Forest Type Shapes Soil Microbial Carbon Metabolism: A Metagenomic Study of Subtropical Forests on Lushan Mountain

TL;DR

This study shows how different forest types affect soil microbes' ability to process carbon, with coniferous forests showing unique microbial traits linked to carbon cycling.

Contribution

The study reveals how forest type influences microbial functional traits related to carbon metabolism, particularly through metagenomic analysis of subtropical forests.

Findings

Coniferous forests (CF) showed higher bacterial diversity and distinct microbial composition compared to other forest types.

The Calvin cycle was the dominant carbon fixation pathway, while secondary pathways varied significantly with forest type.

Soil available phosphorus (AP) was identified as the dominant regulator of carbon-related functional gene abundance.

Abstract

Forest type strongly influences soil microbial community composition and associated carbon cycling, yet its influence on microbial functional traits remains poorly understood. In this study, metagenomics sequencing was used to investigate soil microbial communities and carbon metabolism genes across three forest types: deciduous broadleaf (DBF), mixed coniferous–broadleaf (CBMF), and coniferous forest (CF) at two soil depths (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm) on Lushan Mountain in subtropical China. The results showed that CF exhibited higher bacterial diversity and a distinct microbial composition, with an increase in Actinomycetota and Bacteroidota and a decrease in Acidobacteriota and Pseudomonadota. The Calvin cycle was the dominant carbon fixation pathway in all forests, while the relative abundance of secondary pathways (i.e., the 3-hydroxypropionate bi-cycle and reductive citrate cycle) varied significantly with forest type. Key carbon fixation genes (sucD, pckA) were more abundant in CF and CBMF, with higher levels of rpiA/B and ackA in DBF. Functional profiling further indicated that CF soils, especially in the surface layer, were enriched in glycoside hydrolases (GHs) and carbohydrate esterases (CEs), while CBMF showed a greater potential for starch and lignin degradation. Multivariate statistical analyses identified soil available phosphorus (AP) and pH as primary factors shaping microbial community variation, with AP emerging as being the dominant regulator of carbon-related functional gene abundance. Overall, the prevalence of these distinct genetic potentials across forest types underscores how vegetation composition may shape microbial functional traits, thereby influencing the stability and dynamics of the soil carbon pool in forest ecosystem.

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