y2018m05b04N 20180528103600 assa nadine@assaf.org.za assa South African Journal of Science S. Afr. J. Sci 1996-7489 05302018 114 5/6 Gilbert Kamgan Nkuekam Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa Don A. Cowan Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa Angel Valverde Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa Many studies, mostly in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, have demonstrated that agricultural practices affect the composition and diversity of soil microbial communities. However, very little is known about the impact of agriculture on the microbial communities in other regions of the world, most particularly on the African continent. In this study, we used MiSeq amplicon sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and fungal ITS regions to characterise microbial communities in agricultural and natural grassland soils located in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Nine soil chemical parameters were also measured to evaluate the effects of edaphic factors on microbial community diversity. Bacterial and fungal communities were significantly richer and more diverse in natural grassland than in agricultural soils. Microbial taxonomic composition was also significantly different between the two habitat types. The phylum Acidobacteria was significantly more abundant in natural grassland than in agricultural soils, while Actinobacteria and the family Nectriaceae showed the opposite pattern. Soil pH and phosphorus significantly influenced bacterial communities, whereas phosphorus and calcium influenced fungal communities. These findings may be interpreted as a negative impact of land-use change on soil microbial diversity and composition. 05302018 1 10.17159/sajs.2016/crossmark sajs.co.za false 2017-08-21 2018-01-15 2018-05-30 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 10.17159/sajs.2018/20170288 20180528103600 https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/5173 https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/5173/6685 https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/5173/6685 https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/5173/6685 https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/5173/6685 https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/5173/6685 https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/5173/6685 https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/5173/6685