Hot desert microbial community Targeted loci environmental

The temporal dynamics of desert soil microbial communities has rarely been investigated. Here, we sampled soils in the central Namib Desert on sixteen different occasions over one year period. Using Illumina-based amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, we found that ?-diversity (richness) was most variable at a given sampling date (spatial variability) than over the course of one year (temporal variability). Community composition remained unchanged across the first 10 months, indicating that spatial sampling might be more important than temporal sampling when assessing ?-diversity patterns in the Namib. Nevertheless, a major shift in microbial community composition was found following a precipitation event. This shift in composition increased CO2 respiration and productivity, corroborating that desert soil microbial communities can resuscitate quickly from dormancy. A better understanding of microbial community stability and its implications for ecosystem functioning are crucial under a global change scenario.