Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Drought reinforces the relation between microbial activities and soil respiration but depresses the linkage between microbial activities and soil C and N: Evidence from rhizosphere in rapeseed (Brassica napu)","authors":"Qiwen Xu,&nbsp;Bo Zhu,&nbsp;Meichun Duan,&nbsp;Bangyan Liu,&nbsp;Longchang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil respiration (SR), the second-largest terrestrial carbon flux, plays a pivotal role in regulating global carbon cycling under climate change. However, drought-induced changes in SR dynamics, particularly in the rhizosphere, remain poorly understood due to methodological limitations. This study employed in situ rhizosphere partitioning (root bag system) and high-frequency diurnal SR monitoring to compare drought responses between two rapeseed (<em>Brassica napus</em>) cultivars with contrasting drought tolerance. Soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), enzyme index (<em>SEI</em>) and microbial carbon source utilization (<em>MCSU</em>) were assessed in both bulk and rhizosphere area to quantify root-derived effects. The interactions among these factors in the rhizosphere were further explored using structural equation model (SEM). Result showed drought significantly reduced SR, SOC, <em>C:N</em> ratio and <em>MCSU</em> in the rhizosphere for both cultivars (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) while had minimal effects on bulk soil. Bulk soil exhibited a 6-h hysteresis in peak SR compared to the rhizosphere. Drought significantly suppressed root-derived SR in the drought-sensitive CY36, while enhancing it in the drought-tolerant YY57. Additionally, rhizosphere effect play a positive role in SR but a negative role in SOC and TN, with this negative effect aggravated by drought. SEM revealed drought depressed the effects of SOC and TN on <em>C:N</em> ratio, <em>SEI</em> and <em>MCSU</em>, while positively reinforced the direct effect of <em>MCSU</em> on SR in the rhizosphere (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Our results highlight the importance of accounting for sensitive changes in the rhizosphere induced by drought when predicting ecosystem carbon and nutrient balance responses to future drought events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106148"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912190","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":"Sheep dung addition and reseeding promote ecosystem multifunctionality by mediating soil microbial network complexity in a subtropical grassland","authors":"Debao Li ,&nbsp;Haibian Xu ,&nbsp;Yan Li ,&nbsp;Jinghang Xu ,&nbsp;Meiyan Zhang ,&nbsp;Jianping Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Globally, grasslands experience varying degrees of degradation, and restoration approaches frequently employ reseeding and fertilization. Despite the widespread use of these practices, the effects of various modes of restoration on soil microbial network structure and diversity and how these factors affect ecosystem multifunctionality have not been fully elucidated. To improve understanding of these relationships, we conducted a 10-year long-term experiment investigating the effects of five restoration modes in a subtropical grassland: natural restoration, reseeding, annual sheep dung addition, reseeding plus biennial sheep dung addition, and reseeding plus annual sheep dung addition, with a severely degraded grassland serving as the control. We found that ecosystem multifunctionality and microbial network complexity and diversity were significantly higher in all restoration modes relative to the control. Sheep dung addition had stronger positive influence on ecosystem multifunctionality and microbial network complexity and diversity than natural restoration and reseeding. Soil microbial network complexity had stronger positive effects on ecosystem multifunctionality than microbial diversity. Importantly, we found that reseeding plus biennial sheep dung addition resulted in the strongest improvements to ecosystem multifunctionality and microbial network complexity and diversity. This research reveals that soil microbial network complexity is essential for ecosystem multifunctionality in subtropical grassland restoration efforts, and emphasizes the necessity of protecting and restoring complex soil microbial community in degraded grasslands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106157"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143908119","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":"On- and off-year management-induced changes in microbial communities cause microbial necromass carbon variation in subtropical Moso bamboo forests","authors":"Zhiyuan Huang ,&nbsp;Qiaoling Li ,&nbsp;Fangyuan Bian ,&nbsp;Zheke Zhong ,&nbsp;Xu Gai ,&nbsp;Xiaoping Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106161","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106161","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Moso bamboo, with its high carbon sequestration capacity, plays a unique role in addressing climate change. An on- and off-year management system has traditionally been used in Moso bamboo forest management to maintain productivity and soil fertility. Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) is a major contributor to soil organic carbon (SOC) in terrestrial ecosystems; however, research into changes in MNC and their driving mechanisms in Moso bamboo forests under this management system remains sparse. This study investigated soil MNC and microbial communities in Moso bamboo stands under on- and off-year management. Results showed that total MNC, bacterial necromass carbon (BNC), fungal necromass carbon (FNC), and the contribution of BNC to SOC were significantly higher in off-year managed soils than on-year managed soils. On average, total MNC and FNC comprised 41.69 % and 34.80 % of SOC in Moso bamboo forests, respectively. Additionally, off-year managed soils exhibited higher SOC and available nitrogen but lower pH, available phosphorus, and microbial community alpha diversity compared to on-year managed soils. Microbial groups associated with litter decomposition were significantly enriched in off-year managed soils, while those promoting plant growth were enriched in on-year managed soils. Partial least squares path modeling demonstrated that bacterial communities and SOC directly influenced BNC and FNC accumulation, respectively, with soil pH indirectly affecting MNC through these pathways. These findings indicated that on- and off-year management-induced changes in microbial communities cause MNC variation. This study revealed that on- and off-year management can effectively secure soil nutrient supply in intensively managed bamboo forests and that changes in MNC play a crucial role in maintaining SOC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106161"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143908182","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":"Light intensity surpasses soil factors in shaping dynamics and functions of Sophora davidii-associated bacterial communities during forest succession","authors":"Ying Cao,&nbsp;Jiahao Pan,&nbsp;Yidan He,&nbsp;Ming Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106156","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106156","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rhizosphere is an active zone of plant-microbial interactions influenced by habitat conditions. However, its responses to light intensity and soil nutrients during forest succession remain unclear. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we characterized rhizosphere bacterial communities associated with <em>Sophora davidii</em> (which typifies a leguminous pioneer species crucial for forest succession and ecological restoration on the Loess Plateau of China) compared to bulk soil communities across forest edge and understory habitats, representing early and late successional stages. Rhizosphere communities exhibited significantly lower alpha diversity and diminished stability than bulk soil, particularly in the understory. The taxonomic composition of rhizosphere communities varied across habitats, as exemplified by enrichment of Mycobacteriaceae and Bacillaceae at the forest edge and in the understory, respectively. Unlike bulk soil communities dominated by deterministic assembly, rhizosphere communities balanced deterministic and stochastic processes, with greater stochasticity in the understory. Distinctions in community structure were evident between rhizosphere and bulk soil communities due to the influence of soil chemical properties. Still, light intensity emerged as a leading factor in shaping the composition and assembly of rhizosphere communities. Functional predictions revealed that rhizosphere communities were widely involved in nitrogen cycling, with enhanced network robustness and functional differentiation in the understory, reflecting ecological adaptation to successional environments. This study underscores the greater role of light intensity than soil factors in shaping rhizosphere bacterial communities associated with leguminous plants during forest succession, providing insights into plant–microbe–environment interactions and informing ecological restoration strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106156"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143904159","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":"Fertilizer enriched bio-based mulch films increase nitrogen and phosphorus availability and stimulate soil microbial biomass and activity","authors":"Sara Paliaga ,&nbsp;Luigi Badalucco ,&nbsp;Veronica Concetta Ciaramitaro ,&nbsp;Delia Francesca Chillura Martino ,&nbsp;Antonio Gelsomino ,&nbsp;Ellen Kandeler ,&nbsp;Sven Marhan ,&nbsp;Vito Armando Laudicina","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106159","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106159","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plastic mulch films are widely used in agriculture to increase crop productivity and to control weeds, but their non-biodegradable nature is causing many negative effects, such as environmental pollution and land degradation. These drawbacks are favoring the development of biodegradable alternatives. Recently, innovative bio-based mulch films composed of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), chitosan (CS) and sodium alginate (SA) have been developed. These films have also been enriched with monoammonium phosphate (MAP) to be potentially released during their degradation thus supplying N and P to soil. This study aims to evaluate the impact of N and P enriched bio-based films on N and P pools dynamics and microbial biomass, activity and community structure. For this purpose, two types of films, both with and without MAP-enrichment, were mixed with the soil at 0.1 % (<em>w</em>/w) ratio to simulate field conditions. Soil samples were analyzed at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after film application to assess changes in above variables. The results showed that MAP-enriched films significantly increased the concentrations of available nitrate and phosphate by up to 76 % and 72 %, respectively. All four film types increased microbial biomass C and N, while enhanced β-glucosidase and <em>N</em>-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase activities indicated some biodegradation of CMC and CS. The degradation of the biopolymers was further confirmed by lipase activity, which was on average 79 % higher in the film-amended soils. Moreover, films influenced the microbial community structure, favoring the growth of bacteria, particularly Gram positive, over fungi. Overall, these results suggest that these innovative bio-based films are promising candidates for sustainable agricultural practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106159"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143908183","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 phosphorus demand affects carbon-degrading potential under long-term nitrogen addition in a subtropical forest","authors":"Linna Chen ,&nbsp;Quanxin Zeng ,&nbsp;Qiufang Zhang ,&nbsp;Biao Zhu ,&nbsp;Yuexin Fan ,&nbsp;Xiaochun Yuan ,&nbsp;Yuehmin Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106154","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106154","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tropical and subtropical forests store over one-third of global soil carbon (C), substantially influencing global C-climate feedback. However, whether low phosphorus (P) availability and microbial P deficiency in these ecosystems limit soil organic C (SOC) sequestration remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of 8–9 years of nitrogen (N) addition on SOC content and its microbial mechanisms in a subtropical Moso bamboo forest. We observed that long-term N addition reduced both microbial necromass C (MNC) and SOC contents, while it increased microbial P demand as indicated by the changes in P-cycling genes and phosphatase activity. Genes and enzymes related to P-cycling were identified as the important drivers of SOC content. A structural equation model further showed that N addition-induced higher microbial P demand negatively affected SOC content. This effect was both direct and indirect, the latter via promoting microbial C demand, which subsequently negatively affected MNC and SOC contents. Altogether, our findings suggest that microbial P deficiency is detrimental to SOC storage, offering novel perspectives on the coupling of soil C and P cycling via microbial mechanisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106154"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143895957","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":"Successive organic fertilizer substitution alleviated net ecosystem carbon loss in new vegetable field converted from rice paddy","authors":"Quan Tang ,&nbsp;Feiyi Zhang ,&nbsp;Jing Wang ,&nbsp;Wenxia Dai ,&nbsp;Zhenwang Li ,&nbsp;Weiqin Yin ,&nbsp;Xiaoyuan Yan ,&nbsp;Xiaozhi Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106155","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106155","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil disturbance caused by land-use change from rice paddies to vegetable fields can lead to substantial soil carbon (C) storage losses. Partial substitution of chemical fertilizers with organic forms is an effective strategy for sustainable agriculture and may compensate for this C loss. However, how different organic fertilizers and substitution ratios maintain the soil C balance (net ecosystem C budget, NECB) in newly converted vegetable fields remains unclear. Here, the effects of substituting 25 % and 50 % chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizers with pig manure and municipal sludge, respectively, on NECB were investigated by considering soil C inputs (net primary production (NPP) and organic fertilizers) and outputs (ecosystem respiration and harvesting) in a two-year field experiment with eight consecutive vegetable cultivation. Zero N fertilizer (ZeroN) and conventional chemical N fertilizer (ConN) were used as controls. Both control treatments exhibited negative NECB values, averaging −2072 and − 2137 kg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ respectively, confirming substantial C losses in converted systems. Successive organic fertilizer substitutions significantly increased NECB by 73 %–208 % and reduced net global warming potential by 35 %–138 % relative to ConN, despite 21 %–32 % higher C outputs. Of these, 50 % substitutions achieved positive NECB through enhanced NPP and direct C inputs from organic fertilizers. Moreover, repeated organic fertilizer substitution induced dynamic microbial community restructuring, favoring the dominance of bacterial high-yield strategists (Y-strategists). Such shifts in life-history strategies enhanced NECB by directly mediating the C input-output balances, and closely linked to the increase of several of these enriched microbial taxa such as <em>Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes</em> and <em>Gemmatimonadetes</em>. These findings elucidate the dual regulation of organic substitution on C cycling in converted vegetable systems through coupled biogeochemical-microbial mechanisms, emphasizing the critical role of microbial metabolic strategies in achieving sustainable agriculture and NetZero emissions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106155"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143895938","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":"Insights into the interlinkages between rhizosphere soil extracellular enzymes and microbiome assemblages across soil profiles in grasslands","authors":"Xueqing Liu ,&nbsp;Xifeng Fan ,&nbsp;Mingcai Zhang ,&nbsp;Hui Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuesen Yue ,&nbsp;Juying Wu ,&nbsp;Wenjun Teng ,&nbsp;Na Mu ,&nbsp;Ke Teng ,&nbsp;Haifeng Wen","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106139","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the correlations between the turfgrass rhizosphere soil (RS) microbial community assembly and soil extracellular enzymes (EEs) across soil profiles can contribute to enhancing the soil C pool and improving urban grassland ecosystem services. This study collected rhizosphere soil from non-native <em>Poa pratensis</em> (<em>Poa</em> L.) and native <em>Carex leucochlora</em> (<em>Carex</em> L.) at depths of 0–40 cm to investigate soil properties, EEs, and microbial communities. Compared to <em>Poa</em>, <em>Carex</em> significantly increased RS soil properties (i.e., organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and available NPK), C-, and N- acquisition (acq) enzymes, and soil ecosystem multifunction at 0–40 cm soil depths. Variable selection-dominated RS bacterial and fungal assemblages were enhanced in <em>Poa</em> and increased with soil depth, while homogenizing dispersal-dominated RS microbiome assemblages were enhanced in <em>Carex</em> and increased with soil depth. Among soil enzymes, the existence of C-acq enzymes were tie to more taxa to sustain the natural connectivity of RS microbial networks. Random forest analysis revealed that taxa of Actinobacteria (<em>Mycobacterium</em>, <em>Gaiella</em>, and <em>Hyphomicrobium</em>) and Nitrospirae (<em>Nitrospira</em>) played a key role in mediating C-acq enzymes, with <em>Carex</em> recruiting more bacterial taxa involved in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism. Structural equation modeling further indicated the crucial role of the RS bacterial assemblage in regulating Actinobacteria, Nitrospirae, and Proteobacteria, highlighting their significance in C-acq enzymes, SOC, MBC, and MBN. This study demonstrated that <em>Carex</em> was more likely to increase soil ecosystem service, and concluded that the RS microbial community assemblages could stimulate bacterial taxa to strengthen the closely associations between soil C-acq enzymes and SOC sequestration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106139"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143885952","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":"Methane oxidation in alpine meadow and wetland soils on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Roles of USCγ and conventional methanotrophs","authors":"Yan Tong ,&nbsp;Jinchen Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaomeng Zhu,&nbsp;Hongan Pan,&nbsp;Yongcui Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and understanding its microbial uptake mechanisms in natural environments is crucial for mitigating its impact on global warming. This study investigated the role of atmospheric methanotrophs, particularly USCγ, in regulating methane oxidation in alpine meadow and wetland soils on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Soils were incubated under varying methane concentrations (2, 200, 900, 10,000, and 45,000 ppm) to assess the effects of soil type and methane concentration on oxidation potentials and methanotrophic community composition. Bacterial 16S rRNA and <em>pmoA</em> gene sequencing, quantitative PCR, and DNA-SIP techniques were employed to analyze the potentially active microbial populations. The results showed significant differences in methane oxidation potential between meadow and wetland soils. Higher methane concentrations correlated with increased oxidation potentials across all soil types. In meadow soils, USCγ was dominant at low methane concentrations, but its relative abundance decreased with increasing methane concentration, giving way to conventional methanotrophs like <em>Methylocystis</em> and <em>Methylobacter</em>. In contrast, these conventional methanotrophs dominated wetland soils regardless of methane concentration, with USCγ playing no detectable role. These findings highlight the critical role of USCγ in low-methane environments and demonstrate the shifting dominance of methanotrophic groups in response to methane availability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106104"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143885950","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":"Tree growth is linked to the diversity of belowground fungal functional guilds across nine Chinese fir plantations in subtropics","authors":"Feihua Zhou ,&nbsp;Hanshuo Zhang ,&nbsp;Hao Yang ,&nbsp;Sirong Wang ,&nbsp;Bingzhang Zou ,&nbsp;Luhong Zhou ,&nbsp;Zhi-Jie Yang ,&nbsp;Yong Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chinese fir (<em>Cunninghamia lanceolata</em>) is the principal tree species for planted forests in subtropical China. Yet, whether the growth of this tree is related to belowground fungal diversity and functional guilds remains unknown. In this study, both root- and soil-associated fungal functional guilds and their relationships with tree growth (basal area and increment) were investigated across nine Chinese fir stands. The results showed that significantly higher diversity of fungal guilds was observed in soil compared to root habitats (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). In root habitats, soil ammonium nitrogen content (NH₄⁺-N) and acid phosphatase (ACP) were identified as the primary drivers of saprotrophic and pathotrophic fungal diversity, respectively (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). Conversely, soil available phosphorus (AP) emerged as the strongest predictor of soil-associated saprotrophic and pathotrophic fungal diversity (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). Meanwhile, soil pH was the most significant determinant of symbiotrophic fungal diversity in both root and soil habitats, as well as fungal biomass in soil habitat (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). Moreover, the interplay between tree growth and fungal guilds or taxa was intricately mediated by soil properties and enzymatic activities. Taken together, our results provide novel evidences that the augmentation of soil AP content and pH could potentially alter the structure of soil fungal guilds and increase fungal biomass, ultimately correlating with tree growth, thereby offering valuable insights into the sustainable management strategies for Chinese fir plantations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 106149"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143885957","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}