Effects of cultivation of herbaceous perennials on soil microbial community structure and nitrogen cycling functions
- 1College of Landscape Architecture, Changchun University , ,
- 2Agronomy College, Jilin Agricultural University , ,
Abstract
This study aimed to elucidate the impacts of cultivating different herbaceous perennials on the rhizosphere microenvironment, nitrogen-cycling microbial communities, and functional genes in black soils of urban green spaces in Northeast China, thereby providing a scientific basis for rational urban plant configuration and interspecific differences in soil nutrient cycling. Focusing on five commonly utilized herbaceous perennials in Changchun ( Lycopus lucidus [P-LL], Salvia japonica [P-SJ], Hemerocallis fulva [P-HF], Hosta ensata [P-HE], and Pseudolysimachion spicatum [P-PS]), this study integrated conventional physicochemical analyses, metagenomic sequencing, co-occurrence networks, and Random Forest modeling to analyze rhizosphere soil nutrient profiles, nitrogen-cycling microbial community structures, and key functional gene abundances after two years of continuous cultivation. Different floral treatments significantly altered rhizosphere nutrient status and microbial community composition. The P-LL treatment exhibited relatively higher contents of total nitrogen (TN), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN), available phosphorus, and available potassium, demonstrating a high-level soil multifunctionality index (SMI). The P-PS treatment showed higher available nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen but lower SMBN, accompanied by a higher relative abundance of Actinomycetota and the assembly of a microbial co-occurrence network with enhanced connectivity and robustness, indicating a potent organic nitrogen mineralization potential in its rhizosphere. The composition of nitrogen-cycling genes remained broadly stable across treatments, dominated by ammonia assimilation genes ( glnA and gltB ), with a relatively low abundance of denitrification genes ( nirK ). Multivariate and Random Forest analyses revealed that SMBN exerted the strongest positive regulatory effect on nitrogen-sensing genes (e.g., ntrY and ntrX ), whereas TN, nitrate nitrogen (NO ₃ ⁻ -N), and available potassium (AK) emerged as the paramount direct drivers determining the abundance variations of core ammonia assimilation genes. Different herbaceous perennials shaped species-specific rhizosphere nutrient and microbial functional profiles. P-LL and P-PS exhibited superior comprehensive nutrient traits and potential nitrogen mineralization characteristics, respectively, making them excellent candidate species for urban green space configuration and future mixed-planting trials in cold regions.
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BibTeX
@article{bian2026effects,
title = {{Effects of cultivation of herbaceous perennials on soil microbial community structure and nitrogen cycling functions}},
author = {Pushun Bian and Bo Han and Haifeng Zhu and Yu Zhou and Zexin Qi and Wei Gao and Yisen Wang and Nuo Chen},
journal = {Frontiers in plant science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1961532},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672543},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of cultivation of herbaceous perennials on soil microbial community structure and nitrogen cycling functions
AU - Pushun Bian
AU - Bo Han
AU - Haifeng Zhu
AU - Yu Zhou
AU - Zexin Qi
AU - Wei Gao
AU - Yisen Wang
AU - Nuo Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Frontiers in plant science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1961532
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672543
AB - This study aimed to elucidate the impacts of cultivating different herbaceous perennials on the rhizosphere microenvironment, nitrogen-cycling microbial communities, and functional genes in black soils of urban green spaces in Northeast China, thereby providing a scientific basis for rational urban plant configuration and interspecific differences in soil nutrient cycling. Focusing on five commonly utilized herbaceous perennials in Changchun ( Lycopus lucidus [P-LL], Salvia japonica [P-SJ], Hemerocallis fulva [P-HF], Hosta ensata [P-HE], and Pseudolysimachion spicatum [P-PS]), this study integrated conventional physicochemical analyses, metagenomic sequencing, co-occurrence networks, and Random Forest modeling to analyze rhizosphere soil nutrient profiles, nitrogen-cycling microbial community structures, and key functional gene abundances after two years of continuous cultivation. Different floral treatments significantly altered rhizosphere nutrient status and microbial community composition. The P-LL treatment exhibited relatively higher contents of total nitrogen (TN), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN), available phosphorus, and available potassium, demonstrating a high-level soil multifunctionality index (SMI). The P-PS treatment showed higher available nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen but lower SMBN, accompanied by a higher relative abundance of Actinomycetota and the assembly of a microbial co-occurrence network with enhanced connectivity and robustness, indicating a potent organic nitrogen mineralization potential in its rhizosphere. The composition of nitrogen-cycling genes remained broadly stable across treatments, dominated by ammonia assimilation genes ( glnA and gltB ), with a relatively low abundance of denitrification genes ( nirK ). Multivariate and Random Forest analyses revealed that SMBN exerted the strongest positive regulatory effect on nitrogen-sensing genes (e.g., ntrY and ntrX ), whereas TN, nitrate nitrogen (NO ₃ ⁻ -N), and available potassium (AK) emerged as the paramount direct drivers determining the abundance variations of core ammonia assimilation genes. Different herbaceous perennials shaped species-specific rhizosphere nutrient and microbial functional profiles. P-LL and P-PS exhibited superior comprehensive nutrient traits and potential nitrogen mineralization characteristics, respectively, making them excellent candidate species for urban green space configuration and future mixed-planting trials in cold regions.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -