Replacement of native vegetation alters the soil microbial structure in the Pampa biome

Abstract

Land use change is one of the the major factors related to soil degradation and alterations in soil microbial diversity and structure. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the microbial shifts caused by deforestation of a small area of a natural forest for the introduction of a pasture in the Brazilian Pampa. The microbial abundance and structure were evaluated by molecular approaches based on quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA). The microbial communities did not present significant quantitative differences, but the environmental impact caused by deforestation changed the structure of the bacterial and archaeal communities. Taking into account the percentage of shared OTUs (operational taxonomic units) of each domain evaluated, we concluded that the domain Bacteria were more influenced by the deforestation than the Archaea. A total of 22 % of bacterial OTUs and 50 % of the archaeal OTUs were shared between forest and grassland leading us to conclude that the environment evaluated presented a core microbial community that did not suffer modification caused by land use change.