Global and regional soil salinization drives bacterial diversity loss and biogeochemical imbalance
6 affiliations
- 1College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- 2Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Grassland Resources and Ecology in the Yellow River Delta, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- 3Shandong Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation of Saline- alkaline Tolerant Grasses and Trees, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- 4College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
- 5School of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
- 6Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
Abstract
Soil salinization threatens ecosystem health, yet quantitative impacts on bacterial diversity and function remain unclear. Here we integrate a global meta-analysis with a regional field study. Salinization increased soil pH (2.9%) and bulk density (7.2%) while reducing clay content (28%). Beyond a threshold of 2.58 dS/m, bacterial Shannon diversity declined nonlinearly and richness decreased sharply. Communities shifted toward salt-tolerant Bacteroidetes (36.4% increase) and Firmicutes (34.2%), while sensitive Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria declined (95.3% and 18.3%). Random forest modeling identified sodium and magnesium ions as primary drivers. Functional gene analysis revealed nonlinear decreases in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling genes past thresholds, but sulfur cycling genes were stimulated. Co-occurrence networks indicate environmental filtering and reduced complexity under salt stress, yet carbon metabolic functions maintain high connectivity, suggesting functional persistence among salt-adapted taxa. Collectively, salinization restructures bacterial communities via niche-based assembly ion-nutrient-physical interactions, creating microbial critical transition threshold for predicting ecosystem stimulation. Soil salinization restructures bacterial communities via biochemical changes such as elevated iron concentrations, increased pH and bulk density, and reduced clay content, based on global meta-analysis with a high-resolution regional investigation.
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BibTeX
@article{yang2026global,
title = {{Global and regional soil salinization drives bacterial diversity loss and biogeochemical imbalance}},
author = {Chao Yang and Qian Zhang and Mengmeng Diao and Guofeng Yang and Liu Hongqing and Yanjun Guo and Lili Cong and Yitong Chen and Jinsheng Li and Wei Tang and Shuo Li and Qibo Tao and Haixia Wang and Lichao Ma and Aihua Wang and Xueli Wu and Maofeng Chai and Shangzhi Zhong and Lanlan Ding and Yufang Xu and Fuhong Miao and GERMAN C. SPANGENBERG and Zeng‐Yu Wang and J Y Sun},
journal = {Communications Earth \& Environment},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1038/s43247-026-03688-5},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03688-5},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Global and regional soil salinization drives bacterial diversity loss and biogeochemical imbalance
AU - Chao Yang
AU - Qian Zhang
AU - Mengmeng Diao
AU - Guofeng Yang
AU - Liu Hongqing
AU - Yanjun Guo
AU - Lili Cong
AU - Yitong Chen
AU - Jinsheng Li
AU - Wei Tang
AU - Shuo Li
AU - Qibo Tao
AU - Haixia Wang
AU - Lichao Ma
AU - Aihua Wang
AU - Xueli Wu
AU - Maofeng Chai
AU - Shangzhi Zhong
AU - Lanlan Ding
AU - Yufang Xu
AU - Fuhong Miao
AU - GERMAN C. SPANGENBERG
AU - Zeng‐Yu Wang
AU - J Y Sun
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/10
JO - Communications Earth & Environment
DO - 10.1038/s43247-026-03688-5
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03688-5
AB - Soil salinization threatens ecosystem health, yet quantitative impacts on bacterial diversity and function remain unclear. Here we integrate a global meta-analysis with a regional field study. Salinization increased soil pH (2.9%) and bulk density (7.2%) while reducing clay content (28%). Beyond a threshold of 2.58 dS/m, bacterial Shannon diversity declined nonlinearly and richness decreased sharply. Communities shifted toward salt-tolerant Bacteroidetes (36.4% increase) and Firmicutes (34.2%), while sensitive Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria declined (95.3% and 18.3%). Random forest modeling identified sodium and magnesium ions as primary drivers. Functional gene analysis revealed nonlinear decreases in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling genes past thresholds, but sulfur cycling genes were stimulated. Co-occurrence networks indicate environmental filtering and reduced complexity under salt stress, yet carbon metabolic functions maintain high connectivity, suggesting functional persistence among salt-adapted taxa. Collectively, salinization restructures bacterial communities via niche-based assembly ion-nutrient-physical interactions, creating microbial critical transition threshold for predicting ecosystem stimulation. Soil salinization restructures bacterial communities via biochemical changes such as elevated iron concentrations, increased pH and bulk density, and reduced clay content, based on global meta-analysis with a high-resolution regional investigation.
SN - 2662-4435
ER -