Soil microbiome transfer method affects microbiome composition, including dominant microorganisms, in a novel environment

Abstract

We show that choice of soil microbiome transfer method, i.e. direct soil transfers and a common soil wash procedure, dramatically influences the microbiome that develops in a new environment, using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and the fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. After 3 weeks of incubation in commercial potting mix, microbiomes were most similar to the source soil when a greater volume of initial soil was transferred (5% v/v transfer), and least similar when using a soil wash. Abundant operational taxonomic units were substantially affected by transfer method, suggesting that compounds transferred from the source soil, shifts in biotic interactions, or both, play an important role in their success.