Effects of chicken farming on soil properties and root-associated bacterial communities in a bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) ecosystem

Abstract Bamboo-chicken farming (BCF), in which chickens are farmed in bamboo forests, is a common land-use type in China. However, little is known regarding the responses of soil bacterial communities to the introduction of BCF. In this study, we investigated and compared the bacterial communities in chicken gut, bulk soil, the rhizosphere, and roots, along with relevant soil properties, in a BCF area and a control area (a pure lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) forest: PBF). The results showed that BCF significantly increased (p