Soil pH controls the structure and diversity of bacterial communities along elevational gradients on Huangshan, China

Acquiring knowledge of the patterns of soil microbial diversity along elevational gradients and the driving factors of these patterns is important for understanding the dynamics of global nutrient elements. In this study, we analyzed the soil bacterial community composition and diversity using Illumina high-throughput sequencing along an elevational gradient from 670 to 1780 m on Huangshan including 6 vegetation types from base to summit. We found that the dominant phyla were Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi, accounting for more than 75 % of the sequences. We observed significant variation in soil bacterial community composition across different elevations (ANOSIM P = 0.001). In addition, the soil bacterial diversity increased with increasing elevation from 875 m to 1165 m and decreased with increasing elevation from 1280 m to 1370 m, showing a humpbacked relationship with elevations. Soil pH had the strongest effect on bacterial community composition. In conclusion, soil properties, especially soil pH was the primary factor controlling the elevational distribution of soil bacterial communities on Huangshan.