soil metagenome Genome sequencing

Latitudinal and elevational diversity gradients are the fundamental concepts and hot topic in ecology and biogeography. As noted previously, plant and animal communities are most diverse at the lower portion of mountains with diversity typically decreasing at upper elevations. Although elevational patterns of diversity for plants and animals are well established, we know very little about how microbial diversity varies across elevational gradients. This is a serious gap in our general understanding of biodiversity, given that microbes are abundant and diverse, and play a central role in ecosystem functioning. The specific aims of this project are: (1) to explore the elevational patterns of soil microbial community in selected mid subtropical forests in southeastern China; (2) to elucidate whether the biogeographic patterns of soil microbial community are similar to that of plant community; (3) to reveal what environmental factors structure the elevational patterns of both communities.