The soil microbiome is highly diverse and microbial community members have key roles in nutrient cycling and carbon storage. Bahram, Hildebrand et al. used metagenomics and metabarcoding of topsoil samples to analyse the global distribution patterns and functional gene repertoires of soil microorganisms. They found opposing biogeographic trends for bacteria and fungi based on contrasting diversity patterns and functions across the latitudinal gradient. Environmental variables and niche differentiation determined soil microbial composition, and the global distributions of soil bacteria and fungi strongly associated with soil pH and precipitation, respectively. Moreover, bacterial antibiotic-resistance genes associated with the relative abundance of fungi, which suggests that in addition to environmental factors, inter-kingdom interactions between bacteria and fungi also shape microbial soil communities.
References
Original article
Bahram, M., Hildebrand, F. et al. Structure and function of the global topsoil microbiome. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0386-6 (2018)
Further reading
Fierer, N. Embracing the unknown: disentangling the complexities of the soil microbiome. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 15, 579–590 (2017)
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Du Toit, A. Layers of complexity in the ground. Nat Rev Microbiol 16, 582 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-018-0072-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-018-0072-6