The response of soil microbial communities to variation in annual precipitation depends on soil nutritional status in an oligotrophic desert.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Soil microbial communities (SMC) play a central role in the structure and function of desert ecosystems. However, the high variability of annual precipitation could results in the alteration of SMC and related biological processes depending on soil water potential. The nature of the physiological adjustments made by SMC in order to obtain energy and nutrients remains unclear under different soil resource availabilities in desert ecosystems. In order to examine this dynamic, the present study examined the effects of variation in annual precipitation on physiological adjustments by the SMC across two vegetation-soil systems of different soil organic matter input in an oligotrophic desert ecosystem.

Methods

We collected soil samples in the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (Mexi

SUBMITTER: Montiel-Gonzalez C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5682101 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature