Drylands soil bacterial community is affected by land use change and different irrigation practices in the Mezquital Valley, Mexico.

ABSTRACT: Dryland agriculture nourishes one third of global population, although crop irrigation is often mandatory. As freshwater sources are scarce, treated and untreated wastewater is increasingly used for irrigation. Here, we investigated how the transformation of semiarid shrubland into rainfed farming or irrigated agriculture with freshwater, dam-stored or untreated wastewater affects the total (DNA-based) and active (RNA-based) soil bacterial community composition, diversity, and functionality. To do this we collected soil samples during the dry and rainy seasons and isolated DNA and RNA. Soil moisture, sodium content and pH were the strongest drivers of the bacterial community composition. We found lineage-specific adaptations to drought and sodium content in specific land use systems. Predi

SUBMITTER: Luneberg K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5780513 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature