Metagenomic insights into microbial community structure and metabolism in alpine permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Permafrost, characterized by its frozen soil, serves as a unique habitat for diverse microorganisms. Understanding these microbial communities is crucial for predicting the response of permafrost ecosystems to climate change. However, large-scale evidence regarding stratigraphic variations in microbial profiles remains limited. Here, we analyze microbial community structure and functional potential based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomic data obtained from an ∼1000 km permafrost transect on the Tibetan Plateau. We find that microbial alpha diversity declines but beta diversity increases down the soil profile. Microbial assemblages are primarily governed by dispersal limitation and drift, with the importance of drift decreasing but that of dispersal limitation increasing

SUBMITTER: Kang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11247091 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature