Pedosphere (3): 534--548, 2025
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2025 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Metagenomic insights into microbial diversity and carbon cycling-related genes along an elevational gradient in arid mountain ecosystems |
Zhihao ZHANG1,2,3, Guangxing ZHAO1,2,3,4, Mengfei CONG1,2,3,5, Akash TARIQ1,2,3, Yan LU1,2,3,4 , Fanjiang ZENG1,2,3,4 |
1 Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Plant Roots Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 (China);
2 Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 (China);
3 Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele 848300 (China);
4 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China);
5 College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Understanding the elevational patterns of soil microbial carbon (C) metabolic potentials is instrumental for predicting changes in soil organic C (SOC) stocks in the face of climate change. However, such patterns remain uncertain in arid mountain ecosystems, where climosequences are quite different from other ecosystems. To address this gap, this study investigated the distribution determinants of microbial communities, C cycling-related genes, and SOC fractions along an elevational gradient (1 707-3 548 m), with a mean annual precipitation (MAP) range of 38 to 344 mm, on the north slope of the central part of the Kunlun Mountains, China using a metagenomic approach. The results showed that elevation significantly influenced the α-diversity (Shannon index) and composition of microbial communities as well as the C cycling-related genes. The α-diversities of microbial taxa and C cycling-related genes linearly increased with the increase in MAP along the elevational gradient. The elevational patterns of the genes encoding glycoside hydrolases and glycosyl transferases (GTs) were mainly driven by soil electrical conductivity (EC), mean annual temperature (MAT), MAP, and plant diversity. Furthermore, mineral-associated organic C (MAOC), particulate organic C (POC), and their sum generally increased with elevation. However, the MAOC/POC ratio followed a unimodal pattern, suggesting greater stability of the SOC pool in the mid-elevation regions. This unimodal pattern was likely influenced by the abundances of Actinobacteria and the genes encoding GTs and carbohydrate esterases and the threshold effects of soil EC and MAT. In summary, our findings indicate that the distribution patterns of microbial communities and C cycling-related genes along the elevational gradient in an arid ecosystem are distinct from those in the regions with higher MAP, facilitating the prediction of climate change effects on SOC metabolism under more arid conditions. Soil salinity, plant diversity, precipitation, and temperature are the main regulatory factors of microbial C metabolism processes, and they potentially play a central role in mediating SOC pool stability. |
| Key Words: climate change|elevational pattern|microbial carbon metabolism|microbial community|soil organic carbon |
| Citation: Zhang Z H, Zhao G X, Cong M F, Tariq A, Lu Y, Zeng F J. 2025. Metagenomic insights into microbial diversity and carbon cycling-related genes along an elevational gradient in arid mountain ecosystems. Pedosphere. 35(3): 534-548. |
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