Soil fungal community composition drives forest-specific and seasonal dynamics of microbial carbon use efficiency in subalpine ecosystems

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtaf118

J Plant Ecol ›› Advance articles DOI:10.1093/jpe/rtaf118

Soil fungal community composition drives forest-specific and seasonal dynamics of microbial carbon use efficiency in subalpine ecosystems

Lulu Xie¹, Bo Tang¹, Xueyong Pang¹, Chunying Yin^1,*

¹Mountain Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province & Maoxian Mountain Ecosystem Research Station, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, P. R. China

^*Correspondence address:
Chunying Yin
Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, P. R. China
Email: yincy@cib.ac.cn; Tel: +86-28-82890515; Fax: +86-28-82890288

Online:2025-07-23 Published:2025-07-23
Supported by:
This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32071500, 32171756), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2024M753411), Liaoning Provincial Natural Science Foundation Program (1700210985490), the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF (GZC20232881).

土壤真菌群落组成驱动了亚高山森林生态系统微生物碳利用效率的树种和季节变化

Abstract

Abstract: Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE), a critical determinant of soil carbon cycling, exhibits spatiotemporal variations influenced by biotic and abiotic factors, however interplay between forest type, seasonality, and fungal community dynamics remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated CUE patterns, soil enzyme activities, and fungal functional guilds across coniferous (Picea asperata, Larix gmelinii) and broadleaved (Betula albosinensis, Quercus aquifolioides) forests in subalpine China during early-, mid-, and late-growing seasons. The CUE of coniferous forests exhibited pronounced seasonal declines (45% reduction in September vs. May–July), whereas broadleaved forests maintained stable. Forest type caused small changes in CUE across seasons, with broadleaved was higher than coniferous forests in late-growing season. Soil fungal community composition diverged significantly between forest types: symbiotroph (mainly ectomycorrhizal fungi) dominated in coniferous soils (58–81% relative abundance), correlating negatively with CUE, while saprotroph prevailed in broadleaved forests (21–43%), showing positive CUE associations. Co-occurrence network in broadleaved forests had higher modularity and connectivity than coniferous forests, indicating greater resistance to seasonal variations. Structural equation modelling identified fungal guilds, soil C:N ratio, enzyme investment as primary drivers of CUE variation, with fungal composition mediating 28% CUE variability. Our findings highlight the critical role of fungal functional traits in modulating microbial metabolic efficiency, and provide mechanistic insights for predicting soil carbon dynamics in forest ecosystems.

Key words: seasonal dynamic, symbiotic fungi, saprophytic fungi, soil enzyme activities, microbial biomass

摘要：
微生物碳利用效率(CUE)是土壤碳循环的关键决定因素，受生物和非生物因素的影响表现出时空变化规律，然而森林类型、季节和真菌群落动态对CUE的相互作用仍未可知。为此，本研究探讨了西南亚高山针叶林和阔叶林在生长季早、中和后期的CUE、土壤酶活性和真菌群落变化规律。结果表明，针叶林的CUE表现出明显的季节性下降(9月与5–7月相比减少了45%)，而阔叶林则保持稳定；在生长季节后期阔叶林的CUE高于针叶林。土壤真菌群落组成在森林类型之间存在显著差异，表现为共生营养(主要是外生菌根真菌)在针叶林土壤中占主导地位(相对丰度为58%–81%)，与CUE呈负相关，而阔叶林中腐生营养型占主导地位(21%–43%)，与CUE呈正相关。共现网络分析表明，阔叶林比针叶林具有更高的网络模块性和连通性，从而对季节变化的抵抗力更强。结构方程模型结果表明，真菌群落、土壤C:N比、酶投资是CUE变化的主要驱动因素，真菌组成介导了28%的CUE变异性。上述研究结果揭示了真菌功能特征在调节微生物代谢效率中的关键作用，并为预测森林生态系统中的土壤碳动态提供了机制见解。

关键词: 季节变化, 共生真菌, 腐生真菌, 土壤酶活性, 微生物生物量

Lulu Xie, Bo Tang, Xueyong Pang, Chunying Yin. Soil fungal community composition drives forest-specific and seasonal dynamics of microbial carbon use efficiency in subalpine ecosystems[J]. J Plant Ecol, DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf118.

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