Analysis of Soil Microbiome

Soil hosts diverse microbial communities, including bacteria, fungi, and archaea, that are central to nutrient cycling and plant growth (Wang et al., 2021; Chauhan et al., 2023). Environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, and moisture shape microbiome diversity, with stressful conditions often reducing microbial abundance and function (Abdul Rahman et al., 2020). This can limit nutrient availability, driving plant adaptations like increased root phosphatase activity (Velasco et al., 2020). Using sequencing-based microbiome analysis (Challan et al., 2016), this study examines microbial diversity in Yukon soils, comparing active and permafrost layers. It is predicted that permafrost soils will contain fewer taxa overall but a higher abundance of extremophiles capable of tolerating harsh conditions. The full code for this analysis along with the report are posted!