title: Pepino (Solanum muricatum) planting increased diversity and abundance of bacterial communities in karst area.
abstract: Soil nutrients and microbial communities are the two key factors in revegetation of barren environments. Ecological stoichiometry plays an important role in ecosystem function and limitation, but the relationships between above- and belowground stoichiometry and the bacterial communities in a typical karst region are poorly understood. We used pepino (Solanum muricatum) to examine the stoichiometric traits between soil and foliage, and determine diversity and abundance of bacteria in the karst soil. The soil had a relatively high pH, low fertility, and coarse texture. Foliar N:P ratio and the correlations with soil nitrogen and phosphorus suggested nitrogen limitation. The planting of pepino increased soil urease activity and decreased catalase activity. Higher diversity of bacteria was determined in the pepino rhizosphere than bulk soil using a next-generation, Illumina-based sequencing approach. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla in all samples, accounting for more than 80% of the reads. On a genus level, all 625 detected genera were found in all rhizosphere and bulk soils, and 63 genera showed significant differences among samples. Higher Shannon and Chao 1 indices in the rhizosphere than bulk soil indicated that planting of pepino increased diversity and abundance of bacterial communities in karst area.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biology, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jinxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biology, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biology, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaohua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biology, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhaopu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, School of Earth and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Zed
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rengel
mesh_terms: D061271:Acidobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D041963:Bacteroidetes / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D002374:Catalase / Q000737:chemistry; D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000235:genetics*; D009566:Nitrates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D058441:Rhizosphere; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D032322:Solanum / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D014510:Urease / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D010710:Phosphates; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012987:Soil; D002374:Catalase; D014510:Urease