The Dynamics of Microbial and Nutrient Networks Throughout the Development of Ozone-Resilient Soybean Cultivar 'Jake'

Tropospheric ozone (O 3 ), a major air pollutant, leads to significant global yield loss in soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The O 3 -resilient soybean cultivar ‘Jake’ maintains high productivity by retaining carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in source tissues to support local plant growth. However, the impact of O 3 on below-ground microbial communities supporting O 3 tolerance in ‘Jake’ is unknown. In this study, we investigated how microbial communities affect C and N dynamics in bulk and rhizosphere soil throughout the developmental processes of ‘Jake’ grown under sub-ambient O 3 [charcoal-filtered (CF) air, 12 h mean: 20 ppb] or elevated O 3 (eO 3 , 12 h mean: 87 ppb). The results demonstrated soil fungi were more susceptible to eO 3 , with a negative correlation to C and N assimilation in bulk soil under eO 3 stress. In contrast, overall bacterial diversity was not sensitive to eO 3 throughout ‘Jake’ development, yet specific taxa supported N (Chloroflexales) and C (Caldilineales and Thermomicrobiales) cycling in the rhizosphere under O 3 stress. However, eO 3 dramatically altered the complexity of soil microbial communities and keystones that mediated C and N dynamics across ‘Jake’ developmental stages in the rhizosphere. Our study provides empirical evidence for temporal and spatial effects of microbial and nutrient networks and identified the orders of bacteria and fungi that may be involved in O 3 adaptation during ‘Jake’ growing processes. These findings contribute to an expanding knowledge base that microbial communities support the O 3 resilience of crops and agriculture ecosystems