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Neutral Additivity Dominates the Outcome of Soil Microbial Community Coalescence
Danhong Chen1,2,3, Zelin Wang1,2, Meiping Chen1,2,3
1Yunnan Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion Prevention and Green Development, State Key Laboratory for Vegetation Structure, Function and Construction (VegLab), Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
Molecular Ecology
|May 4, 2026
Summary
Soil microbial community coalescence is primarily driven by neutral additivity, where source communities combine directly. Environmental selection plays a lesser role, indicating predictable microbial assembly after soil mixing.
Area of Science:
- Soil microbiology
- Community ecology
- Microbial dispersal and assembly
Background:
- Microbial community coalescence is a key process in microbial dispersal and assembly.
- The ecological mechanisms governing this process are not well understood.
- Soil mixing experiments are crucial for studying microbial community dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ecological mechanisms driving soil microbial community coalescence.
- To determine the relative importance of neutral additivity versus environmental selection.
- To assess the predictability of microbial community assembly after soil mixing.
Main Methods:
- Microcosm experiments involving soil mixing, sterilization, and microbial inoculation.
- Analysis of prokaryotic and fungal communities using soil samples from paired croplands and adjacent ecosystems.
- Quantification of neutral additivity using Bray-Curtis similarities and environmental selection using unbiased centroid distance.
Main Results:
- Neutral additivity was the dominant mechanism in soil microbial community coalescence, with high observed vs. expected community similarities (58.2% prokaryotes, 62.9% fungi).
- Environmental selection had a lower relative importance (18.0% prokaryotes, 19.5% fungi).
- Antagonistic interactions between abiotic and biotic selection partially offset their individual impacts.
Conclusions:
- Neutral additivity is the primary driver of soil microbial community coalescence.
- Soil microbial community assembly following coalescence is largely predictable.
- Understanding these mechanisms is vital for soil health and ecosystem function.
Keywords:
biotic–abiotic interactioncommunity coalescencemicrobial community assemblyneutral additivityphysical barriersoil microorganismsMore Related Videos
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