What's under the Christmas Tree? A Soil Sulfur Amendment Lowers Soil pH and Alters Fir Tree Rhizosphere Bacterial and Eukaryotic Communities, Their Interactions, and Functional Traits.

ABSTRACT: In this study, we describe the legacy effects of a soil sulfur amendment experiment performed 6 years prior and the resulting alterations to the rhizosphere communities of fir trees on a Christmas tree plantation. The pH of bulk soil was ∼1.4 pH units lower than that of untreated soils and was associated with reduced Ca, Mg, and organic matter contents. Similarly, root chemistry differed due to the treatment, with roots in sulfur-amended soils showing significantly higher Al, Mn, and Zn contents and reduced levels of B and Ca. 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene sequencing was pursued to characterize the bacterial/archaeal and eukaryotic communities in the rhizosphere soils. The treatment induced dramatic and significant changes in the microbial populations, with thousands of 16S rRNA gene sequence

SUBMITTER: Steven B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8552644 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature