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Urbanization increases the complexity of soil microbial interaction networks.

Xin Liu1, Guixiang Li1, Mingzhao Han1

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Urbanization significantly alters soil microbial communities, with vegetated areas showing distinct patterns from concrete pavements. Environmental factors and urbanization intensity drive microbial diversity and interactions, crucial for urban ecosystem management.

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Area of Science:

  • Soil Ecology
  • Microbial Biogeography
  • Urban Ecology

Background:

  • Urbanization profoundly impacts soil ecosystems, but its effects on microbial community composition and interactions are not fully understood.
  • Soil microbial communities play vital roles in ecosystem functions and health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of urbanization on bacteria, fungi, and protists in diverse urban habitats.
  • To understand how environmental conditions and land-use intensity shape soil microbial biogeography and interactions across different urbanization levels.

Main Methods:

  • High-throughput sequencing was employed to profile bacteria, fungi, and protists.
  • Microbial communities were analyzed across four habitat types (campuses, greenbelts, unmanaged lands, pavements) in four Chinese cities.
  • Co-occurrence network analysis was used to assess microbial interactions.

Main Results:

  • Vegetated habitats consistently structured microbial communities, while concrete pavements exhibited the lowest microbial richness.
  • Bacterial richness was highest in campuses and greenbelts, fungal and protistan richness peaked in suburban unmanaged lands.
  • Microbial diversity patterns were strongly associated with temperature, soil pH, and latitude, with bacterial assemblages being more sensitive to environmental variation.

Conclusions:

  • Urbanization intensity and environmental conditions are key drivers of soil microbiome biogeography and interaction patterns.
  • Convergent microbial community compositions were observed in similar vegetation types across regions, influenced by climate and land-use intensity.
  • Findings offer insights for ecological restoration and effective urban green-space management.