Impacts of Land Use on Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities: Insights from Community Structure, Functional Gene Abundance, and Network Complexity

This study investigates the effects of different land-use types (forest, arable land, and wetland) on key soil properties, microbial communities, and nitrogen cycling in the Lesser Khingan Mountains. The results revealed that forest (FL) and wetland (WL) soils had significantly higher soil organic m...

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Main Authors: Junnan Ding, Shaopeng Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Life
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/3/466
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author Junnan Ding
Shaopeng Yu
author_facet Junnan Ding
Shaopeng Yu
author_sort Junnan Ding
collection DOAJ
description This study investigates the effects of different land-use types (forest, arable land, and wetland) on key soil properties, microbial communities, and nitrogen cycling in the Lesser Khingan Mountains. The results revealed that forest (FL) and wetland (WL) soils had significantly higher soil organic matter (SOM) content compared with arable land (AL), with total phosphorus (TP) being highest in FL and available nitrogen (AN) significantly higher in WL. In terms of enzyme activity, AL and WL showed reduced activities of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), β-D-glucosidase (β-G), and β-cellobiosidase (CBH), while exhibiting increased N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity, highlighting the impact of land use on nitrogen dynamics. WL also exhibited significantly higher microbial diversity and evenness compared with FL and AL. The dominant bacterial phyla included Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteriota, with Acidobacteriota being most abundant in FL and Proteobacteria most abundant in WL. Network analysis showed that AL had the most complex and connected microbial network, while FL and WL had simpler but more stable networks, suggesting the influence of land use on microbial community interactions. Regarding nitrogen cycling genes, AOA-<i>amoA</i> was most abundant in AL, while AOB-<i>amoA</i> was significantly enriched in FL, reflecting the influence of land use on ammonia oxidation. These findings highlight how land-use types significantly affect soil properties, microbial community structures, and nitrogen cycling, offering valuable insights for sustainable land management.
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spelling doaj-art-8ad1715ff91c4dc990738ca5b12a68b32025-08-20T02:11:24ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292025-03-0115346610.3390/life15030466Impacts of Land Use on Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities: Insights from Community Structure, Functional Gene Abundance, and Network ComplexityJunnan Ding0Shaopeng Yu1Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Cold Region Wetland Ecology and Environment Research, Harbin University, Harbin 150086, ChinaHeilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Cold Region Wetland Ecology and Environment Research, Harbin University, Harbin 150086, ChinaThis study investigates the effects of different land-use types (forest, arable land, and wetland) on key soil properties, microbial communities, and nitrogen cycling in the Lesser Khingan Mountains. The results revealed that forest (FL) and wetland (WL) soils had significantly higher soil organic matter (SOM) content compared with arable land (AL), with total phosphorus (TP) being highest in FL and available nitrogen (AN) significantly higher in WL. In terms of enzyme activity, AL and WL showed reduced activities of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), β-D-glucosidase (β-G), and β-cellobiosidase (CBH), while exhibiting increased N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity, highlighting the impact of land use on nitrogen dynamics. WL also exhibited significantly higher microbial diversity and evenness compared with FL and AL. The dominant bacterial phyla included Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteriota, with Acidobacteriota being most abundant in FL and Proteobacteria most abundant in WL. Network analysis showed that AL had the most complex and connected microbial network, while FL and WL had simpler but more stable networks, suggesting the influence of land use on microbial community interactions. Regarding nitrogen cycling genes, AOA-<i>amoA</i> was most abundant in AL, while AOB-<i>amoA</i> was significantly enriched in FL, reflecting the influence of land use on ammonia oxidation. These findings highlight how land-use types significantly affect soil properties, microbial community structures, and nitrogen cycling, offering valuable insights for sustainable land management.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/3/466land use patternsLesser Khingan Mountainsphysicochemical propertiesnitrogen-cycling functionssoil enzyme activityco-occurrence pattern
spellingShingle Junnan Ding
Shaopeng Yu
Impacts of Land Use on Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities: Insights from Community Structure, Functional Gene Abundance, and Network Complexity
Life
land use patterns
Lesser Khingan Mountains
physicochemical properties
nitrogen-cycling functions
soil enzyme activity
co-occurrence pattern
title Impacts of Land Use on Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities: Insights from Community Structure, Functional Gene Abundance, and Network Complexity
title_full Impacts of Land Use on Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities: Insights from Community Structure, Functional Gene Abundance, and Network Complexity
title_fullStr Impacts of Land Use on Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities: Insights from Community Structure, Functional Gene Abundance, and Network Complexity
title_full_unstemmed Impacts of Land Use on Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities: Insights from Community Structure, Functional Gene Abundance, and Network Complexity
title_short Impacts of Land Use on Soil Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities: Insights from Community Structure, Functional Gene Abundance, and Network Complexity
title_sort impacts of land use on soil nitrogen cycling microbial communities insights from community structure functional gene abundance and network complexity
topic land use patterns
Lesser Khingan Mountains
physicochemical properties
nitrogen-cycling functions
soil enzyme activity
co-occurrence pattern
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/3/466
work_keys_str_mv AT junnanding impactsoflanduseonsoilnitrogencyclingmicrobialcommunitiesinsightsfromcommunitystructurefunctionalgeneabundanceandnetworkcomplexity
AT shaopengyu impactsoflanduseonsoilnitrogencyclingmicrobialcommunitiesinsightsfromcommunitystructurefunctionalgeneabundanceandnetworkcomplexity