Soil microbial community dynamics in response to Tamarix ramosissima afforestation in desert lands: Metagenomic insights

Abstract Understanding the influence of afforestation on soil microorganisms, the major drivers of soil processes, is essential for maintaining soil health and sustainability. However, in a desert‐oasis ecotone, variations in the microbial community along shrub afforestation years remain unclear. We conducted a metagenomic analysis to study the temporal changes in microbial community structure in 0–100 cm soil following 3‐, 7‐, and 10‐year afforestation of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert. Compared to the unreclaimed desert land, in 3‐year or 7‐year stands, soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrate nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium (AK) contents significantly increased on average by 60%, 852%, 72%, and 299%, respectively. Soil archaeal and bacterial community composition were significantly affected by afforestation; their α‐diversity increased on average by 5.9% and 11.1%, respectively, after afforestation, showing a unimodal pattern along afforestation years. In contrast, fungal α‐diversity and community composition did not show significant variation over the afforestation period. The influence of AK outweighed that of SOC and other nutrients on soil microbial community composition. These findings suggest that T. ramosissima afforestation in the desert‐oasis ecotone has significant impacts on the community composition and α‐diversity of archaea and bacteria, but not fungi, by modifying soil physicochemical properties. This research provides valuable implications for soil management and microbial processes related to the afforestation of salt‐secreting shrubs.