Salinity drives niche differentiation of soil bacteria and archaea in Hetao Plain, China

Soil salinization is a critical environmental issue that limits plant productivity and disrupts ecosystem functions. As important indicators of soil environment, soil microbes play essential roles in driving nutrient cycling and sustaining ecosystem services. Therefore, understanding how microbial communities and their functional potentials respond to varying levels of soil salinization across different land use types is crucial for the restoration and management of salt-affected ecosystems. In this study, we randomly selected 63 sites across the Hetao Plain, covering an area of ∼2500 km