Soil Salinity and Physicochemical Drivers of Microbial Community Composition in the Desiccated Aral Sea Bed
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/mjfas.v22n2.4904Keywords:
Soil salinity, physicochemical properties, microbial community structure, desiccated Aral Sea bed, soil formation, arid saline soilsAbstract
For more than six decades following the desiccation of the Aral Sea, soil formation processes on the exposed seabed have undergone continuous development, leading to pronounced changes in physicochemical and biological properties. This study evaluates the influence of soil salinity and physicochemical parameters on microbial communities in newly formed soils of the dried Aral Sea bed. The investigated soils exhibited moderate to high salinity (EC 6.2–8.2 mS cm⁻¹) and slightly alkaline conditions (pH/H₂O 7.7–8.9), with low organic carbon (0.20–0.39%) and humus contents (0.35–0.68%). Carbonate and sulfate–chloride salts predominated, while soil textures ranged from heavy to light. Microbiological analyses indicated the ubiquitous presence of ammonifying and humus-decomposing microorganisms, whereas phosphate-solubilizing and oligonitrophilic bacteria were mainly associated with moderately saline soils. Actinomycetes and micromycetes were detected only sporadically. Statistical analyses revealed a strong positive correlation between electrical conductivity and soil pH (r = 0.85, p < 0.01), while most microbial indicators showed negative relationships with salinity and alkalinity. These results demonstrate that soil salinity and pH are key environmental drivers constraining microbial diversity and activity during early soil development in arid, saline post-lacustrine ecosystems.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Zafarjon Jabbarov, Tokhtasin Abdrakhmanov, Shokhrukh Abdullaev, Urol Nomozov, Husniddin Karimov, Dilafruz Makhkamova, Nurmukhammad Zafarjonov; Ilhomjon Aslanov
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