Forest-to-pasture conversion and recovery based on assessment of microbial communities in Eastern Amazon rainforest

Author(s)

Pedrinho, Alexandre ^[1] ; Mendes, Lucas William ^[1] ; Merloti, Luis Fernando ^[1] ; da Fonseca, Mariley de Cassia ^[1] ; Cannavan, Fabiana de Souza ^[1] ; Tsai, Siu Mui ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Cell & Mol Biol Lab, Ctr Nucl Energy Agr CENA, Ave Centenario 303, BR-13416000 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY; v. 95, n. 3 MAR 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Amazon rainforest has been subjected to particularly high rates of deforestation caused mainly by the expansion of cattle pasture and agriculture. A commonly observed response to land-use change is a negative impact on biodiversity of plant and animal species. However, its effect on the soil microbial community and ecosystem functioning is still poorly understood. Here, we used a DNA metagenomic sequencing approach to investigate the impact of land-use change on soil microbial community composition and its potential functions in three land-use systems (primary forest, pasture and secondary forest) in the Amazon region. In general, the microbial community structure was influenced by changes in soil physicochemical properties. Aluminum and water-holding capacity significantly correlated to overall community structure and most of microbial phyla. Taxonomic changes were followed by potential functional changes in the soil microbial community, with pasture presenting the most distinct profile in comparison with other sites. Although taxonomic structure was very distinct among sites, we observed a recovery of the potential functions in secondary forest after pasture abandonment. Our findings elucidate a significant shift in belowground microbial taxonomic and potential functional diversity following natural forest re-establishment and have implications for ecological restoration programs in tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/16757-4 - Insights into the effect of forest-to-pasture conversion and soil moisture on N2O emission and denitrifying community
• Grantee: Alexandre Pedrinho
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• FAPESP's process: 14/50320-4 - Dimensions US-BIOTA - São Paulo: collaborative research: integrating dimensions of microbial biodiversity across land use change in tropical forests
• Grantee: Tsai Siu Mui
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants