Summary
The
Taklimakan Desert is the largest desert in China and the second-largest
mobile desert in the world. It is characterized by an increasing
altitude gradient from north to south. In this study,
a total of 48 sand samples were
collected in the Taklimakan Desert, and variations in physicochemical
parameters and bacterial communities in the samples and the correlation
between them were explored. The bacterial community was characterized
using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The obtained taxonomic data revealed
significant differences in the relative abundance of bacterial
communities and populations among the samples. The predominant phyla
were Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The
abundance of Actinobacteria increased gradually
while that of Firmicutes decreased
gradually with the increase in altitude. At the genus level, the
abundance of Bacillus showed a gradual decrease while that of
unclassified Micrococcaceae showed a gradual increase. Altitude
and pH were the primary factors that shaped the bacterial communities in
the desert. Besides, Ca2+ and P were also
significantly correlated with the abundance of bacterial communities.
The indicator taxa were significant differences in the surface and the
subsurface samples.
Keywords:Taklimakan
Desert, pH, altitude, bacterial community, physiochemical property