3.4 | Beta diversity analysis of the soil samples
Distance was used to identify the variations that influence soil microbial communities in different soil samples (Figure 5). The samples were divided into different groups based on forest type, slope position, and differences in soil depth. When all the samples were divided into three groups according to the depth, no significant differences in the microbial communities were recorded (Figure 5a). When samples were divided into top, midslope, and base of the slope groups, the groups did not form distinct clusters based on the Bray–Curtis distance of PCoA analysis (Figure 5b). Four groups from different forest types were not distinct, indicating no difference in the bacterial community structures between the groups that were tested (Figure 5c).