Vertical Stratification Reduces Microbial Network Complexity and Disrupts Nitrogen Balance in Seasonally Frozen Ground at Qinghai Lake in Tibet.

ABSTRACT: Global climate change has accelerated the reduction of permafrost regions across different altitude gradients, shortening the duration of the freezing period to varying extents. However, the response of the soil microorganisms of frozen soils along altitude gradients remains unclear. In this study, we employed 16S rRNA sequencing and LC-MS metabolomics to investigate the response of soil microbial communities and soil metabolites to vertical stratification in the permafrost soils of the Qinghai Lake region. The results indicated that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were key soil bacterial phyla in the permafrost soils of Qinghai Lake during the freezing period, with Proteobacteria and Firmicutes showing significant sensitivity to vertical stratification (p < 0.05). Th

SUBMITTER: Zhang N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11858239 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature