Soil Microbial Communities Changes Along Depth and Contrasting Facing Slopes at the Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile

The Parque Nacional La Campana (PNLC) was recently recognized for its high soil surface microbial richness. Here, we explored the microbial community structure in soil profiles from contrasting facing slopes where sclerophyllous forest (SF) and xerophytic shrubland (XS) develop. Soil physicochemical...

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Main Authors: Carolina Quinteros-Urquieta, Jean Pierre Francois, Polette Aguilar-Muñoz, Verónica Molina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/12/2487
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author Carolina Quinteros-Urquieta
Jean Pierre Francois
Polette Aguilar-Muñoz
Verónica Molina
author_facet Carolina Quinteros-Urquieta
Jean Pierre Francois
Polette Aguilar-Muñoz
Verónica Molina
author_sort Carolina Quinteros-Urquieta
collection DOAJ
description The Parque Nacional La Campana (PNLC) was recently recognized for its high soil surface microbial richness. Here, we explored the microbial community structure in soil profiles from contrasting facing slopes where sclerophyllous forest (SF) and xerophytic shrubland (XS) develop. Soil physicochemical conditions (dry density, pH, and organic matter C and N isotopic soil signatures) were determined at three depths (5, 10, and 15 cm depths). Amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA and ITS1-5F) and specific quantification (qPCR bacteria, archaea and ammonia-oxidizing archaea, fungi) were used to profile the microbial community. Our results indicate that opposite slopes, with different vegetation types and soil conditions studied potentially explained the spatial variability of the microbial community composition, especially between sites than through soil depth. Discriminative taxa were observed to vary between sites, such as, <i>C</i>. nitrososphaera (ammonia-oxidizing archaea) and Sphingomonas, and bacteria associated with Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were predominant in SF and XS, respectively. Fungi affiliated with Humicola and Preussia were more abundant in SF, while Cladosporium and Alternaria were in XS. Higher ASV richness was observed in SF compared to XS, for both prokaryotes and fungi. Furthermore, SF showed a higher number of shared ASVs, while XS showed a decrease in unique ASVs in deeper soil layers. In XS, the genus DA101 (Verrucomicrobia) increases with soil depth, reaching higher levels in SF, while Kaistobacter shows the opposite trend. PNLC soils were a reservoir of redundant microbial functions related to biogeochemical cycles, including symbiotic and phytopathogenic fungi. In conclusion, as with the predominant vegetation, the structure and potential function of microbial life in soil profiles were associated with the contrasting the effect of facing slopes as toposequence effects.
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spelling doaj-art-e165fa5854ed4498adcb45435df5091e2025-08-20T02:57:16ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072024-12-011212248710.3390/microorganisms12122487Soil Microbial Communities Changes Along Depth and Contrasting Facing Slopes at the Parque Nacional La Campana, ChileCarolina Quinteros-Urquieta0Jean Pierre Francois1Polette Aguilar-Muñoz2Verónica Molina3Programa de Doctorado Interdisciplinario en Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Avenida Leopoldo Carvallo 270, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2340000, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias y Geografía, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Avenida Leopoldo Carvallo 270, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2340000, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias y Geografía, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Avenida Leopoldo Carvallo 270, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2340000, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias y Geografía, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Avenida Leopoldo Carvallo 270, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2340000, ChileThe Parque Nacional La Campana (PNLC) was recently recognized for its high soil surface microbial richness. Here, we explored the microbial community structure in soil profiles from contrasting facing slopes where sclerophyllous forest (SF) and xerophytic shrubland (XS) develop. Soil physicochemical conditions (dry density, pH, and organic matter C and N isotopic soil signatures) were determined at three depths (5, 10, and 15 cm depths). Amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA and ITS1-5F) and specific quantification (qPCR bacteria, archaea and ammonia-oxidizing archaea, fungi) were used to profile the microbial community. Our results indicate that opposite slopes, with different vegetation types and soil conditions studied potentially explained the spatial variability of the microbial community composition, especially between sites than through soil depth. Discriminative taxa were observed to vary between sites, such as, <i>C</i>. nitrososphaera (ammonia-oxidizing archaea) and Sphingomonas, and bacteria associated with Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were predominant in SF and XS, respectively. Fungi affiliated with Humicola and Preussia were more abundant in SF, while Cladosporium and Alternaria were in XS. Higher ASV richness was observed in SF compared to XS, for both prokaryotes and fungi. Furthermore, SF showed a higher number of shared ASVs, while XS showed a decrease in unique ASVs in deeper soil layers. In XS, the genus DA101 (Verrucomicrobia) increases with soil depth, reaching higher levels in SF, while Kaistobacter shows the opposite trend. PNLC soils were a reservoir of redundant microbial functions related to biogeochemical cycles, including symbiotic and phytopathogenic fungi. In conclusion, as with the predominant vegetation, the structure and potential function of microbial life in soil profiles were associated with the contrasting the effect of facing slopes as toposequence effects.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/12/2487bacteriaarchaeafungiabundanceammonia-oxidizing archaea
spellingShingle Carolina Quinteros-Urquieta
Jean Pierre Francois
Polette Aguilar-Muñoz
Verónica Molina
Soil Microbial Communities Changes Along Depth and Contrasting Facing Slopes at the Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile
Microorganisms
bacteria
archaea
fungi
abundance
ammonia-oxidizing archaea
title Soil Microbial Communities Changes Along Depth and Contrasting Facing Slopes at the Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile
title_full Soil Microbial Communities Changes Along Depth and Contrasting Facing Slopes at the Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile
title_fullStr Soil Microbial Communities Changes Along Depth and Contrasting Facing Slopes at the Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile
title_full_unstemmed Soil Microbial Communities Changes Along Depth and Contrasting Facing Slopes at the Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile
title_short Soil Microbial Communities Changes Along Depth and Contrasting Facing Slopes at the Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile
title_sort soil microbial communities changes along depth and contrasting facing slopes at the parque nacional la campana chile
topic bacteria
archaea
fungi
abundance
ammonia-oxidizing archaea
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/12/2487
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