Contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power station

The rapid expansion of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation raises concerns regarding its impact on terrestrial ecosystems. Although the influence of PV panels on soil conditions and plant biomass is acknowledged, their effects on the assembly processes and co-occurrence networks of soil microbi...

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Main Authors: Teng Li, Leilei Lu, Ziqing Kang, Huijun Li, Jihua Wu, Weiguo Du
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1494681/full
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author Teng Li
Leilei Lu
Ziqing Kang
Huijun Li
Jihua Wu
Weiguo Du
author_facet Teng Li
Leilei Lu
Ziqing Kang
Huijun Li
Jihua Wu
Weiguo Du
author_sort Teng Li
collection DOAJ
description The rapid expansion of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation raises concerns regarding its impact on terrestrial ecosystems. Although the influence of PV panels on soil conditions and plant biomass is acknowledged, their effects on the assembly processes and co-occurrence networks of soil microbial communities remain understudied. Clarifying this influence is crucial for understanding the effects of photovoltaic panels on soil ecosystem functions. In this study, we first explored the effects of PV panels on soil properties. Then, using amplicon sequencing, we analyzed the impact of PV panels on soil microbial diversity and function, focusing specifically on the assembly processes and co-occurrence networks of bacterial and fungal communities. Our results indicate that the installation of PV panels improved soil conditions, leading to concurrent effects on microbial community structure and function. This process appears to be deterministic, driven primarily by homogeneous selection. Notably, PV panels increased the complexity of bacterial networks while decreasing their stability. In contrast, PV panels did not affect the complexity of fungal networks despite their stability increased. These findings provide new evidence that soil bacterial networks are more sensitive to PV panels installation than fungal networks, deepening our understanding of land-use change effects on soil ecosystem functions. Moreover, our study demonstrates that higher complexity does not necessarily mean higher stability at least in soil microbial systems, challenging the notion that ecological complexity favors their stability.
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publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Microbiology
spelling doaj-art-d1d235d5f3dd48d9a5e7f4375db8b77e2025-08-20T01:58:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2024-12-011510.3389/fmicb.2024.14946811494681Contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power stationTeng Li0Leilei Lu1Ziqing Kang2Huijun Li3Jihua Wu4Weiguo Du5College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, ChinaCollege of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, ChinaThe rapid expansion of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation raises concerns regarding its impact on terrestrial ecosystems. Although the influence of PV panels on soil conditions and plant biomass is acknowledged, their effects on the assembly processes and co-occurrence networks of soil microbial communities remain understudied. Clarifying this influence is crucial for understanding the effects of photovoltaic panels on soil ecosystem functions. In this study, we first explored the effects of PV panels on soil properties. Then, using amplicon sequencing, we analyzed the impact of PV panels on soil microbial diversity and function, focusing specifically on the assembly processes and co-occurrence networks of bacterial and fungal communities. Our results indicate that the installation of PV panels improved soil conditions, leading to concurrent effects on microbial community structure and function. This process appears to be deterministic, driven primarily by homogeneous selection. Notably, PV panels increased the complexity of bacterial networks while decreasing their stability. In contrast, PV panels did not affect the complexity of fungal networks despite their stability increased. These findings provide new evidence that soil bacterial networks are more sensitive to PV panels installation than fungal networks, deepening our understanding of land-use change effects on soil ecosystem functions. Moreover, our study demonstrates that higher complexity does not necessarily mean higher stability at least in soil microbial systems, challenging the notion that ecological complexity favors their stability.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1494681/fullphotovoltaic panelssoil microbial diversitymicrobial assembly processmicrobial networkscomplexity and stability
spellingShingle Teng Li
Leilei Lu
Ziqing Kang
Huijun Li
Jihua Wu
Weiguo Du
Contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power station
Frontiers in Microbiology
photovoltaic panels
soil microbial diversity
microbial assembly process
microbial networks
complexity and stability
title Contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power station
title_full Contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power station
title_fullStr Contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power station
title_full_unstemmed Contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power station
title_short Contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power station
title_sort contrasting responses of soil bacterial and fungal networks to photovoltaic power station
topic photovoltaic panels
soil microbial diversity
microbial assembly process
microbial networks
complexity and stability
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1494681/full
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AT leileilu contrastingresponsesofsoilbacterialandfungalnetworkstophotovoltaicpowerstation
AT ziqingkang contrastingresponsesofsoilbacterialandfungalnetworkstophotovoltaicpowerstation
AT huijunli contrastingresponsesofsoilbacterialandfungalnetworkstophotovoltaicpowerstation
AT jihuawu contrastingresponsesofsoilbacterialandfungalnetworkstophotovoltaicpowerstation
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