Environmental Heterogeneity Drives Distinct Spatial Distribution Patterns of Microbial Co-Occurring Species Across Different Grassland Types.

ABSTRACT: Grasslands, as dominant terrestrial ecosystems, significantly influence soil microbial communities through alterations in soil properties. However, their effects on spatial patterns of soil microbial communities are still under-investigated. To address this, we quantified taxa-area (TAR) and node-area (NAR) relationships for prokaryotic and fungal communities across temperate steppe (TS), alpine steppe (AS), and alpine meadow (AM). Our findings indicated that the spatial turnover of both prokaryotic and fungal communities were higher in alpine steppe and alpine meadow than in temperate steppe, mirroring the gradient of soil environmental heterogeneity. Notably, overall species richness increased logarithmically with sampling area in all grasslands; in striking contrast, co-occurring richne

SUBMITTER: Liu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12844442 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature