Soil microbial community shifts explain habitat heterogeneity in two Haloxylon species from a nutrient perspective

Abstract

Haloxylon ammodendron and Haloxylon persicum (as sister taxa) are dominant shrubs in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The former grows in inter‐dune lowlands while the latter in sand dunes. However, little information is available regarding the possible role of soil microorganisms in the habitat heterogeneity in the two Haloxylon species from a nutrient perspective. Rhizosphere is the interface of plant–microbe–soil interactions and fertile islands usually occur around the roots of desert shrubs. Given this, we applied quantitative real‐time PCR combined with MiSeq amplicon sequencing to compare their rhizosphere effects on microbial abundance and community structures at three soil depths (0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm). The rhizosphere effects on microbial activity (respiration) and soil properties had also been estimated. The rhizospheres of both shrubs exerted significant positive effects on microbial activity and abundance (e.g., eukarya, bacteria, and nitrogen‐fixing microbes). The rhizosphere effect of H. ammodendron on microbial activity and abundance of bacteria and nitrogen‐fixing microbes was greater than that of H. persicum . However, the fertile island effect of H. ammodendron was weaker than that of H. persicum . Moreover, there existed distinct differences in microbial community structure between the two rhizosphere soils. Soil available nitrogen, especially nitrate nitrogen, was shown to be a driver of microbial community differentiation among rhizosphere and non‐rhizosphere soils in the desert. In general, the rhizosphere of H. ammodendron recruited more copiotrophs (e.g., Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria), nitrogen‐fixing microbes and ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria, and with stronger microbial activities. This helps it maintain a competitive advantage in relatively nutrient‐rich lowlands. Haloxylon persicum relied more on fungi, actinomycetes, archaea (including ammonia‐oxidizing archaea), and eukarya, with higher nutrient use efficiency, which help it adapt to the harsher dune crests. This study provides insights into the microbial mechanisms of habitat heterogeneity in two Haloxylon species in the poor desert soil.

High-throughput sequencing reveals the structure and metabolic resilience of desert microbiome confronting climate change

“…Our findings revealed that the predominant phyla in the studied communities are Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. These results are consistent with the majority of the reports on the microbiota of the Arabian Peninsula desert ( Inostroza et al., 2017 ; Bang et al., 2018 ; Andrés-Barrao et al., 2017 ; Eida et al., 2018 ; Guesmi et al., 2022 ; Li et al., 2023 ; Osman et al., 2016 ). Bacteria of these phyla serve crucial ecological roles to their host plants.…”

“…Among the four studied plants, H. persicum (HP) , and H. strobilaceum (HS) have the most enriched microbial communities, followed by P. turgidum (PT), whereas A. hispidissima (AH) exhibited the least diverse microbial composition. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first report on the AH microbiome while there are some previous reports on the microbiome of PT, HP, and HS, with a focus on rhizosphere microbes ( Guesmi et al., 2022 ; Li et al., 2023 ).…”

“…In contrast, the rhizosphere exhibits a more diverse microbial composition, with Deinococcota being the dominant phylum. Previous research reported that the rhizosphere of HP is mainly composed of Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes ( Li et al., 2023 ). Interestingly, HP is also rich in Archaea, such as Thaumarchaeota, and fungi ( Li et al., 2023 ).…”

“…Previous research reported that the rhizosphere of HP is mainly composed of Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes ( Li et al., 2023 ). Interestingly, HP is also rich in Archaea, such as Thaumarchaeota, and fungi ( Li et al., 2023 ). Consistent with the literature ( Khan and Khan, 2020 ), our data reveals that HP is enriched in radiation-resistant, thermotolerant, and halotolerant taxa.…”

Long-Term Benefits of Cenchrus fungigraminus Residual Roots Improved the Quality and Microbial Diversity of Rhizosphere Sandy Soil through Cellulose Degradation in the Ulan Buh Desert, Northwest China

“…C. fungigraminus is a perennial plant in southern China, while in northern China, it is an annual plant, and temperatures of −5 °C can cause its death. Currently, the majority of studies have shown that the use of perennial, low-yield herbaceous plants in the deserts of China has significant effects on wind and sand fixation, enhancing soil quality and improving soil microbial structure [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. However, since 2013, we have focused on planting high-yield, annual C. fungigraminus in the Ulan Buh Desert, and the aboveground part of C. fungigraminus has a significant effect on sand prevention and has generated substantial economic benefits as a feed or mushroom substrate.…”