Bacterial community composition of mixed beech forest soils and seepage-mediated translocation from soil of the Hainich Critical Zone Exploratory

In this study we investigated the bacterial community structure in mixed beech forest soils and the vertically mobilized fraction in seepage in the Hainich region (Thuringia/Germany). Seepage was collected at two lysimeter plots with two replicates of each lysimeter depth (litter layer, 0 to 4 cm, 0 to 16 cm, and 0 to 30 cm). Corresponding soil samples were taken in three replicates at 5 cm and 10 cm depth nearby the lysimeters positions. Sequencing of samples was conducted four times in 2018 (February, May, July, and November). Community composition was assessed by amplicon sequencing using Illumina MiSeq, with the primer combination Bakt341F/Bakt785R for the bacterial 16S rRNA gene.