Soil bacterial and eukaryotic co‐occurrence networks across a desert climate gradient in northern China

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Abstract
A vast portion of the surface of the Earth is desert and desertified land, where, due to the harsh natural environment, vegetation is generally scarce. Soil microbes play important roles in ecosystems and have been used as indicators of soil quality and health. However, microbial interactions in desert ecosystems remain poorly understood. In this study, we collected soil samples from 12 deserts in northern China, spanning four climate types representing distinct aridity gradients, to evaluate bacterial and eukaryotic co‐occurrence networks, and analyze environmental factors determining microbial interactions and their relationships with these factors. At the regional scale, bacterial and eukaryotic interactions strengthened with increasing mean annual precipitation (MAP). They were also influenced by soil total phosphorus and the normalized difference vegetation index. At the local scale, although soil‐, climate‐, and plant‐related factors significantly constrained bacterial and eukaryotic networks, their relative effects varied. Overall, eukaryotic communities formed smaller and less complex networks than bacterial communities. Both bacterial and eukaryotic networks were more complex in deserts with higher MAP, suggesting that they are more stable and play more important roles in biogeochemical cycling in these areas than in lower MAP deserts. Our results provide further evidence that altered precipitation gradient probably leads to unstable and vulnerable microbial communities. This study enhances our understanding of microbial community organization in desert ecosystems, while providing novel insights into soil health. These findings should prove valuable in the evaluation of land development and degradation processes.
Funding Information
  • Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2015ZCQSB‐02)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (31470711, 31600584)

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