Composition of soil fungal communities and microbial activity along an elevational gradient in Mt. Jiri, Republic of Korea.

ABSTRACT: Approximately 64% of the Republic of Korea comprises mountainous areas, which as cold and high-altitude regions are gravely affected by climate change. Within the mountainous and the alpine-subalpine ecosystems, microbial communities play a pivotal role in biogeochemical cycling and partly regulate climate change through such cycles. We investigated the composition and function of microbial communities, with a focus on fungal communities, in Republic of Korea's second tallest mountain, Mt. Jiri, along a four-point-altitude gradient: 600-, 1,000-, 1,200-, and 1,400-m. Soil pH and elevation were negatively correlated, with soils becoming more acidic at higher altitude. Of the five soil enzyme activities analyzed, cellobiohydrolase, β-1,4-glucosidase, and β-1,4-xylosidase activity showed diff

SUBMITTER: Mitcov A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11748422 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature