AUTHOR=Granada Camille E. , Vargas Luciano Kayser , Lisboa Bruno Brito , Giongo Adriana , Martinho Caroline Thais , Pereira Leandro de M. , de Oliveira Rafael R. , Bruxel Fernanda , de Freitas Elisete Maria , Passaglia Luciane M. P. 

TITLE=Bacterial and Archaeal Communities Change With Intensity of Vegetation Coverage in Arenized Soils From the Pampa Biome

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00497

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.00497

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Arenization occurs in regions that present sandy soils with normal rainfall levels. Predatory use of environmental sources, the dissolution of arenitic rocks and reworking of non-consolidated surface sands intensify this degradation scenario. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the impact of the arenization process in the Brazilian Pampa Biome and how this phenomenon affects the soil microbial and plant communities. For this purpose, three arenized areas in Southern Brazil (Pampa Biome) were selected and, in each one, three sampling points were studied: arenized (ARA), arenized to grassland transition (AGT), and grassland (GRA) areas. In the three sampling points, soils presented low levels of nutrients, organic matter, mud and pH acidic in all regions but, the presence of vegetation coverage in AGT and GRA areas preserved the topsoil structure. Our study related ARA with bacterial families <italic>Alcaligenaceae</italic>, <italic>Pseudomonadaceae</italic>, and <italic>Xanthomonadaceae</italic>. AGT with bacterial families <italic>Bacillaceae</italic> and <italic>Burkholderiaceae</italic>, and plant species <italic>Melinis repens</italic> (Willd.) Zizka and <italic>Paspalum stellatum</italic> Humb. and Bonpl. ex Flüggé, and GRA with bacterial families <italic>Koribacteraceae</italic>, <italic>Hyphomicrobiaceae</italic>, and <italic>Chthoniobacteraceae</italic>, and plant species <italic>Croton subpannosus</italic> Müll.Arg. ex Griseb., <italic>Piptochaetium montevidense</italic> (Spreng.) Parodi and <italic>Elyonurus</italic> sp. The three studied areas (as well as sampling points) present soils extremely poor in nutrients with sandy texture, and the bacterial and plant composition well known to be resistant to environmental stresses were dominant. The vulnerability of these areas causes a degradation scenario, which is worsened by agricultural activities. However, in general, this phenomenon is a natural process that occurs mainly due to soil characteristics (poor soils) and climatic variations.</p>