Differences in soil microbial response to anthropogenic disturbances in Sanjiang and Momoge Wetlands, China

To understand the response of soil microbial communities in different types of wetlands to anthropogenic disturbances, this study focused on a freshwater wetland (Sanjiang Wetland) and a salt marsh (Momoge Wetland) and sampled cultivated, degraded, and natural soils in these wetlands. High-throughput sequencing was applied to characterize the soil microbial community composition, and physicochemical properties, including pH, total nitrogen, total carbon, and soil water content (SWC), were measured. The results revealed that the total nitrogen, total carbon, and SWC were significantly lower in disturbed soil in the freshwater wetland but higher in the salt marsh. Generally, under anthropogenic disturbances, microbial community diversity decreased in the freshwater wetland and increased in the salt marsh. The bacterial community structure in the salt marsh was more sensitive than that in the freshwater wetland, while the fungal community structure in the freshwater wetland was more susceptible than that in the salt marsh. The results of indicator value analyses revealed specific issues in two wetlands, such as methane generation and anoxic conditions. This study shows that soil microbiomes in two types of wetlands respond differently to human activities, which implies that the type of native wetlands should be considered in the exploitation of wetlands.