biostudies-literatureHuang JThird Xinjiang Scientific Expedition ProgramNational Natural Science Foundation of Chinae0258825https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12915352biostudies-literatureUnknown92(2)Extreme arid ecosystems present significant environmental challenges, yet the mechanisms by which habitat heterogeneity (e.g., salinity gradients, soil-sediment contrasts) shapes microbial community assembly and functional specialization remain poorly understood. This study integrated culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches to investigate microbial diversity, assembly processes, and metabolic potential across wasteland soils, desert soils, and saline lake sediments in the Turpan-Hami Basin. High-throughput sequencing revealed habitat-specific patterns, with lake sediments exhibiting significantly greater OTU richness and Shannon diversity than wasteland and desert soils (<i>P</i> < 0.05). These shifts were driven by salinity-dependent taxonomic succession, notably the dominancApplied and environmental microbiologyHabitat heterogeneity drives microbial community assembly and functional specialization in extremely arid ecosystems.PMC12915352422023382022xjkk12042022xjkk1200Zhang GHan J-RRustamova NLiu YLi SHuang JCai MHan MLi W-JJiang HDong LFang BfalseHabitat heterogeneity drives microbial community assembly and functional specialization in extremely arid ecosystems.Extreme arid ecosystems present significant environmental challenges, yet the mechanisms by which habitat heterogeneity (e.g., salinity gradients, soil-sediment contrasts) shapes microbial community assembly and functional specialization remain poorly understood. This study integrated culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches to investigate microbial diversity, assembly processes, and metabolic potential across wasteland soils, desert soils, and saline lake sediments in the Turpan-Hami Basin. High-throughput sequencing revealed habitat-specific patterns, with lake sediments exhibiting significantly greater OTU richness and Shannon diversity than wasteland and desert soils (<i>P</i> < 0.05). These shifts were driven by salinity-dependent taxonomic succession, notably the dominanc2026-01-01T00:00:00Z2026 Feb2026-07-16T06:33:00.185Z2026-07-09T10:39:48.918ZS-EPMC129153524158989710.1128/aem.02588-25