Variations in microbial community composition through two soil depth profiles

Soil profiles are often many meters deep, but with the majority of studies in soil microbiology focusing exclusively on the soil surface, we know very little about the nature of the microbial communities inhabiting the deeper soil horizons. We used phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis to examine the vertical distribution of specific microbial groups and to identify the patterns of microbial abundance and community-level diversity within the soil profile. Samples were collected from the soil surface down to 2 m in depth from two unsaturated Mollisol profiles located near Santa Barbara, CA, USA. While the densities of microorganisms were generally one to two orders of magnitude lower in the deeper horizons of both profiles than at the soil surface, approximately 35% of the total quantity of microbial biomass found in the top 2 m of soil is found below a depth of 25 cm. Principal components analysis of the PLFA signatures indicates that the composition of the soil microbial communities changes significantly with soil depth. The differentiation of microbial communities within the two profiles coincides with an overall decline in microbial diversity. The number of individual PLFAs detected in soil samples decreased by about a third from the soil surface down to 2 m. The ratios of cyclopropyl/monoenoic precursors and total saturated/total monounsaturated fatty acids increased with soil depth, suggesting that the microbes inhabiting the deeper soil horizons are more carbon limited than surface-dwelling microbes. Using PLFAs as biomarkers, we show that Gram-positive bacteria and actinomycetes tended to increase in proportional abundance with increasing soil depth, while the abundances of Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and protozoa were highest at the soil surface and substantially lower in the subsurface. The vertical distribution of these specific microbial groups can largely be attributed to the decline in carbon availability with soil depth.