Structure of microbial soil communities in areas of restinga: a case study in a conservation unit in the Atlantic Forest of the Southern Brazilian coast

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities in restinga areas of the Atlantic Forest (southern Brazil) after the introduction of Pinus L. Soil samples were collected in the 0–10 cm depth from two arboreal (FR-restinga subject to flooding and DR-dry restinga) and one herbaceous (MR-restinga under marine influence) areas. In addition to these areas, soil samples were collected from FR and DR under the influence of Pinus sp. (FRPinus and DRPinus, respectively), as reference areas. The structure of bacterial and fungal communities was evaluated by PCR-DGGE. Notably, a reduction in the number of amplicons was observed in areas with presence of Pinus sp. In conclusion, the present manuscript highlighted that the allochthonous tree species (Pinus sp.) has a deleterious impact on soil microbes and affects the growth of natural vegetation in a conservation unit in the Atlantic Forest of the Southern Brazilian coast.