Abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea in a Sweden boreal forest soil under 19-year fertilization and 12-year warming

Abstract

Purpose: Boreal forests are considered to be more sensitive to global climate change compared with other terrestrial ecosystems, but the long-term impact of climate change and forest management on soil microbial functional diversity is not well understood. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are the most important players in nitrogen (N) cycling-associated processes in terrestrial ecosystems. This study investigated the separate and combined impacts of long-term soil warming and fertilization on soil AOB and AOA community structures and abundances in a Norway spruce stand in northern Sweden. Materials and methods: The soil-warming experiment was established in the buffer zones..