CARD-FISH analysis of prokaryotic community composition and abundance along small-scale vegetation gradients in a dry arctic tundra ecosystem

摘要: The size and composition of soil microbial communities have important influences on terrestrial ecosystem processes such as decomposition. However, compared with studies aboveground plant communities, there are relatively few belowground their interactions vegetations in the arctic region. In this study, we conducted first investigation abundance prokaryotic along small-scale vegetation gradients (ca. 1–3 m) a dry tundra Northern Sweden using fluorescent situ hybridization (FISH) coupled catalyzed reporter deposition (CARD). number cells increased increasing cover gradients, mainly function amounts carbon moisture. Eubacteria Archaea constituted approximately 59.7% 33.4% DAPI-positive cells, respectively. Among analyzed bacterial phyla sub-phyla, Acidobacteria α-proteobacteria were most dominant groups, constituting 13.5% 10.7% Interestingly, community was unaffected by dramatic changes community. Multivariate analyses suggested that depended pH rather than vegetation. Surface plants weak predictors studied system is constrained water availability. addition, our study demonstrated CARD-FISH, which still rarely-used technique ecology, effective for quantifying microbes.