Distinct soil bacterial patterns along narrow and broad elevational gradients in the grassland of Mt. Tianshan, China

Bacteria are essential regulators of soil biogeochemical cycles. While several studies of bacterial elevational patterns have been performed in recent years, the drivers of these patterns remain incompletely understood. To clarify bacterial distribution patterns and diversity across narrow- and broad-scale elevational gradients, we collected soil samples from 22 sites in the grasslands of Mt. Tianshan in China along three elevational transects and the overall elevation transect: (1) 6 sites at elevations of 1047–1587 m, (2) 8 sites at 876–3070 m, and (3) 8 sites at 1602–2110 m. The bacterial community diversity across the overall elevation transects exhibited a hump-like pattern, whereas consistent patterns were not observed in the separate elevational transects. The bacterial community composition at the phylum level differed across the transects and elevation sites. The Actinobacteria was the most abundant phylum overall (41.76%) but showed clear variations in the different transects. Furthermore, heatmap analyses revealed that both pH and mean annual temperature (MAT) were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with bacterial community composition as well as the dominant bacterial phyla, classes, and genera. These findings provide an inclusive view of bacterial community structures in relation to the environmental factors of the different elevational patterns.