Different mechanisms driving increasing abundance of microbial phosphorus cycling gene groups along an elevational gradient

Yi Li; Jieying Wang; Liyuan He; Xiaofeng Xu; Jun Wang; Chengjie Ren; Yaoxin Guo; Fazhu Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.105170

Different mechanisms driving increasing abundance of microbial phosphorus cycling gene groups along an elevational gradient

iScience. 2022 Sep 19;25(10):105170. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105170. eCollection 2022 Oct 21.

Authors

Yi Li^{1

2}, Jieying Wang^{1

2}, Liyuan He³, Xiaofeng Xu³, Jun Wang^{1

2

4}, Chengjie Ren⁵, Yaoxin Guo⁶, Fazhu Zhao^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710127, China.
² College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710127, China.
³ Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.
⁴ Carbon Neutrality College (Yulin), Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710127, China.
⁵ College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
⁶ The College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an 710072, Shaanxi, China.

Abstract

Microbes play an integral role in forest soil phosphorus (P) cycling. However, the variation of microbial P-cycling functional genes and their controlling factors in forest soils is unclearly. We used metagenomics to investigate changes in the abundance of genes involved in P-starvation response regulation, P-uptake and transport, and P-solubilization and mineralization along the five elevational gradients. Our results showed the abundance of three P cycling gene groups increasing along the elevational gradient. Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria were the dominant microbial phyla determining the turnover of soil P-solubilization and immobilization. Along the elevational gradient, soil substrates are the major factor explaining variation in P-starvation response regulation genes. Soil environment is the main driver of P-uptake and transport and P-solubilization and mineralization genes. This study provided insights into the regulation of P-cycling from a microbial functional profile perspective, highlighting the importance of substrate and environmental factors for P-cycling genes in forest soils.

Keywords: environmental assessment; environmental biotechnology; environmental science.