Long-term nutrient inputs shift soil microbial functional profiles of phosphorus cycling in diverse agroecosystems

Microorganisms play an important role in soil phosphorus (P) cycling and regulation of P availability in agroecosystems. However, the responses of the functional and ecological traits of P-transformation microorganisms to long-term nutrient inputs are largely unknown. This study used metagenomics to investigate changes in the relative abundance of microbial P-transformation genes at four long-term experimental sites that received various inputs of N and P nutrients (up to 39 years). Long-term P input increased microbial P immobilization by decreasing the relative abundance of the P-starvation response gene (phoR) and increasing that of the low-affinity inorganic phosphate transporter gene (pit). This contrasts…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 41807033, 2018QNRC001, B17039, 41721001
• HE
  Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project

  Awards: 41721001, B17039
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

  Award: 2018QNRC001