European Journal of Soil Biology最新文献

{"title":"Responses of the earthworms Lumbricus terrestris and Aporrectodea caliginosa to wheat straw provision across a range of residue sizes","authors":"Peter Bentley,&nbsp;Kevin R. Butt","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103799","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103799","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Earthworm mediated incorporation of soil surface applied crop residues could provide benefits to belowground ecosystem services, such as an increased rate of soil formation and carbon sequestration. In addition, increased soil organic matter within the upper soil profile can increase food availability for other soil fauna and microorganisms, with potential benefits for soil structure and health. Previous research has assessed the potential mass of surface applied organic matter that can be assimilated by earthworms; however, particle size of material may limit the rate of bioturbation and influence earthworm function and behaviour. The aims of the present study were to investigate the preference and utilisation of wheat (<em>Triticum aestivum</em>) straw residues at different particle sizes by two common, temperate earthworm species, <em>Lumbricus terrestris</em> and <em>Aporrectodea caliginosa.</em> These were addressed within controlled laboratory experiments, where two different scales were tested: Expt 1; with 3 modal straw lengths, as determined from the field post-harvest (40, 20 and 1 cm); and Expt 2; micro particle sizes (1 cm and 1 mm). The effect of straw length on earthworm utilisation was tested by earthworm incubation experiments in plastic bags, where removal from the soil surface was measured over a period of 8 weeks in monocultures and mixed species treatments. Litter removal was investigated by mass depletion over time and depth of incorporation. Choice chambers were used to quantify straw selection and removal at micro particle size. Expt 1 showed straw removal (63 ± 6 %) was significantly higher with a <em>L. terrestris</em> monoculture and 1 cm length. The largest masses of straw were incorporated at 0–60 mm depth of soil. There was no evidence to support a facilitation effect of <em>L. terrestris</em> on <em>A. caliginosa</em>, and increased earthworm mortality was detected in mixed species treatments. The choice chambers of Expt 2 indicated a preference for 1 mm particle size by both earthworm species with a more rapid use by <em>L. terrestris</em> than <em>A. caliginosa</em>. These experiments highlight how retention of straw residues on the field, linked with tillage practices and further straw management post-harvest could have significant implications for plant protection and earthworm populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 103799"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145798433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of forest management intensity on soil microbial diversity and community assembly in Carya cathayensis plantations","authors":"Wei Fang ,&nbsp;jing Gao ,&nbsp;Shuai Shao ,&nbsp;Chenfei Liang ,&nbsp;Junhui Chen ,&nbsp;Hua Qin ,&nbsp;Qiufang Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103798","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103798","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensive management of <em>Carya cathayensis</em> (<em>C. cathayensis</em>) plantations has been linked to soil degradation and increased disease incidence, yet the underlying shifts in rhizosphere microbial communities remain poorly understood. We compared rhizosphere soils from non-managed forest(NF), reduced-management forest(RF), and intensive-management forest(IF) stands across two towns in Zhejiang, China. With increasing management intensity, soil fertility and enzyme activities declined, bacterial diversity and network stability decreased, whereas fungal diversity tended to increase. Bacterial community assembly was predominantly deterministic and became more so under intensive management, whereas fungal assembly remained largely stochastic. Management intensity did not directly regulate microbial assembly; instead, soil chemical properties and enzyme activities mediated these patterns. Several microbial taxa responded strongly to management intensity and were significantly correlated with community assembly processes. These findings reveal consistent associations between management intensity and rhizosphere microbial patterns across two landscapes, despite potential site-related variation. Reducing management intensity favours microbial network complexity and stability, offering microbiome-based avenues for sustainable <em>C. cathayensis</em> forestry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 103798"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145798429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Short-term effect of changing water regimes on the soil nematode community in rice-duckweed system under water-saving irrigation","authors":"Zeeshan Ahmed ,&nbsp;Junzeng Xu ,&nbsp;Weixuan Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaoyin Liu ,&nbsp;Yawei Li ,&nbsp;Hang Guo ,&nbsp;Shengyu Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103791","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103791","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rice agroecosystems have garnered global attention owing to a unique transition from traditional flooding to water-saving practices, such as alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation, which features a dual-habitat ecosystem with high biodiversity throughout the growing period. Nematodes' taxonomic bioindication potential could reveal perturbations in the soil environment and changes in food web status under AWD. However, the influence of changing dual modes (dry and wet habitats) with duckweed (D) on nematodes was often overlooked. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to quantify the impact of flooding irrigation, and alternate wetting and drying irrigation on nematode abundance across four treatments: flooding irrigation with (FI + D) and without duckweed (FI), alternate wetting and drying irrigation with (AWD + D) and without (AWD) duckweed. For flooding irrigation, soil samples were taken at tillering, pre-mid-season drainage (MD), and at flowering post-MD. Similarly, for alternate wetting and drying irrigation at tillering and flowering for respective dry and wet cycles. The first AWD dry-cycle with duckweed (AWD + D) significantly reduced nematode abundance compared to the wet cycle (AWD + D) (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.033). In FI, MD significantly reduced nematode abundance (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.007) compared to FI + D. Factor prediction analytics showed that pH in the FI post-MD and <span><math><mrow><mo>[</mo><mrow><msubsup><mtext>NH</mtext><mn>4</mn><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo>−</mo><mi>N</mi></mrow><mo>]</mo></mrow></math></span> in flooded and AWD-integrated treatments were the most influential abiotic drivers governing nematode taxonomic and functional diversity. AWD dry-wet cycles with duckweed, fuel colonizer CP (1–2, r-strategists) nematodes, indicating better soil health and higher microbial turnover than without duckweed. The AWD drying cycle with duckweed produced more mature, fertile soils with balanced bacterivores/fungivores and moderate C:N ratios, and demonstrated suppressive properties, which further seek an investigation into the link between soil biochemical enrichment from decomposing duckweed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 103791"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145665357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The use of vermicompost from urban organic waste leads to a sustainable increase of earthworm abundance: a three-year study in a crop field converting to organic farming","authors":"Vincent Ducasse ,&nbsp;Vincent Tolon ,&nbsp;Apolline Auclerc ,&nbsp;Line Capowiez ,&nbsp;Joséphine Peigné ,&nbsp;Yvan Capowiez","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103789","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103789","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The management of organic matter in sustainable agriculture remains challenging in the 21st century. For farms located close to large cities, the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is a potential resource to improve soil biological quality. However, this fraction can be processed in very different ways: compost, digestate, or vermicompost. We carried out a three-year trial to compare the effects on earthworm communities of two successive applications of such products at two doses (except for digestate) in a field crop recently converted to organic farming and no tillage. The abandonment of tillage led to a marked increase in the soil bulk density (from 1.25 to 1.45 g cm⁻³) and an associated and continuous decrease in the number of juvenile earthworms in all plots. For abundance of adult earthworms, compost had no effect, whereas digestate led to a large and rapid increase immediately after each application. By contrast, vermicompost steadily increased adult earthworm abundance (+33 to + 90 % compared to the control, depending on the sampling dates). Similar results were observed for earthworm biomass. In this trial, highly dominated by endogeics (80 % of the abundance), no difference between treatments was observed for the temporal variation of each species. However, <em>Aporrectodea caliginosa</em> abundance greatly increased after the first application, whereas <em>Aporrectodea icterica</em> only increased after the second application. The impact of vermicompost on earthworm communities has never been studied under field conditions so far, but this product seems promising for farmers who may seek to benefit from the services provided by earthworms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103789"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leaf litter quantity shapes oribatid mite assemblages five years following forestry interventions in a European deciduous forest","authors":"Veronika Gergócs-Winkler ,&nbsp;Norbert Flórián ,&nbsp;Bence Kovács ,&nbsp;Réka Aszalós ,&nbsp;András Bidló ,&nbsp;Péter Ódor","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103790","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103790","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Continuous cover forestry is widely regarded as a more ecologically sustainable alternative to traditional rotation-based systems in Europe. However, the short- and long-term impacts of different forestry interventions on soil biota remain poorly understood. We investigated the effects of four forest management treatments on soil-dwelling oribatid mites in a European oak–hornbeam forest, five years post-intervention. Assemblages in clear-cut, gap-cut, preparation-cut, and retention tree group plots were compared with controls. Soil fauna were sampled seasonally; climatic conditions were continuously monitored, and vegetation and soil properties measured annually. Mites were identified to species level, and both taxonomic and trait-based community metrics were analysed to assess ecological responses to the treatments. Microclimatic and soil variables did not differ significantly among treatments, but leaf litter quantity was highest in the control, preparation-cutting, and retention tree group plots. Oribatid mite density and species richness were lowest in clear-cutting and gap-cutting plots, highest in the control, and intermediate in the preparation-cutting and retention tree group plots. The most abundant species, mainly from the family Oppiidae, had reduced densities in the more intensively disturbed treatments, contributing to higher evenness in those plots. Less disturbed habitats were dominated by omnivorous, predatory, and scavenger species, with higher proportions of parthenogenetic individuals. In contrast, sexual and predominantly detritivorous species were more prevalent in the clear-cutting and gap-cutting plots. Furthermore, seasonal variation in species composition was more pronounced in these disturbed plots, whereas species composition remained more stable and homogeneous in the control plots. In conclusion, higher amount of leaf litter in less disturbed plots supported the dominance of parthenogenetic and omnivorous species. Oribatid mites proved to be sensitive indicators of long-term ecological effects, highlighting the lasting impact of forestry interventions in oak–hornbeam forests, even five years after disturbance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103790"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145620625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial necromass carbon mediates nonlinear soil carbon response to nitrogen application in the greenhouse vegetable production system","authors":"Zhou Jia ,&nbsp;Lifeng Zhang ,&nbsp;Chengzhang Wang ,&nbsp;Longgang Jiang ,&nbsp;Erxiong Zhu ,&nbsp;Meng Li ,&nbsp;Ruonan Li ,&nbsp;Li Guo ,&nbsp;Yihong Li ,&nbsp;Liying Wang ,&nbsp;Jianshuo Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103788","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103788","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil organic carbon (SOC) constitutes the largest terrestrial C reservoir, playing a pivotal role in global C cycling. Nitrogen (N) fertilization has been widely recognized as a major driver of SOC transformation and accumulation. However, the specific mechanistic pathways by which long-term differential N application rates modulate microbially derived SOC components and thereby influence SOC persistence in greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) systems remain to be elucidated. We implemented a 12-year field trial assessing five chemical N application rates (cucumber/tomato season: 0/0 (N0), 200/200 (N200), 300/225 (N300), 600/450 (N600), and 900/675 (N900) kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) in an intensive GVP system. This study integrates measurements of microbial necromass carbon (MNC), kinetics of C- and N-acquiring hydrolases, soil chemical properties and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) to unravel the impacts of N application rates on SOC dynamics and persistence. Our results demonstrate that MNC constitutes 54.5–77.0 % of SOC across all N addition treatments, with fungal necromass C (FNC) averaging 4.40 times higher than bacterial necromass C (BNC). Interestingly, our findings revealed that the MNC/SOC was nonlinearly correlated with elevated N addition rates. Specifically, the BNC/SOC peaked under the N600 treatment, whereas the FNC/SOC was maximized under the N300 treatment and then showed a downward trend. Hierarchical partitioning results indicated that enzymatic kinetics as the predominant regulator of both MNC/SOC and FNC/SOC, whereas soil nutrient attributes exerted stronger control over BNC/SOC. Moreover, the PLS-PM results identified soil properties (e.g., Total N, C:N, NO₃⁻-N, dissolved organic C, pH, and electrical conductivity) as the primary positive regulators of BNC/SOC. However, FNC/SOC and MNC/SOC were predominantly driven by the kinetics of C- (α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase) and N-acquiring (N-acetyl-glucosaminidase) enzymes. Therefore, these drivers exhibited diametrically opposing effects on BNC/SOC relative to FNC/SOC (MNC/SOC). Our findings establish that optimized N management is critical for sustaining SOC sequestration in GVP systems, providing a mechanistic basis for linking N application to microbial-mediated C stabilization in the intensive agriculture systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103788"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145575912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Low mycovirus presence in soil saprotrophic fungi in Dutch sandy soils","authors":"Ruiqi Wang ,&nbsp;Hazal Kandemir ,&nbsp;Jing Zhang ,&nbsp;T. Martijn Bezemer ,&nbsp;Peter M. van Bodegom ,&nbsp;S. Emilia Hannula","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103787","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103787","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Saprotrophic fungi play a fundamental role in soil ecosystems as primary decomposers, driving nutrient and carbon turnover on a global scale. Mycoviruses are considered widespread and can affect saprotrophic fungi by altering their properties, such as growth rate, stress resistance, and metabolite production. To advance the understanding of the prevalence and diversity of mycoviruses of soil saprotrophic fungi, we conducted parallel mycovirus screening in 28 saprotrophic fungi representing major groups of soil fungi and concomitantly explored soil metatranscriptomic data. <em>De novo</em> assembly of RNA-sequencing data uncovered two viruses from two fungal strains. One of these viruses, a ssRNA virus from <em>Mucor</em> sp., appears to represent a putative novel species. Analysis of eukaryotic RNA viruses in soil metatranscriptomes indicated that even though fungal and oomycete hosts made up 39.6 % of the classified eukaryotic viruses, there was no saprotrophic host assignment. Both methods showed that there were few mycoviruses in the Dutch sandy soils with different land uses. This led to the conclusion that mycoviruses affecting saprotrophic fungi may either be rare in these types of soils or more difficult to detect compared to other fungal groups. These results offer new insights into the ecological dynamics and viral associations of soil saprotrophic fungi, highlighting the need for broader sampling and improved approaches to assess mycovirus diversity and its potential ecological significance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103787"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145575906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assembly processes, ecological strategies, and functional potentials of abundant and rare microbial taxa in biological soil crusts from two habitats in arid ecosystems","authors":"Yansong Wang,&nbsp;Zengru Wang,&nbsp;Yubing Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103786","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103786","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biological soil crusts (BSCs) cover approximately 40 % of arid and semi-arid lands and are pivotal for terrestrial biogeochemical cycling. Bacteria and fungi constitute the main active constituents of BSC microbial communities, with abundant and rare taxa playing distinct roles. We investigated differences in assembly processes, adaptive strategies, and functional potential between abundant and rare bacterial and fungal taxa across BSC developments in two distinct habitats—the nutrient-poor Tengger Desert and the relatively fertile Loess Plateau. Our results reveal that stochastic dispersal limitation chiefly dominates abundant and permanently rare bacterial taxa in both habitats. In contrast, homogeneous selection dominated transiently and conditionally rare taxa, while deterministic selection pressure was more pronounced in the Tengger Desert owing to its lower nutrient availability. The successional development of BSCs drives a shift from r-to K-strategies in both habitats, with this transition being particularly pronounced in the Tengger Desert. Rare bacterial taxa harbor functional gene repertoires disproportionate to their low relative abundances and thus make outsized contributions to biogeochemical cycling; moreover, their functional potential increases progressively throughout BSC development. Functional connectivity between abundant and rare taxa was strengthened under nutrient-poor conditions. Variation in soil organic carbon content and pH emerged as primary drivers of the assembly and functional patterns. These findings indicate that nutrient-limited conditions differentially alter assembly processes and functional potential of rare and abundant taxa, and that ecological strategies shift with succession in both habitats. Our study reveals how contrasting nutrient availabilities in two arid habitats drive microbial assembly dynamics, adaptive strategies, and functional differentiation throughout BSC successional development, offering theoretical guidance for studying microbial communities and functions in arid ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103786"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil pH and organic phosphorus co-shape the diversity and assembly processes of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community in subtropical broadleaved forests","authors":"Rui Xu ,&nbsp;Zhucheng Yu ,&nbsp;Yang Liu ,&nbsp;Yidan Liu ,&nbsp;Xingcong Ma ,&nbsp;Xiaomin Ma ,&nbsp;Wenhao Jin ,&nbsp;Yongfu Li ,&nbsp;Junhui Chen ,&nbsp;Hua Qin","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103785","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103785","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal represent a vital pathway for plant nutrient acquisition in soils, especially in nutrient-limited subtropical broadleaved forests where AM fungi extensively colonize roots. However, critical knowledge gaps persist regarding how soil phosphorus and nitrogen gradients (including organic and inorganic forms) influence the structure and assembly mechanisms of AM fungal communities in subtropical broadleaved forests. We conducted field sampling of <em>Schima superba</em> rhizosphere soils (typically AM tree species), analyzing the concentrations of key soil nutrient forms (e.g., available phosphorus, organic phosphorus, ammonium, nitrate) and the AM fungal community structure via high-throughput sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene. Correlation revealed that AM fungal biomarkers (NLFA 16:1ω5) increased with soil pH. AM fungal richness exhibited a significant quadratic relationship with soil organic phosphorus (OP) concentrations and was negatively correlated with the available phosphorus (AP) to OP ratio, suggesting that a higher proportion of readily available phosphorus suppresses AM fungal diversity. Community structure (indicated by NMDS1) was primarily influenced by total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and pH, while network complexity was significantly associated with AP and NH₄⁺-N. The assembly of AM fungal communities was dominated by deterministic processes, whose influence decreased with increasing soil OP and TP concentrations. Random forest analyses and structure equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated that the structure and assembly of AM fungal communities were jointly shaped by soil pH and P dynamic (especially OP and TP). Overall, these findings elucidate that soil pH and P forms (particularly OP) are pivotal factors governing the structure and assembly processes of AM fungal communities in subtropical broadleaved forests, advancing our understanding of AM fungal community variation in nutrient-poor environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103785"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145473908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of the seasonal dynamics of grassland soil bacterivores in top- and subsoils","authors":"Verena Groß ,&nbsp;Mathilde Borg Dahl ,&nbsp;Jana Täumer ,&nbsp;Kenneth Dumack ,&nbsp;Haitao Wang ,&nbsp;Michael Bonkowski ,&nbsp;Tim Urich","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103784","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103784","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bacterivorous micro- and macro-organisms are important functional guilds in the soil microbial food web, where their activities influence the community composition. Few studies to date have holistically considered the spatial and seasonal dynamics of such bacterivores in temperate grassland soils; studies of subsoil microbial food webs are particularly scarce. This represents a potential knowledge gap, as environmental conditions (e.g. season and soil depth) may affect prokaryotic and eukaryotic bacterivores differentially. Using a quantitative metatranscriptomic approach, we studied the abundance of SSU rRNA transcripts of bacterivorous bacteria, protists, and nematodes in two German grassland sites from top- and subsoils across seasons. The combined transcript abundance of all bacterivores was significantly reduced with depth. A reduction in the transcript predator-prey ratio was seen for bacterivorous protists, nematodes, and <em>Bdellovibrionota</em>. In contrast, facultative bacterivorous <em>Myxococcota</em> showed a consistently high transcript predator-prey ratio at both depths, suggesting that they dominate the bacterivore functional guild in subsoils. The transcript abundance of all bacterivores and their potential bacterial prey exhibited similar seasonal patterns at both depths. The predator-prey ratio showed bacterivore-specific seasonal and depth-dependent variations. Although this methodology has limitations, as transcript abundance does not directly reflect organism's abundance — our findings suggest a notable role for predatory bacteria as potential main consumers of bacterial biomass in subsoils. In general, increasing soil depth appears to influence the structure of the bacterivorous community, potentially reflected in a shift in the ratio of eukaryotic predators to bacterial prey.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 103784"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145473907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}