Pedosphere 36(3): 770--785, 2026
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2026 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Potential contributors to degraded soil quality in a hilly red soil region of southern China |
Yuna LI1,2, Meng XU3 , Shulan CHENG2, Huajun FANG2,3,4, Yifan GUO2,3, Yi ZHOU2, Fangying SHI2,3, Hui WANG2,3, Long CHEN2 |
1College of Ocean and Geography Sciences, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224002 (China);
2 College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China);
3 Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101 (China);
4 Zhongke-Ji'an Institute for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Ji'an 343000 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Soil microorganisms are gaining recognition as useful indicators of soil quality. While microbial communities are highly susceptible to soil degradation, whether changes in microbial community attributes can be used as indicators of the quality of degraded soils is poorly understood. In this study, paddy soil samples were collected from sites with various soil degradation states in the hilly red soil region of southern China to investigate the responses of microbial communities to soil degradation and to explore their linkages with soil quality index (SQI, a composite index based on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties). We found that SQI values were significantly decreased by 21.2%-28.8% in degraded compared to undegraded soils. Degraded and undegraded soils exhibited marked difference in microbial community composition. This difference was driven by changes in edaphic factors, such as pH and nutrient availability, due to degradation. Network analysis indicated a reduced network complexity due to soil degradation for both bacterial and fungal communities. In addition, potential functions associated with carbon metabolism were enhanced, while functions related to nitrogen oxidation were suppressed by soil degradation. Microbial attributes, including specific taxa, community structure, and potential functions, were identified using the random forest model as important predictors for soil quality, explaining 76% of the variation in the SQI values. Among the identified predictors, we found that SQI was positively related to the relative abundances of Sva0485 and Nitrospirae but negatively related to those of Acidothermaceae (Actinobacteria) and WPS-2. We also observed negative associations between SQI and the abundances of cellulolysis and aerobic chemoheterotrophy functions. Collectively, our results highlight the potential of incorporating DNA-based microbial metrics into routine soil monitoring to improve the assessment and prediction of soil degradation. |
| Key Words: cellulolysis|chemoheterotrophy|co-occurrence network|microbial diversity|microbial indicator|soil quality index |
| Citation: Li Y N, Xu M, Cheng S L, Fang H J, Guo Y F, Zhou Y, Shi F Y, Wang H, Chen L. 2026. Potential contributors to degraded soil quality in a hilly red soil region of southern China. Pedosphere. 36(3): 770-785. |
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