Shifts in the bacterial community structure and function along a vegetation gradient in the Great Xing’an Mountains

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to compare soil bacterial communities in the Great Xing’an Mountains that represent three dominant vegetation types (Quercus mongolica forest, shrub mixed with herb and grassland). Soil bacterial communities were analyzed by both culture-dependent physiological profiling (Biolog) and culture-independent DNA-based approaches. The Q. mongolica forest and shrub mixed with herb had higher average well color development than the grassland, and the Q. mongolica forest and shrub mixed with herb soil bacterial communities easily utilized miscellaneous and amines/amides. The bacterial community structure was distinct across the three sites. Most of Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were found in grassland soil, while Firmicutes was present at a higher percentage in the Q. mongolica soil. Extracellular enzyme assays indicated that the soil ecosystem in the grassland experienced altered N and P nutrient cycling dynamics. pH, available phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen were important in shaping bacterial community structure. These results suggest that vegetation type was a strong determinant of the structure and function of bacterial communities, which may subsequently lead to significant changes in ecosystem functioning.

KEYWORDS:

• Soil bacteria
• Biolog EcoPlate™
• MiSeq sequencing
• vegetation type

Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their thorough revision and invaluable comments which have helped to significantly improve the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the “Twelfth Five-Year” National Science and Technology Support Program of China [grant number 2011BAD08B02-3] and the Major project for Heilongjiang Province Science and Technology Program [grant number GZ13B004].