We then tested the role of soil characteristics on S. maltophilia
abundance and observed that it was not related to any of the
tested characteristics, i.e. pH, CEC, clay, silt or metals. We
expected pH to influence S. maltophilia prevalence, since this
parameter is known to shape the diversity of soil bacterial
communities [43]. Similarly, metal concentration could be a
factor that favored growth of S. maltophilia, as it has been
demonstrated that metal-resistant S. maltophilia populations
are selected in soils exposed to chromium concentrations [27].
However, when considering soil pH, it should be mentioned
that our samples may not cover a range of pH (from 4.91 in a
Burgundy sample to 8.64 in a Nabeul sample) wide enough to
reveal such a relationship.