Coastal sand dunes distributed vegetation following with distance from the shoreline. Such small-scale heterogeneity potentially links soil environmental conditions and thus interacts with belowground ecosystems. This study focused on factors controlling soil microbial community structures in different vegetation types in Tottori sand dunes.
We collected soil samples from four adjacent vegetation types: Vitex rotundifolia (Plot 1), mixed area of Vitex rotundifolia and Artemisia capillaris (Plot 3), and Pinus thunbergii trees (Plot 4), and bare soil surrounded by Vitex rotundifolia (Plot 2), with three depths (0-10, 10-20, 20-30 cm). The distance from Plot 1 to Plot 4 was within 100 m and along with the shoreline.
The soil pH, C, and N content were associated with both bacterial and fungal communities; no relationship was found with EC or inorganic N content in soils. We also conducted indicator species analysis to identify soil microbial community association among vegetation types. Those indicator ASVs detected were characterized mainly by the phylum Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria for bacteria, and Ascomycota and Basidiomycota for fungi. In particular, the bacterial ASVs detected did not associate with two or three vegetation types, suggesting that each sampling site has a unique microbial community.