunveilingdiversityandpredictingfunctions AT huadongtan soilhumusreducingbacteriainthexishaislandssouthchinaseaunveilingdiversityandpredictingfunctions AT yili soilhumusreducingbacteriainthexishaislandssouthchinaseaunveilingdiversityandpredictingfunctions AT chunyuanwu soilhumusreducingbacteriainthexishaislandssouthchinaseaunveilingdiversityandpredictingfunctions AT yizhang soilhumusreducingbacteriainthexishaislandssouthchinaseaunveilingdiversityandpredictingfunctions |