Study of fungal and prokaryotic communities in a long-term nutrient optimised boreal spruce forest

Nutrient enhancements positively affect tree growth in boreal spruce forests, but effects on associated microbes are less known. Microbial communities of the mor layer, the fine roots and needles of a Norway spruce stand were studied over one growing season after treatment for five and 25 years with a complete mineral nutrient solution in comparison to a low nutrient site using 16S rRNA and ITS sequences to study, whether communities of bacteria and fungi can maintain high diversity and adapt in composition to the substrate changes.