Biochar Enhances the Abundance of Microbial Functional Genes Involve in C, N, P, and S Cycling: A Quantitative Metagenomic Insight From Paddy Soil

作者：Xiaoge Fan, Xiang Cao, Min Zhang, Jianwu Jiang, Caihua Li, Fang Ou, Wenbing Wang, Jin Zhang, Nicholas Clarke, Wenbo Liu, Shengdao Shan · 发表于：Land Degradation and Development · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1002/ldr.70067 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology、Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Phytase and its Applications

ABSTRACT Although biochar application is regarded as a promising agronomic strategy to enhance soil functions, research employing quantitative techniques to evaluate its influence on microbial functional genes specifically in paddy soils is still scarce. The objective of this study was to quantify the abundance of microbial functional genes associated with carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) cycling over a 2‐year paddy field experiment after biochar application, employing a quantitative metagenomic sequencing with the spike‐in method. An increase in rice yield of 7.0% and 12.5% relative to the control was observed following biochar amendment over the 2 study years. The majority of soil microbial functional genes related to C, N, P, and S cycling exhibited higher abundances in soils amended with biochar. Notably, genes associated with the Wood‐Ljungdahl pathway, Calvin‐Benson‐Bassham cycle, and denitrification increased by 18.5%–197.4%, 25.9%–116.0%, and 5.1%–405.3% over 2 years. Gene responsible for P regulators increased approximately 10.5%–109.6%, while the assimilatory sulfate reduction process exhibited an increase of 12.7%–246.0%. Random forest highlighted key biogeochemical processes (e.g., C degradation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and dissimilatory N reduction) as potential contributors to improving rice yields. Biochar amendment led to the formation of a more complex gene co‐occurrence network, as exposed by network analysis. Collectively, these fi...