Dynamic interplay of plant and water availability on the desert soil microbiome
This study investigated how vegetation and watering treatments affect desert soil microbial communities during early re-vegetation efforts. Researchers applied generalized LotkaVolterra models to timeseries sequencing data of bacteria and fungi. They found that vegetation had a stronger impact on microbial diversity and composition than water alone. At the phylum level, community patterns remained relatively stable, but genus level changes were highly treatment specific. When both vegetation and water were present, microbial networks became more connected, with more commensal and mutualistic interactions. In contrast, vegetation without watering increased competition among microbes. These results suggest that combining watering with beneficial microbial inoculants during planting can promote positive interactions and help seedlings establish in arid soils.