Scale-dependent soil microbial diversity patterns along an elevational gradient in an extreme environment Targeted Locus (Loci). soil metagenome

Various diversity gradients have been thoroughly explored, yet the patterns revealed are inconsistent, as the environmental variation along the gradients is complex, diversity patterns can be scale dependent, and the interaction of numerous biotic and abiotic factors can mask underlying generalities. Moreover, limited information exists regarding patterns of diversity in microbes, the group characterized by enormous metabolic and functional diversity, essential for ecosystem functioning. Sequencing whole-assemblage amplified 16S rRNA genes of bacteria, we investigated the diversity of soil communities along an elevational gradient in a simple and extreme environment in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Patterns of diversity were found to be highly scale dependent and influenced by a variety of factors.