Soil microbial communities are essential drivers of ecosystem functions, yet the factors shaping their structure and function, particularly at different altitudes and between invasive and native plants, remain insufficiently understood. Our study investigated the influence of plant species and altitude on soil bacterial communities in the Qinling Mountains, a biodiversity hotspot in central China. We analyzed the microbial communities associated with Galinsoga quadriradiata (an invasive species) and Artemisia lavandulifolia (a native species) across an altitudinal gradient ranging from 896 m to 1889 m. Using high-throughput Illumina sequencing, we assessed the composition, diversity, impact factors and functional potential of these communities. The results revealed that both plant species and altitude significantly influence soil bacterial diversity and community structure. G. quadriradiata and A. lavandulifolia were found to host distinct microbial communities, with variations driven by species-specific traits and environmental factors such as soil pH, nutrient content, and altitude. Functional analysis indicated that A. lavandulifolia soils were more associated with nitrogen cycling processes, while G. quadriradiata soils contributed more to organic matter decomposition. These findings advanced our understanding of plant-microbe interactions along altitudinal gradients and highlighted that invasive and native plants harbored microbial flora with different nutritional preferences and metabolic characteris-tics.

Quercus leucotrichophora leaves were collected for assessment of nutritive composition between four seasons i.e. spring season (March-April), summer season (June-July), autumn (September-October), winter December-January) respectively, in 2017. The experiment was conducted within the laboratory of Shoolini University campus. Leaves samples were collected from 12 different provenances starting from 1189 to 2578 m a.s.l. Crude protein, ash content, ether extract, phenol content, total sugar and tannin content were expressively higher within middle to higher altitudinal populations. Crude fiber, ether extract, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, saponin content were higher in winter month while crude protein, ash content, phenol content, tannin content were higher in autumn season. Total sugar was higher in summer season and nitrogen free extract was higher in spring season. Q. leucotrichophora leaves were harvested at the right stage of maturity (winter months) offers considerable potential as good quality forage for livestock to meet the deficiency of nutritive components.