Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Abiotic versus biotic changes: What are the main drivers of peat carbon transformations under vascular plants?","authors":"Maria J.I. Briones ,&nbsp;Raquel Juan-Ovejero ,&nbsp;Javier Rodeiro ,&nbsp;Pablo Ramil-Rego ,&nbsp;Mark H. Garnett","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106443","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Peatland carbon (C) sink function is threatened by the concurrent changes in abiotic (temperature and moisture) and biotic (vegetation and soil biota community shifts) factors. We assessed the relative importance of microclimate and substrate quality gradients on the activity and vertical distribution of two crucial peat decomposers (enchytraeids and microorganisms) and their potential implications for C exports (CO₂ and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)) at three peatland habitats dominated by different vascular plant communities (sedge, grass, shrub). We studied this by turning intact peat blocks upside down and thus, reversing the substrate quality gradient but leaving the microclimate gradient along the peat profile intact. Our results revealed that the abiotic/biotic regulation on C dynamics in peatlands is habitat-dependent: (i) at the wettest (sedge-dominated) habitat, temperature was the main factor driving decomposition and only during the summer period CO₂ production was stimulated; (ii) at the grass habitat, the higher substrate quality prompted mesofaunal activities and caused the greatest C losses as DOC; (iii) at the driest (shrub-dominated) habitat, enhanced aerobic conditions led to a greater release of CO₂ to the atmosphere. These findings indicate that the two pathways of C losses are not linked and while warmer temperatures and oxygen availability have a significant stimulant effect on CO₂ emissions, DOC production was mainly driven by substrate quality, with plant-derived labile sources triggering bottom-up effects on decomposition. We suggest that the biotic control on the peatland C sink function must be central in model parameterisation for unravelling the fate of peatlands at global scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106443"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988835","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":"Delineating the foraging strategies for soil resources beyond the rooting zone of different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi upon co-inoculation","authors":"Anukool Vaishnav ,&nbsp;Petra Bukovská ,&nbsp;Hana Hršelová ,&nbsp;Jan Jansa","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106442","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106442","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are crucial components of terrestrial ecosystems, yet their basic ecology with respect to their co-existence within plant-dominated environment remains poorly understood. This study compared root colonization and foraging behaviors of five AMF isolates from four families (Acaulosporaceae, Gigasporaceae, Entrophosporaceae, and Glomeraceae) when inoculated together. Additionally, we examined their impact on plant growth and nutrient uptake. The rate of root colonization and foraging within root-free patches of various quality was assessed by measuring absolute and relative abundances of the different isolates using taxon-specific quantitative real-time PCR markers and amplicon (WANDA-AML2) sequencing. Notable differences were observed in the colonization patterns of roots and root-free patches among the different isolates. Most isolates from the Glomeraceae family, specifically <em>Rhizophagus irregularis</em> and <em>Funneliformis mosseae</em>, exhibited the highest rates of root colonization and actively foraged for nutrients in the root-free patches, yet differing in their preferences. In contrast, isolates from other families showed limited development, primarily restricted to the roots and rhizosphere. Inoculating <em>Andropogon gerardii</em> with the AMF significantly increased uptake of ¹⁵N-labeled nitrogen from chitin and clover patches and reduced overall N losses from experimental microcosms. Furthermore, microbiome profiling revealed that presence of extraradical AMF hyphae systematically elevated abundance of certain microbes (possibly the AMF-associated taxa) such as <em>Pseudoarthrobacter</em>, <em>Nocardioides</em>, and <em>Paraparentocirrus</em> across the different patches. This research suggests that the colonization strategies of AMF species vary significantly at the family level and are influenced by labor partitioning upon exploration of soil patches of different qualities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106442"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988836","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":"Divergent responses of abundant and rare archaeal taxa to spatial heterogeneity in coastal sandy soils","authors":"Taotao Wei ,&nbsp;Shuangtao Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaojuan Li ,&nbsp;Binwei Wu ,&nbsp;Qixin Lv ,&nbsp;Tingting Duan ,&nbsp;Hanzhou Li ,&nbsp;Shi-Xiao Luo ,&nbsp;Xin Qian","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Archaea play essential roles in nutrient biogeochemical cycling, ecosystem stability, and the regulation of key ecological processes. Despite their significance, most research has focused on extreme, localized habitats, leaving a gap in our understanding of archaeal community structures across broader coastal ecosystems. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to investigate archaeal communities in 12 coastal sandy soil sites along a latitudinal gradient spanning over 2000 km in China. Our findings revealed that Bray-Curtis similarity was negatively correlated with geographical distance, particularly for abundant taxa. Mean annual temperature (MAT), total phosphorus (TP), and pH were identified as the primary drivers of variation in archaeal community composition. A positive correlation between α-diversity and latitude was observed exclusively in abundant taxa, with available phosphorus (AP) emerging as the most significant environmental predictor. Community assembly processes differed between taxa: deterministic factors predominated in rare taxa, while stochastic processes governed abundant taxa. Notably, stochasticity in abundant taxa and determinism in rare taxa exhibited a positive correlation with latitude. Community assembly of abundant taxa correlated significantly with pH, salinity, total sulfur (TS), total nitrogen (TN), mean annual precipitation (MAP), electrical conductivity (EC), ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N), while rare taxa assembly was mainly linked to TN, total carbon (TC), MAT, MAP, and NO₃⁻-N. Co-occurrence network analyses revealed higher complexity in rare archaea but greater stability in abundant archaea. Latitude shaped these network patterns, with pH, TN, and organic carbon (OC) identified as the key driving factors. This study advances our understanding of archaeal biogeography and ecological adaptation across large-scale coastal ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106405"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144926273","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":"Seasonal and land-use impact on the stable isotopic signatures of termites","authors":"Beining Shi ,&nbsp;Jiayin Zheng ,&nbsp;Xiaohao Zhuang ,&nbsp;Yuanyuan Meng ,&nbsp;Mark Maraun ,&nbsp;Feng M. Cai ,&nbsp;Shengjie Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotopes are valuable tools for elucidating termite trophic positions within soil food webs. However, the impact of land-use changes on these signatures of termites has seldom been explored. Here, we collected termites (<em>Odontotermes mathuri</em>) and their food resources to assess the effects of season and land-use type on the stable isotopic signatures of termites. Land-use type significantly influenced the δ¹³C signatures of termites, particularly in workers. For termite δ¹⁵N signatures, we found significantly higher values during the dry season compared to the rainy season. Furthermore, δ¹⁵N values were significantly higher in monoculture rubber plantations and primary rainforest sites than in jungle rubber agroforests, representing different land-use types. These differences are likely attributed to seasonal and land-use driven changes in food sources and their nutritional quality. This was further validated by positive correlation between δ¹⁵N values of termites and their food resources (woody debris and litter). There was no significant difference between the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N signatures of termite soldiers and workers because the workers initiated trophallactic exchanges with soldiers. Our findings indicate that both season and land-use type influence termite δ¹⁵N signatures by altering the availability and composition of food resources. These results underscore the importance of incorporating stable isotope analyses in assessments of land-use change impacts on soil fauna and trophic interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106439"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144926367","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":"Exploring the interaction between vermicompost application and soil types on the dispersal of antibiotic resistome above- and belowground","authors":"Meirui Mu ,&nbsp;Keqiang Zhang ,&nbsp;Ming Yang ,&nbsp;Bingjun Han ,&nbsp;Yutao Sun ,&nbsp;Fengxia Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106423","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106423","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) enter the human body through raw edible vegetables, posing a growing threat to public health. However, the influence of vermicompost on ARG migration within soil–vegetable systems, along with its relationship to soil types, remains largely unexplored. Herein, a microcosm experiment was used to explore the migration of antibiotic resistome in soil-vegetable systems under vermicompost application with four typical types of soil, including black, brown, red, and chestnut, using leafy plants (<em>Lactuca sativa</em>) as a model. The results showed that vermicompost facilitated the disparity in ARGs and bacterial communities across different soil–vegetable systems, while soil type played a decisive role in determining the risk of ARG spread. Under vermicompost application, ARGs displayed the highest migration potential to leaf endophytes in red soil, with an exogenous bioaccumulation factor (EBAF) of 25.36. In brown soil, the EBAF of ARGs in leaf endophytes was only 12.21, while inhibiting the migration of ARGs to edible leaves. Vermicompost regulated ARG dispersal both above- and belowground across different soil types by increasing microbial interactions and increasing network complexity during community coalescence in the soil–vegetable system. This study highlighted the increased health risk associated with red soil compared to other soil types and identified brown soil as the most suitable for vermicompost application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106423"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144926364","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":"Direct root contact among neighboring plants influences activity of soil extracellular enzymes","authors":"Jin Ho Lee ,&nbsp;Kyungmin Kim ,&nbsp;Andrey K. Guber ,&nbsp;Maxwell Oerther ,&nbsp;Yakov Kuzyakov ,&nbsp;Alexandra N. Kravchenko","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106422","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106422","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Composition and diversity of vegetation systems can influence soil microbial activity and extracellular enzyme (EE) dynamics, which are crucial for soil carbon (C) accrual and nutrient cycling. Yet, the impact of plant interactions and competition on EE activities remains a notable knowledge gap. This study examines how direct root contact and neighboring plant identity affect the activity and spatial distribution of four key soil EEs: β-glucosidase (BGlu), chitinase, acid phosphatase (AcidP), and alkaline phosphatase (AlkP). Using three-compartment rhizoboxes with switchgrass (<em>Panicum virgatum</em> L.) grown alongside bush clover (<em>Lespedeza capitata</em> Michx.), and black-eyed Susan (<em>Rudbeckia hirta</em> L.), we assessed enzyme activities using zymography under conditions that either allowed or restricted direct root contact by root barriers. Results show that root proliferation and species interactions significantly influenced EE activity. While BGlu and AcidP activities were strongly correlated with root biomass, AlkP activity was consistently higher in the absence of root barriers, indicating a pronounced microbial response to plant interactions via direct/close root contacts. Additionally, soil phosphorus availability modulated enzyme activity, with higher phosphatase activities in low-P soils. These findings highlight the importance of root-root interactions and plant species composition in shaping soil biochemical processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106422"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922061","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 stand density on soil enzyme activities and microbial metabolic limitation in differently aged Robinia pseudoacacia Linnaeus plantations","authors":"Min Zhao ,&nbsp;Yunming Chen ,&nbsp;Yue Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106441","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106441","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil extracellular enzyme activity and microbial metabolism limitation, critical for forest ecosystem functions, are strongly influenced by stand density, yet their responses to stand density in differently aged plantations remain poorly understood. We investigated these dynamics in <em>Robinia pseudoacacia</em> Linnaeus plantations across three age classes (young, middle-aged, and near-mature) with three densities (low density, &lt; 1000 trees ha⁻¹; medium density, 1000–1500 trees ha⁻¹; high density, &gt;1500 trees ha⁻¹) in the loess hilly-gully region of northern Shaanxi Province, China. Increasing stand density elevated carbon (C)-acquiring enzyme activities and the enzyme C: nitrogen (N) ratio in young stands, but decreased them in middle-aged and near-mature stands. Young stands exhibited suppressed N- acquiring enzyme activities under denser stands. Conversely, in middle-aged stands, increasing stand density elevated N-acquiring enzyme activities and enzyme N: phosphorus (P) ratio. In near-mature stands, increasing stand density significantly elevated P-acquiring enzyme activities but decreased enzyme N:P ratio. Microbial metabolism was primarily N-limited across all stands. Hierarchical partitioning analysis showed that soil properties explained most of the variation in soil microbial metabolic C limitation (45.71 %) and N limitation (79.09 %). Partial least squares path model showed that soil organic C had the highest total negative effect on microbial C limitation (−0.47) and microbial N limitation (−0.64). Our findings suggested that increasing stand density decreased microbial C and N limitations in young and near-mature stands but intensified microbial C and N limitation in middle-aged stands. Soil organic C was the main factor affecting microbial metabolic limitation, with enhanced soil organic C levels mitigating microbial metabolic C limitation and exacerbating microbial metabolic N limitation. Therefore, there is a need to implement age-based stand density management strategies for plantations to decrease microbial metabolic limitation and hence improve soil nutrient availability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106441"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922131","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":"Humalite shapes the wheat rhizosphere soil microbiome by altering microbial community structure, diversity, and network stability","authors":"Pramod Rathor ,&nbsp;Chathuranga De Silva ,&nbsp;Rhea Amor Lumactud ,&nbsp;Linda Yuya Gorim ,&nbsp;Sylvie A. Quideau ,&nbsp;Malinda S. Thilakarathna","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The application of humic substances to enhance soil health and crop yield has gained considerable interest in recent years, mainly due to their organic origin and capacity to improve the physicochemical and biological properties of the soil. Humalite, a rich source of humic substances found in southern Alberta, Canada, is particularly valuable due to its low ash and heavy metal levels. Despite its agricultural potential, its effects on the soil microbiome have yet to be evaluated. This study utilized 16S rRNA gene and ITS2 region amplicon sequencing to examine bacterial and fungal communities in rhizosphere soil collected from wheat plants cultivated at five Humalite application rates (0, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 kg/ha) in combination with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) at recommended levels based on soil test under controlled greenhouse conditions. Results indicated that Humalite application influenced microbial community composition by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacterial (<em>Flavisolibacter</em>, <em>Gaiella</em>, <em>Geomonas</em> and <em>Sphingomonas</em>) and fungal (<em>Solicoccozyma</em>, <em>Clonostachys, Trichoderma</em>) genera while reducing pathogenic and harmful taxa (Bedellovibrionota and <em>Fusarium</em>). The Humalite application reduced bacterial diversity while increasing fungal diversity specifically at 800 and 1600 kg/ha, and increased the co-occurrence network stability. Notably, the abundance of various taxa involved in reducing N₂O emissions (Methylomirabilota, Gemmatimonadota, <em>Terrimonas</em>) was higher in Humalite-treated soils. Overall, Humalite application modulated rhizosphere microbial communities, enhancing beneficial taxa and network connectivity while suppressing pathogenic and harmful taxa. These changes suggest that Humalite creates a more balanced, resilient, and health-promoting soil microbiome.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106414"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922129","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":"Differences in temporal patterns of bacterial community assembly between soybean rhizosphere and endosphere","authors":"Ting Jin ,&nbsp;Shuanghui Wang ,&nbsp;Yong Wu ,&nbsp;Junyao Deng ,&nbsp;Xuanjing Li ,&nbsp;Yao Liu ,&nbsp;Jianli Zhang ,&nbsp;Wuxuan Li ,&nbsp;Gehong Wei ,&nbsp;Peng Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The two-step selection model is a widely accepted explanation of the mechanism of root-associated microbial communities. However, few studies have explained it from a time-series succession perspective. We analyzed the time-series succession patterns of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere and endosphere of soybeans using 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) sequencing. Rhizosphere selection showed temporal variation, with intensity increasing over time and leading to a decrease in the similarity between the rhizosphere and bulk soil communities from 0.42 to 0.17 during the first nine weeks. In contrast, endosphere selection was strong in the early stage but gradually weakening — with similarities between endosphere and bulk soil communities increasing from 0.10 to 0.12, and between endosphere and rhizosphere communities from 0.31 to 0.69. Predicted community functions also showed a gradient shift from bulk soil to rhizosphere and endosphere, further supporting the selection effect. The most representative functional taxa were those exhibiting chemoheterotrophy and aerobic chemoheterotrophy. Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) strongly associated with the growth stages, primarily from <em>Proteobacteria</em>, <em>Acidobacteria</em>, and <em>Actinobacteria</em>, showed decreasing abundance in the rhizosphere but increasing abundance in the endosphere. These results indicate that both rhizosphere selection and endosphere selection vary with plant growth. Rhizosphere selection is a gradually strengthening process dominated by inhibition, while endosphere selection is a gradually weakening process dominated by enrichment. The observed differences in temporal succession highlight distinct mechanisms of rhizosphere and endosphere selection, providing important insights into the two-step selection model.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106420"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922128","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":"Functional stratification of core and variable microbial taxa in the Codonopsis pilosula rhizosphere: Links to soil enzyme activity, nutrient cycling, and spatiotemporal dynamics","authors":"Ning Zhu ,&nbsp;Xinyi Liu ,&nbsp;Yumeng Zhou ,&nbsp;Feifan Leng ,&nbsp;Xiaopeng Guo ,&nbsp;Tianzhu Lei ,&nbsp;Jixiang Chen ,&nbsp;Wen Luo ,&nbsp;Yonggang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106435","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106435","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil microbial communities are crucial drivers of soil ecological functions, yet the distinct functional roles of core (consistently present), intermediate, and variable (conditionally present) microbial taxa remain largely unelucidated. This study investigated rhizosphere and endophytic microbial communities, soil multi-nutrient cycling (MNC), soil enzyme activity (SEA), and pH associated with the economically important crop <em>Codonopsis pilosula</em> across six diverse geographical sites and four seasons. We categorized microbial taxa by prevalence (core, intermediate, variable), and analyzed their co-occurrence networks. Results demonstrated that spatial variation primarily shaped fungal communities, while seasonal changes predominantly impacted bacterial communities. Rhizosphere networks were also more complex than endophytic networks. Our results revealed a clear functional stratification of these prevalence groups: core microbes, particularly in the rhizosphere, were strongly associated with foundational soil processes like enzyme activity and organic matter transformation, suggesting their role as a stable backbone for ecosystem functions. Conversely, intermediate and variable groups were more closely associated with specific physicochemical conditions, including pH and mineral nutrient status, highlighting their potential roles in environmental adaptation and specialized niche functions. These findings confirm a functional stratification within the root microbiome and offer a refined framework for developing targeted soil management strategies to enhance the sustainable cultivation of economically important perennial crops.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"215 ","pages":"Article 106435"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922132","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}