[Soil microflora characteristics under different vegetation patches in a desert steppe of Ning-xia, Northwest China.]

Vegetation patch is one of the most basic characteristics of natural grazing grassland. To explore the effects of vegetation patch on soil microbial community, the changes of soil microbial biomass and community structure under four different vegetation patches in Ningxia desert steppe were quantified using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. The results showed that: 1) Soil microbial groups were abundant in vegetation patches, with the highest bacterial content, low fungal and actinomycete content, and the Gram-positive bacteria content being higher than that of Gram-negative bacteria in the patches of the four plant communities; 2) The total soil microbial biomass of Glycyrrhiza uralensis patch was significantly higher than that of Artemisia scoparia, Sophora alopecuroides, and Astragalus melilotoides patches; 3) Total PLFAs, Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, anaerobic bacteria and fungi/bacteria were significantly positively correlated with soil organic C, and significantly negatively correlated with soil pH, indicating that soil organic C and pH were important factors affecting the growth and development of soil microorganisms in desert steppe.