| Soil health is critical for sustaining terrestrial ecosystems, yet roadside habitats, often
disturbed by human activity, face challenges in supporting native plant revegetation due to
altered soil microbial communities and chemical properties. This study investigates the impact of
non-traditional soil amendments applied individually and in combination, specifically nonsynthetic micronutrient fertilizer (NSMF), wool pellet-based fertilizer, and commercial microbial
spray, on soil microbial diversity and chemical properties in the context of roadside revegetation
in southeastern Idaho. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, amplicon sequence variants (ASVs)
were analyzed to assess microbial community composition, while soil chemical properties,
including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM), and
macronutrient/micronutrient levels (N, P, K, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe), were measured. Statistical
analyses, including PERMANOVA, ART ANOVA, DAA, and CCA, revealed that NSMF slightly
altered zinc and copper concentrations, while wool pellets and microbial sprays showed minimal
impact on overall community structure. Variations in microbial communities were primarily
driven by site-specific ecoregion differences and temporal factors rather than amendment
applications. Treatments altered the abundances of individual genera, which were correlated with
shifts in soil chemistry properties. These findings suggest that while certain amendments
influence soil chemistry and individual genera, microbial community resilience may limit their
impact on microbiome structure.
Keywords: Fertilizer, Microbial Ecology, Roadside Revegetation, Soil Amendments, Soil
Health, Soil Microbiome |