The microbial network exhibits higher complexity in the rhizosphere than in bulk soils along elevational gradients in the alpine forests (PRJCA033842)

The soil microbial network complexity plays an integral role in ecosystem multifunctionality such as nutrient cycling, soil organic carbon pool and plant productivity. Nevertheless, the manner in which microbial network complexity, particularly within the rhizosphere region, responds to variable environments in the alpine forests with high symbiosis of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi remains largely uncharted territory. In this study, we investigated the soil network complexity in bulk and rhizosphere soils in two alpine coniferous forests along two elevation gradients on the eastern Tibetan Plateau