Mineral substrates as evolutionary drivers of soil microbial diversity through the rare biosphere.

ABSTRACT: Minerals are fundamental yet underappreciated drivers of microbial ecology. Traditionally viewed as passive nutrient sources or inert scaffolds, their broader ecological roles remain poorly defined. This study investigates the evolutionary influence of substrates (minerals and rocks) on soil bacterial communities through serial passage evolution experiments. Soil-derived microbial consortia from three distinct locations were exposed to nutritive (olivine, granite, diorite) and non-nutritive (quartz, kaolinite, montmorillonite) substrates under nutrient-rich conditions to isolate substrate-specific effects. Results revealed systemic variations of community structure across all treatments, characterized by elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and taxonomic changes predominan

SUBMITTER: Wang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12838204 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature