Microbial community dynamics and network restructuring in sandy soil following inoculation with a designed microalgae-bacteria synthetic consortium

This study employed amplicon sequencing to investigate how a rationally designed microalgae-bacteria synthetic community (SynCom) reshapes the indigenous soil microbiome, thereby enhancing sandy soil multifunctionality and wind erosion resistance. The SynCom consisted of Microcoleus vaginatus (cyanobacterium), Bacillus thuringiensis NL-11 (plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium), and Pseudomonas sp. NLX-4 (mineral-solubilizing bacterium). Soil samples were collected from a microcosm experiment with eight inoculation treatments: sterile water control (CK), three single-strain inoculations (M, NL11, NLX4), three dual-strain inoculations (NL11_M, NLX4_M, NL11_NLX4), and the full three-strain SynCom (NL11_NLX4_M), each with six biological replicates.