# Altitude-mediated soil microbe-nutrient dynamics shape medicinal properties of Angelica sinensis

## TL;DR

This study shows how soil microbes and nutrients at different altitudes affect the medicinal quality of Angelica sinensis.

## Contribution

It reveals altitude-driven microbial-nutrient dynamics and their impact on medicinal plant quality.

## Key findings

- Bacterial and fungal diversity increased with elevation before stabilizing, while AM fungi and archaea remained stable.
- Soil nutrients and enzyme activities varied significantly with altitude, influencing bioactive compound accumulation.
- Mid-to-high elevation (2520–2717 m) is optimal for both yield and medicinal compound production in A. sinensis.

## Abstract

Rhizosphere microorganisms play a critical role in plant growth and medicinal quality, yet their altitudinal patterns and interactions with soil nutrients and bioactive compounds in Angelica sinensis (A. sinensis) remain poorly understood.

Using Illumina MiSeq sequencing, we analyzed bacterial, fungal, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal, and archaeal diversity across an altitudinal gradient, alongside soil physicochemical characteristics and bioactive components.

As cultivation elevation increased, bacterial and fungal diversity initially increased significantly and then stabilized (p < 0.05). In contrast, AM fungal and archaeal communities remained relatively stable. Bacterial communities varied significantly across altitudes (stress < 0.1, p = 0.001), as did soil nutrients and enzyme activities (p < 0.05). Bioactive components, except for ferulic acid, varied significantly with altitude. Redundancy analysis (RDA) confirmed that altitude and soil factors are key drivers of microbial community assembly. Mantel tests and structural equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated significant correlations between soil properties, microbial diversity, and medicinal properties of A. sinensis (p < 0.05).

The mid-to high elevation zone (2520–2717 m) was identified as optimal for both yield and bioactive compound accumulation. These findings deepen the understanding of how microbes adapt to different altitudes in medicinal plants and offer a framework for precise cultivation of A. sinensis, thereby supporting the high-altitude symbiosis theory.