Variation in soil microbial networks and biogeochemical cycles in the Yalu river Estuary wetland

Abstract Background Soil microorganisms are crucial in wetlands, with their communities, networks, and functional genes differing by soil type. However, little research has explored these variations and their influencing factors across different wetland soils. Results In this study, Significant differences were found in the relative abundance of major archaea and the Shannon diversity index for both bacteria and archaea across across five soil types—shoal, bog, paddy, meadow, and brown-forest soils—in the Yalu River estuary wetland ( P < 0.05). The bacterial network in bog soil exhibits greater stability, whereas the archaeal network in paddy soil demonstrates increased complexity. Analysis of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Sulfur cycle pathways using the DiTing database revealed differences in soil types and gene abundances for each pathway. Sankey diagram indicated that key microorganisms in these cycles include Proteobacteria, Euryarchaeota, Crenarchaeota, Thaumarchaeota, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. RDA highlighted soil organic carbon and total phosphorus as key factors influencing bacteria and archaea, respectively, with total phosphorus playing a vital role in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. PLS-PM showed that soil factors significantly affect archaea diversity and the related cycles, but have a minor impact on bacterial and archaeal networks. Conclusion Metagenomic sequencing, the Redundancy Analysis (RDA), and the Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) analysis suggest that vriation in soil microbial networks and biogeochemical cycles are crucial for conserving and sustainably managing the Yalu River estuary wetland ecosystem.