Soil microbial community and functional characteristics of different soil layers in karst peak-cluster depressions...

This study aims to investigate the diversity, community structure, and functional characteristics of soil microorganisms across different soil layers (0-400 cm) in karst peak-cluster depressions near the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in Guizhou, China. The research addresses the knowledge gap regarding soil microbial communities in this fragile ecosystem, providing insights essential for its sustainable management.

High-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze bacterial and fungal communities in three soil layers: topsoil (TS, 0-100 cm), middle soil (MS, 100-200 cm), and deep soil (DS, 200-400 cm). Results revealed that bacterial and fungal diversity and richness indices decreased from TS to MS, then increased from MS to DS, reaching minima in MS and maxima in DS. Fungal community separation across layers was less distinct (R = 0.32, P = 0.001) than bacterial (R = 0.43, P = 0.001). Significant compositional differences were observed for both bacterial (F-Model = 11.727, P = 0.001) and fungal communities (F-Model = 4.867, P = 0.001). Dominant bacterial functions included chemoheterotrophy and aerobic chemoheterotrophy, while fungi were primarily saprotrophic. Redundancy and correlation analyses identified available nitrogen (AN), soil organic matter (SOM), exchangeable magnesium (ExMg), and total nitrogen (TN) as key drivers of microbial community variation.

The study highlights distinct vertical stratification and environmental drivers of soil microbial communities in karst ecosystems. These findings offer critical theoretical support for managing karst peak-cluster depressions, emphasizing the need to preserve soil nutrients and organic matter to maintain ecosystem stability and promote sustainable land use in these fragile environments.