Biogeographical patterns of the soil fungal:bacterial ratio across France

Résumé 0

Data to perform the analyzes presented in the publication. See abstract below: Soils are one of the major reservoirs of biological diversity on our planet because they host a huge richness of microorganisms. The fungal:bacterial (F:B) ratio targets two major functional groups of organisms in soils and can improve our understanding of their importance and efficiency for soil functioning. To better decipher the variability of this ratio and rank the environmental parameters involved, we used the French Soil Quality Monitoring Network – one of the most extensive and a priori-free soil sampling surveys, based on a systematic 16 km x 16 km grid and including more than 2,100 samples. F:B ratios, measured by quantitative PCR targeting the 18S and 16S rDNA genes, turned out to be heterogenously distributed, and spatially structured in geographical patterns across France. These distribution patterns differed from bacterial or fungal densities taken separately, supporting the hypothesis that the F:B ratio is not the mere addition of each density, but rather results from the complex interactions of the two functional groups. The F:B ratios were mainly influenced by soil characteristics and land management. Among soil characteristics, the pH and to a lesser extent the organic carbon content and the C:N ratio were the main drivers. These results improved our understanding of soil microbial communities, and from an operational point of view, they suggested that the F:B ratio should be a useful new bioindicator of soil status. The resulting dataset can be considered as a first step toward building up a robust repository essential to any bioindicator and aimed at guiding and helping decision-making.