Changes in bacterial community structure and carbon metabolism in sandy soil under the long-term application of chitin-rich organic material and attapulgite

Chitin-rich organic material and attapulgite have been widely used as efficient amendments for improving crop growth based on their rich nutrient contents and unique structures. However, their effects on soil properties, the microbial community, and microbial functions are poorly understood. Therefore, a 4-year field experiment featuring amendment with chitin-rich organic material and attapulgite was conducted to monitor their impacts on soil biological, chemical and physical properties, and especially to investigate the changes in the microbial community structure and function using amplicons (16S and ITS) and metagenomic sequencing.