Limited effects of depth (0–80 cm) on communities of archaea, bacteria and fungi in paddy soil profiles

Abstract

Most current microbial studies in paddy soils have focused on the top (0–20 cm) layer where rice roots are concentrated. To better understand the vertical distribution of microorganisms in paddy soils, we investigated the abundances, diversities and community compositions of archaea, bacteria and fungi in six geographically and climatically distinct paddy soil profiles from 0–80-cm depth. Although microbial abundances and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) diversities largely decreased with soil depth, only the community composition of archaea (not bacteria or fungi) was associated with soil depth, echoing that only one archaeal OTU, but no bacterial or fungal OTUs, differed significantly in r..