Characteristics of Soil Bacterial Community in the Decomposition Process Inside and Outside Moso Bamboo Stumps

Purpose: Soil bacteria comprise the largest number of soil microorganisms and play an important role in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) stump decay; however, the characteristics of soil bacterial communities inside and outside these stumps remain unclear. Methods: The characteristics of soil bacterial communities inside and outside Phyllostachys edulis bamboo stumps were analyzed under three different levels of decay using high-throughput sequencing technology. Results: The abundance of operational taxonomic units inside and outside the bamboo stumps increased as the decay progressed; Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia were the most abundant phyla in the soil inside and outside the bamboo stumps. In the outside bamboo stumps, there was a very significant positive correlation of Acidobacteria and Planctomycetes with the decaying degree of bamboo stumps. At the class level, Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Planctomycetacia were the most abundant bacteria in the bamboo stumps. Inside the stumps, the decaying degree of bamboo stumps was significantly positively correlated with Alphaproteobacteria and significantly negatively correlated with Gammaproteobacteria and Bacilli. Principal component analysis and the heat map analysis at the genus level indicated similarities among soil bacterial communities inside the moderately and severely decayed bamboo stumps and among the communities outside the mildly and moderately decayed bamboo stumps. Conclusion: Our results augment our understanding of the expeditious degradation process of bamboo stumps, and provide a theoretical basis and reference for microbiological research, sustainable bamboo stump operations, and degradation methods of bamboo forests.