Efeitos da diversidade arbórea sobre a composição da comunidade microbiana e emissão de gases do efeito estufa no solo da Mata Atlântica em estágio inicial de restauração

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest, although rich in diversity, is one of the most degraded biomes in Brazil. Ecological restoration mitigates the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as climate regulation. Soil microbial communities are vital for forest functioning, maintaining biogeochemical cycles. Studies in restoration ecology that go beyond aboveground productivity are scarce, especially in tropical regions. Recent research on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning (BEF) suggests that tree species diversity promotes the active and diverse development of soil microbial communities over time. This study aimed to understand how tree diversity influences ecosystem functions, microbial diversity, and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. Within the BEF-Atlantic project (MG, Brazil), with a gradient of 1 to 24 tree species, it evaluated soil microbial composition and GHG (CO2 and CH4) fluxes at six and eighteen months after planting. The results showed a gradual and increasing shift, initially moving from a selection effect towards a gradual stabilization of complementarity. The shift from oligotrophic to copiotrophic bacteria marked this change, mainly influenced by tree species identity, soil nutrition, the quality and quantity of organic matter, and abiotic soil conditions. Gas fluxes showed variations driven by environmental and abiotic soil conditions, remaining decoupled from the microbial community composition. The stabilization time of the soil-microbiota-plant system is essential to observe structural changes aimed at a complementarity effect. We concluded that the microbial community responded quickly to signs of complementarity effect through changes in soil quality and the enhancement of the microbial community.