Abstract

Soil biota is considered a crucial component of soil health. Currently, the soil microbiota and its genomic material (microbiome) have received increasing attention due to their role on sustainable nutrient availability. However, in agroforestry systems, little information is available on the effect of tree cover on natural microbial assemblies and its potential impact on soil health and production. From this perspective, we present the initial and novel results of the metagenomic-based characterization of microbial diversity in the soil of a Nothofagus-based silvopastoral system with three different shade conditions (open, semi open, and semi closed), that were obtained simultaneously by the massive sequencing of ribosomal genes for Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya, and of the ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS3-4) for Fungi. In the temperate SPS, the dominant bacteria phylum was Proteobacteria particularly from the order Rhizobiales, while the fungal community was dominated by Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. A low presence of archaea and eukaryotes was also observed. The semi open shade condition exhibited the highest diversity of microorganisms of all the treatments. This condition also promoted a greater specific production of grass. Our preliminary results not only represent the first multi-domain microbial inventory in the study area, but they also highlight the need to consider the microbial assemblies in the design and management of soil-based production systems, and the conservation of biodiversity in ecosystems.