title: Towards the development of multifunctional molecular indicators combining soil biogeochemical and microbiological variables to predict the ecological integrity of silvicultural practices.
abstract: The impact of mechanical site preparation (MSP) on soil biogeochemical structure in young larch plantations was investigated. Soil samples were collected in replicated plots comprising simple trenching, double trenching, mounding and inverting site preparation. Unlogged natural mixed forest areas were used as a reference. Analysis of soil nutrients, abundance of bacteria and gas exchanges unveiled no significant difference among the plots. However, inverting site preparation resulted in higher variations of gas exchanges when compared with trenching, mounding and unlogged natural forest. A combination of the biological and physicochemical variables was used to define a multifunctional classification of the soil samples into four distinct groups categorized as a function of their deviation from baseline ecological conditions. According to this classification model, simple trenching was the approach that represented the lowest ecological risk potential at the microsite level. No relationship was observed between MSP method and soil bacterial community structure as assessed by high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene; however, indicator genotypes were identified for each multifunctional soil class. This is the first identification of multifunctional molecular indicators for baseline and disturbed ecological conditions in soil, demonstrating the potential of applied microbial ecology to guide silvicultural practices and ecological risk assessment.
authors: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, Canada, H7V 1B7.
authors: Vincent
authors: V
authors: Peck
authors: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, Canada, H7V 1B7.
authors: Liliana
authors: L
authors: Quiza
authors: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, Canada, H7V 1B7.
authors: Jean-Philippe
authors: JP
authors: Buffet
authors: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, Canada, H7V 1B7.
authors: Mondher
authors: M
authors: Khdhiri
authors: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, Canada, H7V 1B7.
authors: Audrey-Anne
authors: AA
authors: Durand
authors: Centre d'étude de la forêt, Université du Québec à Montréal, Case postale 8888, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8.
authors: Alain
authors: A
authors: Paquette
authors: Centre d'étude de la forêt, Université du Québec à Montréal, Case postale 8888, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8.|Direction de la recherche forestière, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 2700 Einstein, Québec, Québec, Canada, G1P 3W8.
authors: Nelson
authors: N
authors: Thiffault
authors: Centre d'étude de la forêt, Université du Québec à Montréal, Case postale 8888, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8.|Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée (ISFORT), Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), 58 rue Principale, Ripon, Québec, Canada, J0V 1V0.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Messier
authors: Produits Forestiers Résolu, 2419 Route 155 sud, La Tuque, Québec, Canada, G9X 3N8.
authors: Nadyre
authors: N
authors: Beaulieu
authors: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, Canada, H7V 1B7.
authors: Claude
authors: C
authors: Guertin
authors: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, Canada, H7V 1B7.
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Constant
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D058448:Biota; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012987:Soil