Relative abundances of bacterial phyla are strong indicators of community-scale microbial growth rates in soil.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To improve our understanding of microbial systems, it is essential to refine the conceptual frameworks that connect microorganisms to their ecological functions. While trait-based approaches can provide nuanced perspectives on how microorganisms influence ecosystem processes, there is ongoing debate over the link between microbial taxonomic classifications and life history traits. Here, we integrate genomic, metagenomic, amplicon sequencing, and experimental (stable isotope probing) data to investigate the scaling of bacterial growth traits from individual taxa to complex assemblages and to identify specific taxonomic groups of soil bacteria that can be used as indicators of community-scale microbial growth.

Results

Our results revealed broadly different distribut

SUBMITTER: Osburn ED 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12522710 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature