Changes in bacterial and archaeal community structure and functional diversity along a geochemically variable soil profile.

ABSTRACT: Spatial heterogeneity in physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils allows for the proliferation of diverse microbial communities. Factors influencing the structuring of microbial communities, including availability of nutrients and water, pH, and soil texture, can vary considerably with soil depth and within soil aggregates. Here we investigated changes in the microbial and functional communities within soil aggregates obtained along a soil profile spanning the surface, vadose zone, and saturated soil environments. The composition and diversity of microbial communities and specific functional groups involved in key pathways in the geochemical cycling of nitrogen, Fe, and sulfur were characterized using a coupled approach involving cultivation-independent analysis of both 16S r

SUBMITTER: Hansel CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2258623 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature