Abstract
BackgroundMinqin is suffering from a serious desertification, whereas the knowledge about its bacterial community is limited. Herein, based on Nitraria tangutorum and Haloxylon ammodendron from Minqin, the bacterial community diversities in fixed sandy land, semi-fixed sandy land and shifting sandy land were investigated by combining with culture-dependent and culture-independent methods.ResultsMinqin stressed with high salinity and poor nutrition is an oligotrophic environment. Bacterial community in Minqin was shaped primarily by the presence of host plants, whereas the type of plant and sandy land had no marked effect on those, which displayed a better survival in the rhizospheres of N. tangutorum and H. ammodendron. The dominant groups at phyla level were Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria and Candidate_division_TM7. The abundance of Firmicutes with ability of desiccation-tolerance was significantly higher in harsh environment, whereas Bacteroidetes were mainly distributed in areas with high nutrient content. The abundances of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were relatively high in the rhizospheres of N. tangutorum and H. ammodendron, which had more plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria. A large number of Actinobacteria were detected, of which the most abundant genus was Streptomyces. The physicochemical factors related to the diversity and distribution of the bacterial community were comprehensively analyzed, such as pH, electrical conductivity, soil organic matter, C/N and sand, and the results indicated that Minqin was more suitable for the growth of N. tangutorum, which should be one of most important sand-fixing plants in Minqin.ConclusionsThe bacterial community diversities in different types of sandy lands of Minqin were comprehensively and systematically investigated by culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches, which has a great significance in maintaining/restoring biological diversity.
Highlights
Minqin is suffering from a serious desertification, whereas the knowledge about its bacterial community is limited
There was no significant difference in electrical conductivity (EC) of non-rhizospheres from three types of sandy lands, whereas the overall trend of EC in rhizospheres was higher than that in nonrhizospheres
C/N was significantly different in N. tangutorum rhizosphere from different types of sandy lands, whereas there was no obvious change in other samples
Summary
Minqin is suffering from a serious desertification, whereas the knowledge about its bacterial community is limited. Many researchers have paid much attention on reforestation [7, 8], relationship between plants and soil properties [9,10,11], and ecological and hydrological processes [12, 13] for the prevention/restoration of desertification. It is well-known that diversity and distribution of soil microbial community vary distinctly in different ecosystems, and the variation is supposed to be related to a series of soil abiotic and biotic factors [14]. Nitraria tangutorum and Haloxylon ammodendron are the dominant shrubs, and their well-developed roots are conducive to the interaction between plant and microbial community, promoting plant growth and improving soil structure [17]
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