Variation in Soil Microbial Communities Along an Elevational Gradient in Alpine Meadows of the Qilian Mountains, China.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryota diversity in mountainous areas varies along elevational gradients, but details remain unclear. Here, we use a next-generation sequencing method based on 16S/18S rRNA to reveal the soil microbial diversity and community compositions of alpine meadow ecosystems along an elevation span of nearly 2,000 m (1,936-3,896 m) in China's Qilian Mountains. Both bacterial and eukaryota diversity increased linearly with increasing elevation, whereas archaeal diversity increased, but not significantly. The diversity patterns of several phyla in the bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryota communities were consistent with the overall elevational trend, but some phyla did not follow this pattern. The soil microbial community compositions were shaped by the coupled effects of re

SUBMITTER: Duan Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8270674 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature