Forest Soil pH and Dissolved Organic Matter Aromaticity Are Distinct Drivers for Soil Microbial Community and Carbon Metabolism Potential.

ABSTRACT: The ecological niche separation of microbial interactions in forest ecosystems is critical to maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity and has yet to be comprehensively explored in microbial ecology. This study investigated the impacts of soil properties on microbial interactions and carbon metabolism potential in forest soils across 67 sites in China. Using redundancy analysis and random forest models, we identified soil pH and dissolved organic matter (DOM) aromaticity as the primary drivers of microbial interactions, representing abiotic conditions and resource niches, respectively. Our network comparison results highlighted significant differences in microbial interactions between acidic and non-acidic soils, suggesting the critical influences of abiotic conditions on microbial

SUBMITTER: Zhang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11772527 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature