Cross-biome metagenomic analyses of soil microbial communities and their functional attributes

For centuries ecologists have studied how the diversity and functional traits of plant and animal communities vary across biomes. In contrast, we have only just begun exploring similar questions for soil microbial communities despite soil microbes being the dominant engines of biogeochemical cycles and a major pool of living biomass in terrestrial ecosystems. We used metagenomic sequencing to compare the composition and functional attributes of 16 soil microbial communities collected from cold deserts, hot deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundra. Those communities found in plant-free cold desert soils typically had the lowest levels of functional diversity (diversity of protein-coding gene categories) and the…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: DEB-0953331, 0423595, 0953331, DE-AC02-06CH11357
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Awards: AC02-06CH11357, DE-AC02, 06CH11357, DE-AC02-06CH11357, DE-AC02-