Influence of Tree Vegetation on Soil Microbial Communities in Temperate Forests and Their Potential as a Proactive Indicator of Vegetation Shift Due to Climate Change

Young-Mok Heo, Hanbyul Lee, Sun-Lul Kwon, Yeonjae Yoo, Dongjun Kim, Sang-Il Han, Aslan-Hwanhwi Lee, Changmu Kim, Gyu-Hyeok Kim and Jae-Jin Kim
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Young-Mok Heo: Division of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Hanbyul Lee: Division of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Sun-Lul Kwon: Division of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Yeonjae Yoo: Division of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Dongjun Kim: Division of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Sang-Il Han: Division of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Aslan-Hwanhwi Lee: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Korea
Changmu Kim: Microorganism Resources Division, National Institute of Biological Resources, Incheon 22689, Korea
Gyu-Hyeok Kim: Division of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Jae-Jin Kim: Division of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-16

Abstract: Unexpected vegetation shift is a serious problem caused by climate change, resulting in considerable damage to local communities. It is necessary to be continuously monitored, and the soil microbial community is expected to reflect the pressure on forest ecosystems due to climate change. We investigated soil bacterial and fungal communities in Odaesan at a four-year interval through eDNA meta-barcoding and analyzed the compositional and functional differences between forest types (Mongolian oak ( Quercus mongolica ) forest with and without Manchurian firs ( Abies holophylla )) and sampling years. As a result, denitrifiers predominated in the presence of Manchurian firs, but there was no difference in the influence of climate change by forest type. Although tree vegetation remained stable, the microbial communities significantly changed over four years. This result demonstrates that climate change significantly shifts the microbial communities, even if not enough to trigger a vegetation shift, thus a microbial indicator can be developed to assess the press disturbance accumulated on the forest ecosystem. Through this study, we identified the influence of Manchurian firs and that of climate change on soil microbial communities in temperate forests and demonstrated the potential of the microbial community as a proactive indicator of vegetation shift due to climate change.

Keywords: ecological function; forest ecosystem; rhizosphere; soil microbiome (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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