Open AccessMicrobial soil biodiversity in beech forests of European mountains
Author(s) -
Lucian Dincă,
Aurelia Oneț,
Alina Dora Samuel,
Roberto Tognetti,
Enno Uhl,
Michal Bošeľa,
Erika Gömöryová,
Kamil Bielak,
Jerzy Skrzyszewski,
Emira Hukić,
Tzvetan Zlatanov,
Javier de-Dios-García,
Giustino To,
Francesco Giammarchi,
Miroslav Svoboda,
Laura Dobor,
Ludovica Rolando,
Jasmin Rauseo,
Tanita Pescatore,
Gian Luigi Garbini,
Andrea Visca,
Luisa Patrolecco,
Anna Barra Caracciolo,
Paola Grenni
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
canadian journal of forest research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1208-6037
pISSN - 0045-5067
DOI - 10.1139/cjfr-2020-0139
Subject(s) - beech , fagus sylvatica , microbial population biology , environmental science , climate change , ecology , soil carbon , soil organic matter , soil biodiversity , abiotic component , soil water , forest ecology , biodiversity , soil quality , soil biology , ecosystem , biology , genetics , bacteria
Fagus sylvatica L. is widely distributed across Europe thanks to its high adaptability in a wide variety of soils and climate. Microbial communities are essential for maintaining forest soil quality and are responsible for forest ecosystem functioning; the ability of soil microorganisms to respond to abiotic stressors (e.g., organic carbon losses, water scarcity, temperature changes) is crucial under ongoing environmental changes and also supports tree health. In this study, soil samples were collected from pure beech plots as part of the COST Action project CLIMO to find differences in microbial community characteristics and evaluate the effects of soil properties on microbial communities across gradients of elevation, latitude, and longitude. Positive relationships were found between organic carbon content and both microbial abundance and dehydrogenase activity. Dehydrogenase and catalase activities were elevation-correlated and microbial activities were longitude-correlated. In the most southern beech plot, the microbial community was abundant and displayed high activities. This shows that microbial communities could help tree populations to better adapt to predicted changes in environmental conditions in the future. We suggest that research into forest health and beech performance should also test soil microbial enzymatic activity, particularly under changing climate conditions, to assist in identifying adaptation strategies.