Pedosphere (4): 972--986, 2026
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2026 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Vertical distribution of soil microbiome in a desert ecosystem |
Mengfei CONG1,2,3,4, Zhihao ZHANG2,3,4, Akash TARIQ2,3,4,5,6, Waqar ISLAM2,3,4, Jordi SARDANS5,6, Weiqi WANG7, Yanju GAO2,3,4, Xinping DONG2,3,4,8, Guangxing ZHAO2,3,4,8, Josep PEÑUELAS5,6, Corina GRACIANO9, Fanjiang ZENG1,2,3,4,8 |
1 College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi 830046 (China);
2 Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Plant Roots Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ürümqi 830011 (China);
3 State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ürümqi 830011 (China);
4 Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele 848300 (China);
5 CSIC, Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193 (Spain);
6 CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08193 (Spain);
7 Institute of Geography, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007 (China);
8 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China);
9 Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires 1900 (Argentina) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Desert soil microbiomes play a pivotal role in combating desertification through symbiotic relationships with plants and regulating elemental cycling processes, but their knowledge remains limited. In this study, soil samples were collected at various depths (0-30, 30-60, 60-100, and 100-200 cm) in the pre-growth period (June 14 and 20, 2021), peak growth period (July 11, 2021), and post-growth period (September 18, 2021) of desert plants (mainly Alhagi sparsifolia) in the Taklimakan Desert of China, to assess shifts in community diversity, structure, and interactions of soil archaea, bacteria, and fungi with increasing soil depth and to identify the driving mechanisms behind these changes. Significant variations (R2 > 0.32) in microbial composition were observed across soil depths, but variations between growth periods were relatively minor (R2 < 0.11). Compared with those in surface soil (0-30 cm), the ACE and Shannon index decreased by 6.7%-18% for archaea and by 1.0%-11% for bacteria at 30-60, 60-100, and 100-200 cm depths, while the fungal Shannon index increased by 5.9%-18%. As soil depth increased (from 0-30 to 30-60, 60-100, and 100-200 cm), the relative abundance of Thaumarchaeota in archaea decreased by 11%-22%, while in bacteria, Actinobacteriota increased by 5.9%-18% and Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi exhibited reductions of 29%-39% and 14%-20%, respectively. In fungal communities, the relative abundance of Ascomycota increased by 11%-13%, whereas Mucoromycota decreased by 12%-13%. Additionally, archaeal network complexity decreased with soil depth, characterized by a 51%-96% decrease in average degree. In contrast, bacterial network complexity and stability increased, characterized by a 61-239-fold increase in average degree and a 5.4%-27% increase in negative correlation ratio. Fungal networks showed minimal change in topological parameters across soil depths. Collectively, soil pH and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) further influenced microbial interactions and stability by altering microbial community diversity and structure. Our findings provide new insights into the vertical distribution and distinctive response patterns of soil microbiomes within desert ecosystems and emphasize the crucial role of microbial community diversity in maintaining microbial interactions and further driving microbe-mediated ecosystem functions. |
| Key Words: deep soil microbiome,metagenomic sequencing,microbial community diversity,microbial community structure,microbial interaction,microbial network,soil depth |
| Citation: Cong M F, Zhang Z H, Tariq A, Islam W, Sardans J, Wang W Q, Gao Y J, Dong X P, Zhao G X, Peñuelas J, Graciano C, Zeng F J. 2026. Vertical distribution of soil microbiome in a desert ecosystem. Pedosphere. 36(4): 972-986. |
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