Bacteria in semi-arid gypsum soils. Gypsum soil bacteria

We examined the distribution of bacterial taxa and traits in semi-arid Mediterranean gypsum soils to infer processes underlying the community assembly of soil bacteria. Particularly, we pyrosequenced a phylogenetic marker (16S rRNA gene) to identify bacterial taxa in plant patches (n = 15) and adjacent open spaces (n = 13). A total 24,486 sequencing reads were grouped into 3290 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) defined at 97 % sequence identity. The presence or absence of ten functional traits potentially relevant for the survival in either landscape component (plant patch vs. gap) were coded for each OTU based on a literature search. Soil samples were characterised using 11 physical and chemical variables.