Effect of passive restoration on soil bacterial communities and factors associated in the major terrestrial biomes

Abstract

Passive restauration is a common strategy for the recovery of the structure and functionality of forests throughout the world. The degree to which this has occurred is usually evaluated through the study of the plant and animal species present, and soil properties, while little attention has been paid to changes in the communities of soil microorganisms. In order to elucidate the influence of passive restoration in different terrestrial biomes on soil bacteria communities, microbial biomass, and the physical and chemical properties of soil, the present study undertook a meta-analysis of 82 articles to answer the following questions: (i) Does the resilience of soil microbiota and the physical and chemical properties of the soil after of a passive restoration process vary among terrestrial biomes? (ii) What are the levels of soil microbiota and the physical-chemical properties of restored forest compared with primary forest, within the different biomes? (iii) What are the most important soil properties contributing to the change on soil microbial biomass abundance in the passive restoration process? Our results showed that, in some biomes, the levels of soil properties, microbial biomass, and bacterial communities increased during the passive restoration process, but, even if the factors driving forest degradation are removed, the soil may not return to its original state. Moreover, we found that there are only moderate correlations between microbial C and N response ratios (RR) and SOC RR, in this restoration process.