Diversity of eukaryotic micro-organisms and changes in the dominant fungal taxa composition in relationship with soil environment in the Ebinur Lake wetland

Abstract

Four different soil layers in three sampling sites in the Bortala and Jinghe River basins of the Ebinur Lake Wetland Nature Reserve were collected at different time points during April, July and October in 2012. The sampling sites were: the main inlet lake of the Jinghe River in the Lake District of the Bird Island Protection Station (SP1), the meadows of the Bird Appreciation Station near the main inlet lake in Bole (SP2) and the salt works in the overflow area of the main inlet lake in Jinghe (SP3). The diversity and phylogenetic analyses of the 18S rDNA sequences of eukaryotic micro-organisms were performed using DGGE. The diversity of eukaryotic micro-organisms and the correlation between community composition and soil environment factors were analysed using the SPSS software. The diversity index calculated using the DGGE analysis showed the following pattern: SP1> SP3 > SP2. The community composition of eukaryotic micro-organisms in the Ebinur Lake wetland was different in the Jinghe and Bortala River basins. In this wetland, the diversity of eukaryotic micro-organisms was mainly affected by the extent of soil fertility: the higher the soil fertility, the lower the eukaryotic microbial diversity. In contrast, the barren soils were associated with higher microbial diversity. Since the soil nutrients present in the Ebinur Lake wetland were low, the wetland fertility was also low. The community composition of eukaryotic micro-organisms in the Ebinur Lake wetland was mainly affected by the soil water content, pH, salinity, nutrient content and presence of heavy metal ions.

Keywords

• Ebinur Lake wetland
• soil eukaryotic micro-organisms
• environmental factors
• denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE)