TY - JOUR
T1 - Structure and function of the global topsoil microbiome
AU - Bahram, Mohammad
AU - Hildebrand, Falk
AU - Forslund, Sofia K.
AU - Anderson, Jennifer L.
AU - Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A.
AU - Bodegom, Peter M.
AU - Bengtsson-Palme, Johan
AU - Anslan, Sten
AU - Coelho, Luis Pedro
AU - Harend, Helery
AU - Huerta-Cepas, Jaime
AU - Medema, Marnix H.
AU - Maltz, Mia R.
AU - Mundra, Sunil
AU - Olsson, Pål Axel
AU - Pent, Mari
AU - Põlme, Sergei
AU - Sunagawa, Shinichi
AU - Ryberg, Martin
AU - Tedersoo, Leho
AU - Bork, Peer
PY - 2018/8/1
Y1 - 2018/8/1
N2 - Soils harbour some of the most diverse microbiomes on Earth and are essential for both nutrient cycling and carbon storage. To understand soil functioning, it is necessary to model the global distribution patterns and functional gene repertoires of soil microorganisms, as well as the biotic and environmental associations between the diversity and structure of both bacterial and fungal soil communities1–4. Here we show, by leveraging metagenomics and metabarcoding of global topsoil samples (189 sites, 7,560 subsamples), that bacterial, but not fungal, genetic diversity is highest in temperate habitats and that microbial gene composition varies more strongly with environmental variables than with geographic distance. We demonstrate that fungi and bacteria show global niche differentiation that is associated with contrasting diversity responses to precipitation and soil pH. Furthermore, we provide evidence for strong bacterial–fungal antagonism, inferred from antibiotic-resistance genes, in topsoil and ocean habitats, indicating the substantial role of biotic interactions in shaping microbial communities. Our results suggest that both competition and environmental filtering affect the abundance, composition and encoded gene functions of bacterial and fungal communities, indicating that the relative contributions of these microorganisms to global nutrient cycling varies spatially.
AB - Soils harbour some of the most diverse microbiomes on Earth and are essential for both nutrient cycling and carbon storage. To understand soil functioning, it is necessary to model the global distribution patterns and functional gene repertoires of soil microorganisms, as well as the biotic and environmental associations between the diversity and structure of both bacterial and fungal soil communities1–4. Here we show, by leveraging metagenomics and metabarcoding of global topsoil samples (189 sites, 7,560 subsamples), that bacterial, but not fungal, genetic diversity is highest in temperate habitats and that microbial gene composition varies more strongly with environmental variables than with geographic distance. We demonstrate that fungi and bacteria show global niche differentiation that is associated with contrasting diversity responses to precipitation and soil pH. Furthermore, we provide evidence for strong bacterial–fungal antagonism, inferred from antibiotic-resistance genes, in topsoil and ocean habitats, indicating the substantial role of biotic interactions in shaping microbial communities. Our results suggest that both competition and environmental filtering affect the abundance, composition and encoded gene functions of bacterial and fungal communities, indicating that the relative contributions of these microorganisms to global nutrient cycling varies spatially.
U2 - 10.1038/s41586-018-0386-6
DO - 10.1038/s41586-018-0386-6
M3 - Letter
AN - SCOPUS:85051166064
SN - 0028-0836
VL - 560
SP - 233
EP - 237
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
IS - 7717
ER -