Taxonomical and functional responses of microbial communities from forest soils of differing tree species diversity to drying-rewetting cycles

The predicted increases in drought many forest ecosystems may alter soil microbial community diversity and activity, which further depend on tree species richness. Shifts composition activity could engender changes ecosystem function, notably, greenhouse gas emissions C storage. Using soils from mono-specific mixed three-species stands across Europe, we performed a microcosm experiment to test how taxonomic catabolic are affected by repeated drying-rewetting (DRW) cycles mixing. We used Illumina sequencing MicroResp™ analyses explore community-level between functional groups. DRW decreased bacterial richness carbon substrate use increased fungal Shannon diversity. Additionally, communities exposed changed their consumption of 11 out 15 substrates significantly, suggesting shifts. legacy effect mixing influenced the structure (i.e. differential abundance) although, weighted mean (CWM) values absorptive root traits appeared affect more strongly richness, relative abundance, No significant mixing:DRW interaction was found for most variables, except certain potentially abundance. Our data laboratory with different underline that cause shifts diversity, while influences primarily through traits.