Site, Fertilization and Season Structure the Soil Microbiome and Its Interactions With Bdellovibrio and Like Organisms Predators.

Season, but not fertilization, influences the absolute sizes of soil prokaryote and BALO communities in agricultural fields.

• Why it matters: Understanding how environmental factors shape soil microbial communities is crucial for managing soil health and agricultural productivity.
• What they did: The study analyzed prokaryotes and BALOs in two agricultural fields over one year, using 16S rRNA gene analysis to identify community composition and dynamics under different seasons and fertilization regimes.
• The result: Seasonal variation, site, and fertilization significantly affected community diversity and associations, suggesting environmental and agricultural practices influence soil microbiome structure and potential interactions.