Salinity Effect on Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity and Assembly in <i>Phragmites australis</i> Salt Marshes in the Qaidam Basin, China

Extreme environments foster phylogenetically diverse microorganisms and unique community assembly patterns. Plateau saline marsh lakes represent understudied extreme habitats characterized by dual stressors of high salinity and low temperature. Here, we analyzed the soil bacterial and archaeal diver...

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Main Authors: Pengcheng Zhu, Yuhui Wang, Wenyi Sheng, Mingyang Yu, Wei Wei, Wenlong Sun, Jian Gao, Zhenwei Xu, Ming Cao, Yuzhi Wang, Lele Liu, Weihua Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1253
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author Pengcheng Zhu
Yuhui Wang
Wenyi Sheng
Mingyang Yu
Wei Wei
Wenlong Sun
Jian Gao
Zhenwei Xu
Ming Cao
Yuzhi Wang
Lele Liu
Weihua Guo
author_facet Pengcheng Zhu
Yuhui Wang
Wenyi Sheng
Mingyang Yu
Wei Wei
Wenlong Sun
Jian Gao
Zhenwei Xu
Ming Cao
Yuzhi Wang
Lele Liu
Weihua Guo
author_sort Pengcheng Zhu
collection DOAJ
description Extreme environments foster phylogenetically diverse microorganisms and unique community assembly patterns. Plateau saline marsh lakes represent understudied extreme habitats characterized by dual stressors of high salinity and low temperature. Here, we analyzed the soil bacterial and archaeal diversity in three salt marshes of the Qaidam Basin on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. While the bacterial and archaeal alpha diversity showed no significant differences among the three salt marshes, the community composition varied significantly. Notably, soil salinity (indicated by electric conductivity, EC) exerted opposing effects on microbial diversity—suppressing bacterial while promoting archaeal communities. Stochastic processes were the predominant mechanism for both bacterial and archaeal community assembly, where the weights were, in descending order, drift, homogeneous selection, and dispersal limitation. Network analysis revealed predominantly positive co-occurrence patterns within both bacterial and archaeal communities. We did not find a direct relationship between any bacterial or archaeal co-occurrence network properties and soil EC, but there was a significant correlation of network complexity to microbial diversity, which was influenced by EC. Our findings indicate distinct responses of bacterial and archaeal diversity to varying salinity levels, while the underlying assembly processes appear to be conserved in driving shifts in community diversity in plateau salt marsh wetlands.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2076-2607
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publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Microorganisms
spelling doaj-art-c3d5f4ec080e4f4eb6f0700242af4b502025-08-20T03:29:44ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-05-01136125310.3390/microorganisms13061253Salinity Effect on Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity and Assembly in <i>Phragmites australis</i> Salt Marshes in the Qaidam Basin, ChinaPengcheng Zhu0Yuhui Wang1Wenyi Sheng2Mingyang Yu3Wei Wei4Wenlong Sun5Jian Gao6Zhenwei Xu7Ming Cao8Yuzhi Wang9Lele Liu10Weihua Guo11Qingdao Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Restoration, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaNational Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaQingdao Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Restoration, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaQingdao Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Restoration, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaQingdao Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Restoration, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaQingdao Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Restoration, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaKey Laboratory of Intelligent Health Perception and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Ministry of Education, Hubei University of Technology, 28 Linan Road, Wuhan 430068, ChinaInstitute of Ecology, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, ChinaCollege of Biotechnology, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741001, ChinaQingdao Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Restoration, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaQingdao Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Restoration, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaQingdao Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Restoration, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaExtreme environments foster phylogenetically diverse microorganisms and unique community assembly patterns. Plateau saline marsh lakes represent understudied extreme habitats characterized by dual stressors of high salinity and low temperature. Here, we analyzed the soil bacterial and archaeal diversity in three salt marshes of the Qaidam Basin on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. While the bacterial and archaeal alpha diversity showed no significant differences among the three salt marshes, the community composition varied significantly. Notably, soil salinity (indicated by electric conductivity, EC) exerted opposing effects on microbial diversity—suppressing bacterial while promoting archaeal communities. Stochastic processes were the predominant mechanism for both bacterial and archaeal community assembly, where the weights were, in descending order, drift, homogeneous selection, and dispersal limitation. Network analysis revealed predominantly positive co-occurrence patterns within both bacterial and archaeal communities. We did not find a direct relationship between any bacterial or archaeal co-occurrence network properties and soil EC, but there was a significant correlation of network complexity to microbial diversity, which was influenced by EC. Our findings indicate distinct responses of bacterial and archaeal diversity to varying salinity levels, while the underlying assembly processes appear to be conserved in driving shifts in community diversity in plateau salt marsh wetlands.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1253salt marshescommunity assemblysoil salinitystochastic processesmicrobial interactions
spellingShingle Pengcheng Zhu
Yuhui Wang
Wenyi Sheng
Mingyang Yu
Wei Wei
Wenlong Sun
Jian Gao
Zhenwei Xu
Ming Cao
Yuzhi Wang
Lele Liu
Weihua Guo
Salinity Effect on Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity and Assembly in <i>Phragmites australis</i> Salt Marshes in the Qaidam Basin, China
Microorganisms
salt marshes
community assembly
soil salinity
stochastic processes
microbial interactions
title Salinity Effect on Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity and Assembly in <i>Phragmites australis</i> Salt Marshes in the Qaidam Basin, China
title_full Salinity Effect on Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity and Assembly in <i>Phragmites australis</i> Salt Marshes in the Qaidam Basin, China
title_fullStr Salinity Effect on Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity and Assembly in <i>Phragmites australis</i> Salt Marshes in the Qaidam Basin, China
title_full_unstemmed Salinity Effect on Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity and Assembly in <i>Phragmites australis</i> Salt Marshes in the Qaidam Basin, China
title_short Salinity Effect on Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity and Assembly in <i>Phragmites australis</i> Salt Marshes in the Qaidam Basin, China
title_sort salinity effect on soil bacterial and archaeal diversity and assembly in i phragmites australis i salt marshes in the qaidam basin china
topic salt marshes
community assembly
soil salinity
stochastic processes
microbial interactions
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/6/1253
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