Study of microenvironmental effects on soil microbial diversity across different land uses

Soil microbial biodiversity is the driving force behind several soil processes that play a key role in nature's contributions to people, and it is highly affected by land use change. Although there is growing interest in developing soil quality indicators based on soil microbial biodiversity, little is known about how soil microbial communities vary within micro-environmental gradients (soil depth, spatial distance, heterogeneity) across different land uses, which is critical for designing field sampling protocols. The study's goal was to assess soil depth and spatial patterns of soil microbial community variability under different land uses derived from native forest in Patagonia, Argentina. This knowledge is key to designing field sampling protocols for adequate monitoring of soil biodiversity.