About this Research Topic
As an important part of the terrestrial ecosystem, arid regions occupy approximately 41% of the global land area and are characterized by scarce precipitation and poor soil. These regions are not only ecologically fragile but also sensitive to regional ecological perturbations in response to climate change. Microbes play a crucial role as catalysts in nutrient cycles and energy transfers across different ecosystems. However, little is known about the dynamics of microbial communities, their ecological functions, and their environmental adaptations in arid and semiarid environments under the influence of climate change. Therefore, exploring and utilizing microbial resources in arid regions, such as northwest and northeast China, Central Asia, and North/South Africa, is crucial to understanding their distribution patterns and ecological adaptations.
This Research Topic aims to gather contributions from scientists interested in evaluating microbial communities, distribution dynamics, biogeochemical cycling, environmental adaptations, and microbial cultivation techniques across various spatial and temporal scales. This topic encompasses a range of environments, including deserts, arid soils, saline and alkaline soils, mining areas, and the rhizosphere soils of desert plants.
This Research Topic welcomes the submission of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods and Perspective articles.
Subjects of interest encompass, but are not limited to:
• Microbial communities and diversity, assessed through both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods
• Ecological functions, such as the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), microplastics, phenols, and antibiotics, as well as the production of exopolysaccharides, ectoine, etc.
• Elemental cycling, including but not limited to carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, iron, and arsenic
• Microbial adaptation and evolution, with a focus on drought tolerance, alkali resistance, and salt tolerance
This Research Topic aims to gather contributions from scientists interested in evaluating microbial communities, distribution dynamics, biogeochemical cycling, environmental adaptations, and microbial cultivation techniques across various spatial and temporal scales. This topic encompasses a range of environments, including deserts, arid soils, saline and alkaline soils, mining areas, and the rhizosphere soils of desert plants.
This Research Topic welcomes the submission of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods and Perspective articles.
Subjects of interest encompass, but are not limited to:
• Microbial communities and diversity, assessed through both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods
• Ecological functions, such as the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), microplastics, phenols, and antibiotics, as well as the production of exopolysaccharides, ectoine, etc.
• Elemental cycling, including but not limited to carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, iron, and arsenic
• Microbial adaptation and evolution, with a focus on drought tolerance, alkali resistance, and salt tolerance
Keywords: Prokaryotic Microbes, Biogeochemical Cycle, Environmental Adaptation, Microbial Cultivation, Arid Region
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
