Unveiling soil animal community dynamics beneath dominant shrub species in natural desert environment: Implications for ecosystem management and conservation

Abstract

The Taklimakan Desert, known for extreme aridity and unique ecological challenges, maintains a delicate life balance beneath its harsh surface. This study investigates intricate dynamics of soil animal communities within this desert ecosystem, with a particular focus on vertical profile variations beneath four dominant shrub species (AS-Alhagi sparsifolia, KC-Karelinia caspia, TR- Tamarix ramosissima, CC- Calligonum caput-medusae). Utilizing comprehensive soil sampling and metagenomics techniques, we reveal the diversity and distribution patterns of soil animal communities from the soil surface down to deeper layers (0–100 cm). Our research outcomes have unveiled that Nematoda and Arthropoda emerge as the most predominant classes of soil animals across all studied shrubs. Specifically, Nematoda exhibited notably high abundance in the KC area, while Arthropoda thrived predominantly in the TR region. We also observed a linear decrease in Nematoda populations as soil depth increased, consistent among all shrub species. Moreover, the highest Shannon diversity within soil animal communities was recorded in the KC area, underscoring a trend of declining alpha diversity in the AS region and an increase in other shrub areas as soil depth increased. Notably, the zones dominated by CC and TR displayed the highest levels of beta diversity. Our correlation analysis of soil animals and environmental factors has pinpointed soil water content, available phosphorus, and available potassium as the most influential drivers of variations in the top-classified soil animal communities. This study provides insights into soil animals in deserts, supporting future research to preserve these fragile deserts and enhance our understanding of life below the surface in challenging ecosystems.