Different responses of soil bacterial species diversity and phylogenetic diversity to short-term nitrogen input in an alpine steppe at the source of Brahmaputra

• Published in: Frontiers in ecology and evolution Vol. 10
• Main Authors: Huang, Shaolin, Yu, Chengqun, Fu, Gang, Sun, Wei, Li, Shaowei, Xiao, Jianyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 24.11.2022
• Subjects: alpine steppe; community structure; nitrogen deposition; phylogenetic diversity; soil bacteria; species diversity
• ISSN: 2296-701X; 2296-701X
• DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1073177

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has experienced an increase in N deposition/input due to global change. However, it remains unclear how the responses and whether the responses of soil bacterial diversity to short-term N input are consistent at different levels. Here, we investigated soil bacterial species and phylogenetic α-diversity and community composition based on a short-term nitrogen input experiment (five levels: 0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 g N m −2 y −1 ) in an alpine steppe at the source of Brahmaputra, using high-throughput sequencing technology. Short-term nitrogen input did not affect the species α-diversity and β-diversity of soil bacteria. However, soil bacterial phylogenetic α-diversity and dissimilarity increased with increasing nitrogen input. Different relative contributions and correlations of primary factors to species and phylogenetic diversity under short-term nitrogen input may result in different responses, in which ecological processes also play a role. Therefore, studying the response of soil bacteria to short-term nitrogen input should take into account not only the species level but also the phylogenetic level. We should pay close attention to the potential influence of short-term nitrogen deposition/fertilization on the soil bacterial community in the alpine steppe on the Tibetan Plateau.