Functional and phylogenetic diversity of cellulase genes in agricultural soil under two different tillage treatments.  

Microbial cellulose degradation is crucial for soil carbon sequestration and fertility. The effect of tillage intensity on this process was analysed using two agricultural soil-shotgun-metagenomes. In the surface soil horizon of an organic farming experiment, reduced tillage led to enrichment of genes encoding beta-glucosidases and carbohydrate-binding domains as compared to conventional tillage. However, no tillage effect was observed on the genetic potential for endoglucanases or exoglucanases in both soil metagenomes, suggesting a secondary role of tillage in shaping the degradation potential in agricultural soil