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Special Issue "Microbial Community Composition and Function in Forest Soil"

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2023 | Viewed by 4897

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yujing Yang

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
Interests: carbon cycle; soil microbe; soil aggregate; soil nutrient; forest restoration; forest ecology and management; climate change

Prof. Dr. Xiankai Lu

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Guest Editor

South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Interests: nitrogen biogeochemistry; soil carbon sequestration; climate change; forest ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Xiong Fang

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Guest Editor

College of Land Resources and Environment, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
Interests: carbon cycle; soil microbe; ecological stoichiometry; soil-plant interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As an important part of the forest ecosystem, soil microbes play important roles in maintaining multiple ecosystem functions and driving biogeochemical cycles. They can be the key indicators for evaluating soil health and fertility, and the effectiveness of vegetation restoration. Meanwhile, biotic and abiotic factors including climate, vegetation type and soil properties can change the composition and activity of soil microbes, then affect ecological processes and functions.

However, microbial communities are very complex and sensitive to the environment. Compared with the above-ground ecosystem, much less is known about the microbial diversity, composition and functions. In recent years, with the development of microbial determination technology, there has been an increasing number of diverse research studies on soil microbes. Under the background of climate change and ecological restoration, many unknowns and uncertainties exist in the spatial and temporal patterns, functions and influencing factors of forest soil microbes. A better understanding of forest soil microbes will facilitate the understanding of ecological processes and services that can be applied to ecological and forestry practices.

We encourage research in all these areas, including but not limited to: the microbial community composition and diversity; community assembly; growth and metabolic activity and biomass; soil enzymes; stoichiometric characteristics; functional genes; special groups of microbes; plant-microbe interactions; microbial functions (such as involved in elemental biogeochemical cycles, carbon fixation, soil quality, soil formation, pollutant degradation, litter decomposition, and etc.), and their biogeographic patterns; temporal dynamics; and responses to vegetation succession and environmental and climate changes.

Dr. Yujing Yang
Prof. Dr. Xiankai Lu
Dr. Xiong Fang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

forest ecosystem
biodiversity
microbial biogeography
ecosystem services
nutrient cycling
carbon sequestration
climate change
forest restoration
forest succession
forest management

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Microbial Communities on Elevational Gradient Adaptation Strategies of Pinus yunnanensis Franch. and Pinus densata Mast. in a Mixed Zone

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Forests 2023, 14(4), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14040685 - 27 Mar 2023

Viewed by 856

Abstract

Pinus densata Mast. is considered a homoploid hybrid species that originated from the putative parent species Pinus tabuliformis Carr. and Pinus yunnanensis Franch., but the mechanism of the adaptive differentiation of P. densata and its parents in native habitats has not been reported. Therefore, the overlapping distribution areas between P. densata and P. yunnanensis in the heart of the Hengduan Mountains were chosen. The adaptive differentiation mechanism of the homoploid hybrids and their parents with respect to the elevational gradient was studied based on the morphological features and the different strategies of recruiting endophytic microbial communities from the rhizosphere soil. The results showed that (1) the height and diameter at breast height were the greatest at 2600 m and 2900 m, and from 2700 m to 2900 m, three-needle pines (P. yunnanensis-like type) transitioned into two-needle pines (P. densata-like type). (2) The recruitment of rhizosphere microbial communities was driven by the C, N, P and pH values which showed significant elevation features. (3) There was a significant difference in the recruitment strategies of endophytes between the P. yunnanensis-like type and P. densata-like type. Pinus densata mainly reduced the recruitment of Mucoromycota (fungi) and increased the recruitment of Proteobacteria (bacteria), which may be related to environmental adaptability, quorum sensing and the metabolism of auxiliary factors and vitamins at high elevations. (4) The root endophytic microbiome was enriched in the rare groups from the rhizosphere soil microbial pool. The results of this study provide new insights and new ideas for environmental adaptability and differentiation in homoploid hybrid speciation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Community Composition and Function in Forest Soil)

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Open AccessArticle

Divergent Effects of Fertilizer Regimes on Taxonomic and Functional Compositions of Rhizosphere Bacteria and Fungi in Phoebe bournei Young Plantations Are Associated with Root Exudates

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Forests 2023, 14(1), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010126 - 10 Jan 2023

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Abstract

Fertilization is widely acknowledged as being an essential practice to improve forest productivity in forest ecosystems. However, too little consideration has been given to the taxonomic and functional compositions of rhizosphere soil microbes and their interactions with root exudates under different fertilizer regimes in forest plantations. Here, we investigated the effects of four typical fertilizer regimes (CK, no fertilizer; CF, compound fertilizer; OF, organic fertilizer; CMF, compound microbial fertilizer) on soil microbial communities and their potential functional groups in Phoebe bournei young plantations, as well as their associations with soil physicochemical properties and root exudates. These results showed that fertilizer regimes strikingly affected the rhizosphere soil microbial community compositions and alpha diversity indices. The pathotroph was the dominant fungal guild. With the applications of three fertilizations, the relative abundances of the plant pathogen and arbuscular mycorrhiza increased. The alpha diversity of soil bacteria was highest under the OF regime, and soil fungal diversity was more powerfully affected by the amendment of CMF. Additionally, while the fungal community was simultaneously influenced by soil physiochemical factors and root exudates, the bacterial community in the rhizosphere was mostly impacted by root exudates. More importantly, the application of OF and CF induced dramatic growths of Fusarium, while CMF treatment including Bacillus suppressed the development of Fusarium via adjusting bacterial species. Overall, our findings exhibit the divergent responses of rhizosphere bacteria and fungi to fertilizer regimes in P. bournei young plantations. The application of organic fertilizer provides benefits for rhizosphere bacteria, and microbial fertilizer can help alleviate inhibition through changing pathogens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Community Composition and Function in Forest Soil)

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Open AccessArticle

Higher Soil Aggregate Stability in Subtropical Coniferous Plantations Than Natural Forests Due to Microbial and Aggregate Factors

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Forests 2022, 13(12), 2110; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122110 - 09 Dec 2022

Viewed by 891

Abstract

Forest restoration and soil structure stabilization are the focus of forestry and ecology. However, the combined mechanisms of soil microorganisms and organic and inorganic aggregate binding agents on soil aggregation is unclear. In order to explore the effects of subtropical forest restoration types on soil aggregates and the underlying mechanisms, we collected soil samples from subtropical natural forests and coniferous and broad-leaved plantations that are commonly used for forest restoration. The mean weight diameter (MWD) of the soil aggregate was used to indicate the aggregates’ stability. The soil microbial diversity and structure, the organic and inorganic aggregate binding agents including the mycorrhizal density, the glomalin-related soil protein and the Fe and Al oxides were investigated. Results showed that the Shannon and Simpson indices of soil microbial communities in the coniferous plantations were both significantly higher than those in the natural forests. At the annual level, compared with the natural forests, the plantations decreased the proportion of 0.25–1 mm aggregates while the MWD significantly increased. The forest type also significantly affected the mycorrhizal density, the easily extractable glomalin-related soil proteins (EEG) and the Fe oxide. A variance decomposition analysis showed that soil microbial communities, organic and inorganic binding agents, and their interactions together contributed to the aggregates’ composition and stability by 75.07%. The MWD was positively correlated with the microbial diversity, mycorrhizal density and Fe oxide. We therefore suggest that the combined effects of the soil microbial communities and the organic (mycorrhizal density) and inorganic binding agents (Fe oxide) can be the main mechanisms of soil aggregation in the study area, resulting in a higher soil aggregate stability in the subtropical coniferous plantation than in the natural forest. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Community Composition and Function in Forest Soil)

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Open AccessArticle

Contribution of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities to Soil Carbon Accumulation during the Development of Cunninghamia lanceolata Plantations

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Forests 2022, 13(12), 2099; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122099 - 09 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 770

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can establish mutual association with most land plants, and impact a series of important ecological processes, including plant productivity, ecological succession and soil carbon (C) accumulation. Understanding the AM fungal diversity and community assembly, and their associated soil C sequestration, could be a crucial interest for the forest ecologist. In this study, the AM fungal abundances and community structure as well as glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) concentrations were investigated in typical development stages (young, middle and mature) of Cunninghamia lanceolate plantations, which are widely distributed species in subtropical regions. The mycorrhizal colonization, spore density, AM fungal biomass and diversity were higher in mature than younger stands. The development of C. lanceolata also increased soil GRSP concentrations, and enhanced their C contribution to soil organic C. Soil difficulty extractable (DE) GRSP demonstrated a greater C contribution to soil organic C relative to easily extractable (EE) GRSP. Linkage analyses found that AM fungal biomass demonstrated a positive correlation with GRSP concentrations, and soil organic C positively related to DE-GRSP and total (T) GRSP. Soil AM fungal community structure differed dramatically across all studied C. lanceolata plantations with a decrease in Gigasporaceae and increase in Acaulosporaceae. Soil AM fungal community assembly was more phylogenetic clustering than expected by chance and primarily shaped by deterministic processes, with a non-shift during the development of C. lanceolata. Collectively, C. lanceolata development shaped the AM fungal communities and enhanced their biomass and GRSP contents, which might, in turn, partially contribute to soil C accumulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Community Composition and Function in Forest Soil)

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Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Intercropping Mulberry (Morus alba L.) with Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), on the Soil Rhizosphere Microbial Community

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Forests 2022, 13(11), 1757; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111757 - 25 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 941

Abstract

China is a country dominated by agriculture, but due to its geographical reasons, the western Liaoning region has caused sandstorms, and the desertified soil has reduced crop yields and suppressed the agricultural economy. Therefore, the concept of ecological agriculture and the agroforestry system received extensive attention. Arachis hypogaea are the main crop in the north of China. At present, the research on peanuts mainly focuses on grain crop intercropping, and there is limited research on the agroforestry of peanuts. In addition, Morus alba is a restorative plant emerging in China in recent years, which takes into account both ecological and economic benefits. Based on the above problems, we intercropped mulberry and peanut to explore their effects on farmland soil characteristics and rhizosphere soil bacterial and fungal communities. Our study showed that intercropping did not improve soil nutrients, but significantly reduced soil C:N, and reduced soil C:P and N:P to some extent. Intercropping improves the diversity and richness of soil microorganisms in farmland. The abundance of dominant bacterial and fungal phyla and genera increased in the soil. Actinobacteria were significantly negatively correlated with N:P, Proteobacteria was negatively correlated with TP and positively correlated with N:P., Ascomycota was positively correlated with soil nutrients and C:N, while Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota were negatively correlated; Mycobacterium and RB41 were significantly correlated with phosphorus in soil, and Talaromyces were significantly positively correlated with soil nutrients and C:N. In conclusion, mulberry and peanut intercropping promoted soil humus, increased soil-available phosphorus content, and provided a good environment for microbial growth. These results provide new ideas for peanut agroforestry production and theoretical support for the construction of mulberry and peanut composite systems in Northeast China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Community Composition and Function in Forest Soil)

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