Altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Microorganisms in the soils of alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are pivotal in sustaining ecosystem functionality and stability. The community structure and functional composition of these microbes exhibit pronounced altitudinal variations; however, specific distribution patterns across d...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25001141 |
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| author | Zhiyuan Chen Yeteng Xu Xinyue Wang Tong Ma Yang Liu Xiang Qin Wei Zhang Tuo Chen Guangxiu Liu Binglin Zhang |
| author_facet | Zhiyuan Chen Yeteng Xu Xinyue Wang Tong Ma Yang Liu Xiang Qin Wei Zhang Tuo Chen Guangxiu Liu Binglin Zhang |
| author_sort | Zhiyuan Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microorganisms in the soils of alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are pivotal in sustaining ecosystem functionality and stability. The community structure and functional composition of these microbes exhibit pronounced altitudinal variations; however, specific distribution patterns across different soil layers remain inadequately elucidated within alpine meadow ecosystems. This study employed high-throughput sequencing to examine bacterial communities across various soil layers along an altitudinal gradient in the alpine meadow ecosystem of the Qilian Mountains. The α-diversity of surface soil bacteria demonstrated a hump-shaped altitudinal trend (P < 0.05), whereas subsurface bacterial α-diversity followed a U-shaped distribution along the altitude gradient (P < 0.001). Community assembly in surface soils was predominantly governed by homogeneous selection (71.5 %), whereas in subsurface soils, it was co-dominated by heterogeneous selection (40 %) and homogeneous selection (39.5 %). Network analysis revealed that subsurface bacterial networks exhibited greater complexity and a higher prevalence of negative correlations compared to surface soil networks. Environmental variables, notably salinity, emerged as the most significant predictors of altitudinal disparities in bacterial community patterns across soil layers. Specifically, salinity may exert a dominant influence on subsurface soil community composition by enhancing negative interactions and imposing direct selective pressures. Conversely, alterations in surface soil bacterial community composition were more strongly correlated with total organic carbon (TOC).These findings elucidate distinct altitudinal patterns in bacterial community diversity and assembly between soil layers. This enhanced understanding is critical for advancing knowledge regarding the functional roles of soil microorganisms in alpine meadow ecosystems and their adaptive responses to climatic fluctuations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8965bf61de8343839ed6431d36e23cf5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-8965bf61de8343839ed6431d36e23cf52025-02-08T04:59:58ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-02-01171113185Altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet PlateauZhiyuan Chen0Yeteng Xu1Xinyue Wang2Tong Ma3Yang Liu4Xiang Qin5Wei Zhang6Tuo Chen7Guangxiu Liu8Binglin Zhang9Qilianshan Observation and Research Station of Cryosphere and Ecological Environment, Yulong Snow Station of Cryosphere and Sustainable Development, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco- Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, ChinaQilianshan Observation and Research Station of Cryosphere and Ecological Environment, Yulong Snow Station of Cryosphere and Sustainable Development, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco- Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, ChinaQilianshan Observation and Research Station of Cryosphere and Ecological Environment, Yulong Snow Station of Cryosphere and Sustainable Development, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco- Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, ChinaKey Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, China; School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, ChinaQilianshan Observation and Research Station of Cryosphere and Ecological Environment, Yulong Snow Station of Cryosphere and Sustainable Development, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco- Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaQilianshan Observation and Research Station of Cryosphere and Ecological Environment, Yulong Snow Station of Cryosphere and Sustainable Development, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco- Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaQilianshan Observation and Research Station of Cryosphere and Ecological Environment, Yulong Snow Station of Cryosphere and Sustainable Development, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco- Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaQilianshan Observation and Research Station of Cryosphere and Ecological Environment, Yulong Snow Station of Cryosphere and Sustainable Development, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco- Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, China; Corresponding author at: Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.Microorganisms in the soils of alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are pivotal in sustaining ecosystem functionality and stability. The community structure and functional composition of these microbes exhibit pronounced altitudinal variations; however, specific distribution patterns across different soil layers remain inadequately elucidated within alpine meadow ecosystems. This study employed high-throughput sequencing to examine bacterial communities across various soil layers along an altitudinal gradient in the alpine meadow ecosystem of the Qilian Mountains. The α-diversity of surface soil bacteria demonstrated a hump-shaped altitudinal trend (P < 0.05), whereas subsurface bacterial α-diversity followed a U-shaped distribution along the altitude gradient (P < 0.001). Community assembly in surface soils was predominantly governed by homogeneous selection (71.5 %), whereas in subsurface soils, it was co-dominated by heterogeneous selection (40 %) and homogeneous selection (39.5 %). Network analysis revealed that subsurface bacterial networks exhibited greater complexity and a higher prevalence of negative correlations compared to surface soil networks. Environmental variables, notably salinity, emerged as the most significant predictors of altitudinal disparities in bacterial community patterns across soil layers. Specifically, salinity may exert a dominant influence on subsurface soil community composition by enhancing negative interactions and imposing direct selective pressures. Conversely, alterations in surface soil bacterial community composition were more strongly correlated with total organic carbon (TOC).These findings elucidate distinct altitudinal patterns in bacterial community diversity and assembly between soil layers. This enhanced understanding is critical for advancing knowledge regarding the functional roles of soil microorganisms in alpine meadow ecosystems and their adaptive responses to climatic fluctuations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25001141Alpine meadowsAltitudinal gradientSoil layersBacteriaNetworks |
| spellingShingle | Zhiyuan Chen Yeteng Xu Xinyue Wang Tong Ma Yang Liu Xiang Qin Wei Zhang Tuo Chen Guangxiu Liu Binglin Zhang Altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Ecological Indicators Alpine meadows Altitudinal gradient Soil layers Bacteria Networks |
| title | Altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_full | Altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_short | Altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau |
| title_sort | altitudinal patterns of bacterial communities across soil layers in the alpine meadows of the qinghai tibet plateau |
| topic | Alpine meadows Altitudinal gradient Soil layers Bacteria Networks |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25001141 |
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