A Matter of Metals: Copper but Not Cadmium Affects the Microbial Alpha-Diversity of Soils and Sediments - a Meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Heavy metal (HM) accumulation in soil affects plants and soil fauna, yet the effect on microbial alpha-diversity remains unclear, mainly due to the absence of dedicated research synthesis (e.g. meta-analysis). Here, we report the first meta-analysis of the response of soil microbial alpha-diversity to the experimental addition of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu). We considered studies conducted between 2013 and 2022 using DNA metabarcoding of bacterial and fungal communities to overcome limitations of other cultivation- and electrophoresis-based techniques. Fungi were discarded due to the limited study number (i.e. 6 studies). Bacterial studies resulted in 66 independent experiments reported in 32 primary papers from four continents. We found a negative dose-dependent response for Cu but not f

SUBMITTER: Signorini M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10335967 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature