Soil bacteria drive the pattern of tree regeneration by mediating spatial variation of soil nutrients

Abstract

Soil bacteria, by participating in the soil nutrient cycling process, directly or indirectly regulate tree regeneration and survival. We established a 1-ha plot in the mixed forest of Picea asperata and Larix principis-rupprechtii and conducted a location-based survey of the regeneration seedlings, combining with collecting soil samples from 75 sampling points. The results showed that (1) Regeneration seedlings (n=275) showed a patchy distribution, with density decreasing across height classes and smaller seedlings aggregating over shorter distances. As the scale increasing, the distribution pattern tends to become random; (2) Soil bacteria and nutrients also exhibited spatial heterogeneity and primarily shaped by structural spatial factors (range: 8.4–17.1 m); (3) Bacterial effects on tree regeneration were indirect by mediating through changes in soil nutrient availability (pc=0.28). Specifically, bacteria competed with seedlings for beneficial macronutrients (pc=1.19*, –0.85*) but mitigated toxicity by absorbing harmful micronutrients (pc=–0.48*, –0.75*). These findings highlight the role of bacteria-mediated nutrient dynamics in shaping regeneration patterns in warm-temperate mixed forests.

Keywords

Mixed forest / Tree regeneration / Soil bacteria / Soil nutrients

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