Microbial diversity in soil and rhizosphere along an elevational gradient in Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain)

Microorganisms are present in all ecosystems, are involved in all known biogeochemical processes, and are enormously important for animal and plant health. Given their importance in the biosphere it would be desirable to obtain a better understanding of the effect exerted by the climate on microbial communities, especially those in the soil and in the rhizosphere. To achieve this goal, the biodiversity of microbial communities was studied by sequencing 16S rRNA gene and ITS amplicon libraries from soil and wild thyme rhizosphere samples taken along an elevational gradient in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in southern Spain.