Changes in soil microbial community structure during the transformation from native soil to alfalfa cultivation soil in the Kunlun Mountain sand area, Xinjiang

Biologically, alfalfa cultivation is considered an effective method for improving desertified and degraded soils. However, it remains unclear how this effect occurs in high-altitude desertified soil environments and how soil and plant microorganisms assemble when the host plants of native soil are replaced. In this study, we examined whether the shift from native soil to alfalfa soil affected the community composition of soil microorganisms and whether it led to changes in microbial diversity.