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Correlation between precipitation and the diversity and stability of the desert soil bacterial communities at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin

JIalu Li1, Qiyan Li1, Peishan Zhao1, Guanglei Gao1,2,3,4,5*, Guodong Ding1,3,4,5, Ying Zhang1,3,4,5   

  1. 1. School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; 

    2. State Key Laboratory of Eficient Productin of Forest Resources, Beijing 100083, China; 

    3. Yanchi Ecology Research Station of the Mu Us Desert, Yanchi 751500, China; 

    4. Engineering Research Center of Forestry Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083, China; 

    5. Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing 100083, China

  • Received:2025-03-10 Revised:2025-07-14 Accepted:2025-07-23

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Abstract:

Aims: Precipitation is one of the pivotal parameters for the desert ecosystems. Analyzing the diversity and stability of soil microbial communities across precipitation gradients would provide crucial insights into the environmental adaptability of the desert bacteria. 

Methods: Seventy-five soil samples (0-10 cm depth) were collected from deserts at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin, spanning a mean annual precipitation (MAP) gradient from 26.26 to 91.43 mm. Through high-throughput sequencing and co-occurrence network modeling, we compared soil bacterial community diversity and stability. 

Results: The results indicate that: (1) different precipitation conditions significantly affected the composition, diversity and community structure of desert soil bacteria at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin. Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, Bacillota and Gemmatimonadota were the dominant phyla of bacterial communities. Despite the higher relative abundance of specific bacteria, the composition and diversity of the whole soil bacterial communities were more similar to those of common bacteria communities and significantly different from those of specific bacteria communities. (2) The desert soil bacteria at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin are mainly cooperative. The key bacteria belong to S0134_terrestrial_group, Motococcus and Bacillus, etc. The stability of co-occurrence network is influenced by precipitation. Sufficient precipitation can improve the stability of soil bacterial co-occurrence network, while precipitation frequency has a stronger correlation. 

Conclusion: Bacterial composition and diversity in desert soils at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin are governed by soil moisture and saline-alkaline constraints, with cooperative interactions dominating microbial networks, while the precipitation frequency is significantly correlated with the stability of soil bacterial community. These results help to understand how desert ecosystems respond to their environment.

Key words: Tarim basin, desert, precipitation, soil bacterial communtiy, co-occurrence network

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