1. Organic carbon negatively affects the diversity of soil nitrous oxide reducers in Chinese fir plantations at a regional scale.
- Author
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Deng, Milin, Zheng, Yong, He, Zi-Yang, Lyu, Maokui, Jin, Shengsheng, Yang, Hao, Zhang, Hanshuo, He, Ji-Zheng, and Lin, Yongxin
- Subjects
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NITROUS oxide , *CHINA fir , *FIR , *PLANTATIONS , *SOILS - Abstract
Large-scale planting of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) can bring considerable economic benefits but also seriously alters soil properties, disrupting soil microbial survival patterns and giving rise to distinct microbial communities. Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) reduction is the sole recognized biological sink for N 2 O, thereby playing a critical role in forest nitrogen cycling. However, the distribution of N 2 O reducers in Chinese fir plantation soils and the underlying factors at a regional scale remain unclear. Here, we assessed the abundance, diversity, and community structure of nosZ I-type N 2 O reducers in soil samples collected from nine state-owned forest farms in Fujian Province, China. The abundance of nosZ I-type reducers exhibited significant variation across sites, with altitude exerting the greatest influence, positively influencing their abundance. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were the strongest predictors of alpha-diversity. Interestingly, SOC and DOC exhibited a negative association with nosZ I-type reducer alpha-diversity. Additionally, DOC played a significant role in influencing community structure. All nosZ I sequences were associated with Alphaprotebacteria and Betaproteobacteria, with Alphaproteobacteria dominating nosZ I-type reducer communities in all soils, accounting for over 90 % of the total sequences. Moreover, the modified stochasticity ratio values exceeded 0.5 at all sampling sites except for one, characterized by the lowest pH and relatively lower nutrient content, indicating the predominance of stochastic processes in community assembly. Taken together, our results provide novel evidence that the augmentation of organic carbon content could potentially reduce diversity and alter the structure of nosZ I-type reducer communities, with potential implications for N 2 O emissions in Chinese fir plantations. • Soil N 2 O reduction rates were positively associated with nosZ I gene abundance. • SOC and DOC were negatively associated with nosZ I-type reducer alpha-diversity. • DOC was a critical factor influencing nosZ I-type reducer community structure. • Alphaproteobacteria accounting for >90 % of nosZ I-type reducer sequences. • Stochastic processes dominated the community assembly of nosZ I-type reducer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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