The impact of agriculture on soil microbial community composition and diversity in Southeast Asia
Résumé
Southeast Asia is well‐known for its species‐rich tropical rainforest, representing a “hotspot” of biodiversity. However, for the past several decades, the biodiversity of this region has been under severe threat due to rapid land use changes, including clearance of forests for agriculture. Soil microorganisms not only make up a large proportion of the biological diversity of the rainforest environment, but also are a fundamental component of nutrient cycling and productivity. The patterns of community composition and diversity of soil microorganisms are somewhat different from those observed in macro‐organisms in the tropics. Soil microbial community structure and diversity seem to be more strongly influenced by edaphic factors rather than by habitat types, with microbial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) appearing to have clearly defined environmental niches. However, the effects of the land use changes on soil microorganisms are still poorly understood in tropical regions, and in this book chapter, we discuss the effects that land use changes have on composition and diversity of microorganisms in soils of Southeast Asia.