Soil pH and Organic Carbon Properties Drive Soil Bacterial Communities in Surface and Deep Layers Along an Elevational Gradient.

ABSTRACT: Elevational gradients strongly affect the spatial distribution and structure of soil bacterial communities. However, our understanding of the effects and determining factors is still limited, especially in the deep soil layer. Here, we investigated the diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in different soil layers along a 1,500-m elevational gradient in the Taibai Mountain. The variables associated with climate conditions, plant communities, and soil properties were analyzed to assess their contributions to the variations in bacterial communities. Soil bacterial richness and α-diversity showed a hump-shaped trend with elevation in both surface and deep layers. In the surface layer, pH was the main factor driving the elevational pattern in bacterial diversity, while in the

SUBMITTER: Tian Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8363232 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature