ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1651717
This article is part of the Research TopicUnravelling the Interactions Between Plant Roots and Microbial Communities for Optimized Nutrient Synergy and Symbiotic DevelopmentView all articles
Desertification Gradients Shape Medicago sativa Rhizosphere Microbiomes in Inner Mongolia's Agro-Pastoral Ecotone
Provisionally accepted
- 1Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
- 2M·Grass Ecological Environment (Group) Co.,Ltd., Hohhot, China
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This study investigated the spatial heterogeneity of rhizosphere microbial communities in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) across desertification gradients in Inner Mongolia, China. Rhizosphere soils were collected from non-, lightly-, and moderately-desertified sites. Using 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing alongside soil physicochemical analyses, we found that desertification intensity significantly altered microbial structure and function. Actinobacteriota dominated in moderately-desertified soils, whereas Proteobacteria prevailed in non-desertified areas. Ascomycota was the dominant fungal phylum, with Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota enriched in non-and lightly-desertified sites, respectively. Soil pH and available phosphorus were the key factors shaping bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. Co-occurrence networks indicated enhanced microbial connectivity and a shift toward cooperative interactions under desertification. Functional prediction revealed conserved bacterial metabolic pathways but increased abundance of fungal stress-response enzymes (e.g., monooxygenases). These findings underscore microbial adaptive strategies to desertification and provide insights for sustainable agriculture in arid regions.
Keywords: Medicago sativa, Rhizosphere microbiome, Desertification gradients, Soil texture, Microbial Adaptation
Received: 22 Jun 2025; Accepted: 29 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Wang, Jia, Wang, Bao and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jie Wei, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
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