Revealing the characteristics of myxobacterial communities in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils of halophytic plants following wetland degradation using high-throughput sequencing

Myxobacteria represent a distinct group in soil microbial communities, with their predatory capabilities playing a vital role in regulating and stabilizing these communities. However, the characteristics of myxobacterial communities in the soils of Karelinia caspia (KC), a halophytic plant growing in degraded wetlands, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated myxobacterial communities in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils from nine KC’ sampling sites in saline-alkaline land formed after wetland degradation using high-throughput sequencing. A total of 486 myxobacterial ASVs were identified from both rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil samples, comprising 2.68% of the total bacterial community. The dominant genera at the genus level were Unclassified_g_bacteriap25 and Haliangium. FAPROTAX functional predictions indicated that myxobacteria in rhizosphere soils performed various ecological functions, such as predation, organic matter decomposition, and cellulose degradation, while in non-rhizosphere soils, they primarily displayed predatory functions. The high proportion of unclassified functions suggests that many aspects of myxobacteria in soil remain unexplored. Correlation analysis showed that electrical conductivity, soil moisture, and total nitrogen significantly affected myxobacterial diversity and abundance. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed multiple associations between myxobacteria and other bacterial groups, highlighting their crucial role in maintaining the dynamic equilibrium of soil bacterial communities. These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between microbial community dynamics and environmental factors, laying a strong foundation for future research in soil microbial ecology and conservation strategies.