Wuliangsuhai soil metagene sequencing

This study provided concrete evidence that salinization of inland wetlands significantly changed the relative abundance of microbial communities and functional genes related to carbon cycling, and that the organic carbon cycling patterns observed under different salinities were different. Our analysis showed that salinization would affect the utilization of organic carbon by microorganisms, and the relative abundance of degradation genes for easily degradable organic carbon was higher at low salinity, while the abundance of degradation genes for recalcitrant organic carbon was higher at high salinity. It was worth noting that soil salinization increased the effect of carbon cycle-related gene on soil organic carbon, and the response of soil organic carbon to carbon degradation genes was higher in medium salinity, while the effect of carbon fixation genes was greater in high salinity soil. In contrast, the carbon fixation genes in high-salinity soils were most affected by TP, and the effects of TP on carbon degradation genes were higher in medium- and low-salinity soils, which emphasized the key role of TP in soil organic carbon fixation in high-salinity soils. Our findings advocate revealing the carbon sequestration process from a microscopic perspective, optimizing carbon sequestration in extreme environments, and highlighting the ability and influencing factors of organic carbon sequestration in high-salinity wetland soils.