Land-Use Change and Management Intensification Is Associated with Shifts in Composition of Soil Microbial Communities and Their Functional Diversity in Coffee Agroecosystems

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) 2022-08, Vol.10 (9), p.1763
• Main Authors: Carrasco-Espinosa, Karen, Avitia, Morena, Barrón-Sandoval, Alberto, Abbruzzini, Thalita F., Salazar Cabrera, Ulises Isaac, Arroyo-Lambaer, Denise, Uscanga, Adriana, Campo, Julio, Benítez, Mariana, Wegier, Ana, Rosell, Julieta A., Reverchon, Frédérique, Hernández, Gerardo, Boege, Karina, Escalante, Ana E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural ecosystems; Biological diversity; Carbon; Carbon sources; carbon utilization; Coffee; Composition; Ecosystems; Environmental aspects; Fertilizers; Genetic testing; Hypotheses; Land use; Land use management; land-use change; management intensity; Mexico; Microbial activity; Microorganisms; Mineralization; Multivariate analysis; Parameter identification; Pesticides; Precipitation; Soil fertility; soil microbial communities; Soil microbiology; Soil microorganisms; Soil properties; Soil research; Sustainability management; Testing laboratories; Variance analysis; Vegetation
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10091763

Despite the central role of microorganisms in soil fertility, little understanding exists regarding the impact of management practices and soil microbial diversity on soil processes. Strong correlations among soil microbial composition, management practices, and microbially mediated processes have been previously shown. However, limited integration of the different parameters has hindered our understanding of agroecosystem functioning. Multivariate analyses of these systems allow simultaneous evaluation of the parameters and can lead to hypotheses on the microbial groups involved in specific nutrient transformations. In the present study, using a multivariate approach, we investigated the effect of microbial composition (16SrDNA sequencing) and soil properties in carbon mineralization (CMIN) (BIOLOG™, Hayward, CA, USA) across different management categories on coffee agroecosystems in Mexico. Results showed that (i) changes in soil physicochemical variables were related to management, not to region, (ii) microbial composition was associated with changes in management intensity, (iii) specific bacterial groups were associated with different management categories, and (iv) there was a broader utilization range of carbon sources in non-managed plots. The identification of specific bacterial groups, management practices, and soil parameters, and their correlation with the utilization range of carbon sources, presents the possibility to experimentally test hypotheses on the interplay of all these components and further our understanding of agroecosystem functioning and sustainable management.