Reclamation of desert land to different land‐use types changes soil bacterial community composition in a desert‐oasis ecotone

Abstract

AbstractUnderstanding the impacts of different land‐uses on soil microbial communities is essential for maintaining soil health and sustainability in a desert‐oasis ecotone. Information on the microbial community composition of reclaimed soils under different land‐use types after several decades of reclamation are limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of reclamation of the non‐productive desert to productive lands on soil microbial community composition and identify the critical soil chemical factors associated with these changes. Soil samples were collected from a control (natural desert land [DL]) and reclaimed lands: cotton land (CL), grape land (vinyards) (GL), and shelterbelt (SL). Soil microbial community composition and diversity were determined by high throughput sequencing. The results showed that soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and pH were significantly different between DL and reclaimed soils (CL, GL, and SL). Sixty years after reclamation, the CL contained a higher relative abundance of Actinobacteria, while the GL and SL contained a higher relative abundance of Acidobacteria. There were 541 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared by all the four land‐use types. The highest number of shared OTUs was found in the GL and SL. The variance observed in the bacterial communities in all land‐use types were mainly explained by SOC, followed by total N, total K, pH, and total P. Our results suggest that land‐use type change has significant impacts on soil bacterial community composition and diversity through modifications in soil chemical properties in desert‐oasis ecotone.