The impact of climate and soil features on the soil microbiome of 30 sites across Israel

Soil microbes are key players in global carbon and nitrogen cycles and affect climate change. To better assess the contribution of soil microbes to these and other processes, more information is required about the microbial response to environmental conditions in different parts of the world. Here we studied the interactions between the soil microbiome and soil characteristics and climate in 30 sites across Israel. These sites represent a range of soil types and characteristics and span over three climate zones (arid, semi-arid, and Mediterranean). Soil samples were collected during the Spring and profiled for both microbiome and soil characteristics. Profiled soil characteristics include physical and chemical parameters such as soil composition, organic C and N, and pH, and the microbiome was characterized through 180 16S rRNA microbiome samples.

Our results suggest that precipitation may be the most significant factor that affects the soil microbiome composition. Soil composition (and, in particular, sand) also has a significant effect on microbial community composition. pH, which was reported to be a significant determinant of community structure, has no significant effect on the microbiome, possibly due to a narrow range of pH values. When comparing the microbiome from the same and different sites, samples from the same site are overall more similar to each other, but not always. We expect our results to provide insights that will improve models of microbiome dynamics in Israel and other regions.