Fungi Follow Flora, Bacteria Track the Seasons: A Tale of a Changing Landscape.

Abstract

Microbes play critical roles in dryland ecosystems, driving nutrient cycling, soil stability, and plant interactions. Despite their ecological importance, few studies have examined how microbial communities respond to vegetation changes in arid landscapes. In the northern extent of the Chihuahuan Desert, the encroachment of woody shrubs into grasslands has been occurring since the 1800s, largely driven by extensive livestock grazing and increased drought levels. In this study, we investigated how microbial communities respond to both biotic (i.e., vegetation) and abiotic (i.e., seasonality) factors, how they assemble in a changing landscape, and which taxa may be particularly responsive to shrub encroachment or even facilitating this transformation. We assessed microbial communities using soil surface samples across five distinct seasonal periods in a grassland-to-shrubland gradient in the Jornada Experimental Range in the Chihuahuan Desert through the use of phospholipid fatty-acid analysis and DNA metabarcoding techniques. Our findings reveal that bacterial and fungal biomass are significantly influenced by seasonal changes, with strong correlations to humidity and temperature fluctuations. We also found that fungal community assembly and diversity were highly impacted by vegetation whereas seasons were more impactful on bacteria. Our results support the idea that microbes may be playing a crucial role in facilitating the grassland-to-shrubland transition. Overall, our study highlights the complex interactions between microbial communities and biotic and abiotic factors in dryland systems. These findings are essential for understanding the future of dryland ecosystems undergoing shrub encroachment and provide a critical foundation for guiding restoration efforts, particularly those looking to incorporate microbial-mediated solutions.