Linking microbial co‐occurrences to soil ecological processes across a woodland‐grassland ecotone

Summary

This field study used network analysis and geostatistical methods to characterise soil microbial communities across a woodland-grassland ecotone, revealing that microbial co-occurrences reflect distinct soil ecological processes between habitat types. Woodland sites showed higher archaeal diversity whilst grassland sites showed higher bacterial diversity; bacterial ammonia oxidisers dominated nitrification pathways, and soil carbon and nitrogen were identified as key determinants of keystone taxon abundance. The findings demonstrate that ecotones provide valuable model systems for understanding how microbial community structure relates to ecosystem function across contrasting land uses.

UK applicability

These findings are relevant to understanding soil health dynamics in UK woodland-grassland margins and agroforestry systems, though the specific ecotone studied and its edaphic conditions should be confirmed to assess direct transferability to UK conditions. The methodological framework for linking microbial networks to soil processes could inform monitoring strategies for soil health in UK mixed farming and land-use transition zones.

Key measures

Microbial community composition (archaea, bacteria, fungi OTUs); spatial patterns via kriging; co-occurrence network analysis; soil properties (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus); enzyme activities (phosphatase, lignolytic enzymes); potential nitrification rates; Random Forest importance ranking of keystone taxa

Outcomes reported

The study characterised spatial patterns, composition, and co-occurrences of archaea, bacteria, and fungi across a woodland-grassland ecotone, and linked microbial network associations to specific soil ecological processes including nitrification and phosphorus cycling.

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