Dissecting the changes in bacterial metaproteomics during primary succession in a retreating glacier form the Tibetan plateau

The data shows the transition of plant density soil nutrient (C, N, P, and S) availability, soil enzyme activity, respiration, organic matter decomposition, and different bacterial-nutrient cycling proteins along a forefield chronosequence. We observed that (1) soil nutrient availability increases with site age; (2) as the forefield ages, the proteins dominating the succession stages transition across functional groups; 3) increasing plant density is a key driver to the evolution of soil processes (soil edaphic factors), not the other way round; 4) along the succession stages, nutrient availability is primarily affected by bacterial respiration and organic matter decomposition; and 5) SOM decomposition and soil bacteria respiration rates directly increase with site age. We observed that plant colonization was the main driver of soil pH, enhancing KTBI and SBR nutrient availability, enzyme activity, and KTBI. Nutrient availability was directly influenced by nutrient-metabolizing proteins, plant density, KTBI, and SBR.