Seasonal dynamics of microbial communities in rhizosphere and bulk soils of two temperate forests

Microbial communities play an important role in regulating soil carbon and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. Understanding the seasonal variations of soil microbial community diversity and composition in both rhizosphere and bulk soils is of great significance for further understanding the carbon and nutrient cycling in temperate forest ecosystems. Here we analyzed the seasonal dynamics of paired rhizosphere and bulk soil microbial community of two temperate forests (Betula platyphylla and Quercus wutaishanica) in Dongling Mountain, Beijing, using high-throughput sequencing based on the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform. Compared with bacteria, the difference of soil fungal diversity among seasons of the two temperate forests was more significant. Moreover, season (spring, summer, autumn and winter) and habitat (rhizosphere vs. bulk soil) had significant interaction effects on the composition of soil microbial communities. Concurrent with the variations in the diversity and composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities, the potential function of these microbial communities also changed significantly among seasons. These results are helpful in understanding the seasonal dynamics of soil microbial communities and their potential functioning in temperate forest ecosystems.