Consistent predictors of microbial community composition across spatial scales in grasslands reveal low context-dependency

Environmental circumstances shaping soil microbial communities have been studied extensively. However, due to disparate study designs, it has been difficult to resolve whether a globally consistent set of predictors exists, or context-dependency prevails. Here, we used a network of 18 grassland sites (11 of those containing regional plant productivity gradients) to examine (i) if similar abiotic or biotic factors predict both large-scale (across sites) and regional-scale (within sites) patterns in bacterial and fungal community composition, and (ii) if microbial community composition differs consistently at two levels of regional plant productivity (low vs. high). Our results revealed that bacteria were associated with particular soil properties (such as base saturation) and both bacteria and fungi were associated with plant community composition across sites and within the majority of sites. Moreover, a discernible microbial community signal emerged, clearly distinguishing high and low-productivity soils across different grasslands independent of their location in the world. Hence, regional productivity differences may be typified by characteristic soil microbial communities across the grassland biome. These results could encourage future research aiming to predict the general effects of global changes on soil microbial community composition in grasslands and to discriminate fertile from infertile systems using generally applicable microbial indicators.

Fil: Radujkovic, Dajana. Universiteit Antwerp; Bélgica

Fil: Vicca, Sara. Universiteit Antwerp; Bélgica

Fil: van Rooyen, Margaretha. University Of Pretoria; Sudáfrica

Fil: Wilfahrt, Peter. University of Minnesota; Estados Unidos. University of Bayreuth; Alemania

Fil: Brown, Leslie. University Of South Africa; Sudáfrica

Fil: Jentsch, Anke. University of Bayreuth; Alemania

Fil: Reinhart, Kurt O.. United States Department Of Agriculture; Estados Unidos

Fil: Brown, Charlotte. University of Arizona; Estados Unidos. University of Alberta; Canadá

Fil: De Gruyter, Johan. Universiteit Antwerp; Bélgica

Fil: Jurasinski, Gerald. ERNST MORITZ ARNDT UNIVERSITÄT GREIFSWALD (UG); . Universität Rostock; Alemania

Fil: Askarizadeh, Diana. University Of Tehran; Irán

Fil: Bartha, Sandor. Institute Of Ecology And Botany; Hungría

Fil: Beck, Ryan. Lethbridge Research Centre; Canadá

Fil: Blenkinsopp, Theodore. University of Alberta; Canadá

Fil: Cahill, James. University of Alberta; Canadá

Fil: Campetella, Giandiego. Universita Degli Di Camerino; Italia

Fil: Canullo, Roberto. Universita Degli Di Camerino; Italia

Fil: Chelli, Stefano. Universita Degli Di Camerino; Italia

Fil: Enrico, Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina

Fil: Fraser, Lauchlan. Thompson Rivers University; Canadá

Fil: Hao, Xiying. Lethbridge Research Centre; Canadá

Fil: Henry, Hugh A. L.. Western University; Canadá

Fil: Hohn, Maria. Hungarian University Of Agriculture And Life Sciences; Hungría

Fil: Jouri, Mohammad Hassan. Islamic Azad University; Irán

Fil: Koch, Marian. Universität Rostock; Alemania

Fil: Lawrence Lodge, Rachael. University Of Otago; Nueva Zelanda

Fil: Li, Frank Yonghong. Inner Mongolia University China; China

Fil: Lord, Janice M.. University Of Otago; Nueva Zelanda

Fil: Milligan, Patrick. University of Florida; Estados Unidos

Fil: Minggagud, Hugjiltu. Inner Mongolia University China; China

Fil: Palmer, Todd. University of Florida; Estados Unidos

Fil: Schröder, Birgit. Universität Rostock; Alemania

Fil: Szabó, Gábor. Hungarian University Of Agriculture And Life Sciences; Hungría

Fil: Zhang, Tongrui. Inner Mongolia University China; China

Fil: Zimmermann, Zita. Institute Of Ecology And Botany; Hungría

Fil: Verbruggen, Erik. Universiteit Antwerp; Bélgica