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Updated: May 12, 2026

A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples
17:39

A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples

Published on: July 16, 2017

Temporal variability in soil microbial communities across land-use types.

Christian L Lauber1, Kelly S Ramirez, Zach Aanderud

  • 1Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0216, USA.

The ISME Journal
|April 5, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Soil microbial communities vary significantly over time, with agricultural soils showing the most fluctuation. Temporal variability in soil bacteria must be considered when comparing different land uses.

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Area of Science:

  • Soil Science
  • Microbiology
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Temporal variability of soil microbial communities is understudied compared to spatial variations.
  • Understanding these temporal dynamics is crucial for accurate ecological assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare the temporal variability of soil bacterial communities across different land-use types.
  • To determine how land use influences the temporal patterns of soil microbial diversity and composition.

Main Methods:

  • Monthly soil sampling from May to November across conventional, reduced-input agricultural, and grassland plots.
  • Analysis of soil bacterial communities using 16S rRNA gene barcoded pyrosequencing.

Main Results:

  • Distinct temporal patterns were observed between agricultural and grassland soil bacterial communities.
  • Temporal variability in alpha-diversity (number of taxa) was greater than variability between land uses.
  • Agricultural soil communities exhibited the highest temporal variability, correlated with soil moisture and temperature.

Conclusions:

  • Temporal microbial diversity patterns cannot be generalized across land uses, even under similar climatic conditions.
  • Assessing temporal variability is essential for robust comparisons of soil microbial communities.