Salinity Is a Key Determinant for Soil Microbial Communities in a Desert Ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Soil salinization is a growing environmental problem caused by both natural and human activities. Excessive salinity in soil suppresses growth, decreases species diversity, and alters the community composition of plants; however, the effect of salinity on soil microbial communities is poorly understood. Here, we characterize the soil microbial community along a natural salinity gradient in Gurbantunggut Desert, Northwestern China. Microbial diversity linearly decreased with increases in salinity, and community dissimilarity significantly increased with salinity differences. Soil salinity showed a strong effect on microbial community dissimilarity, even after controlling for the effects of spatial distance and other environmental variables. Microbial phylotypes (n = 270) belonging to

SUBMITTER: Zhang K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6372838 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature