Molecular Soil Biology 2024, Vol.15, No.1, 17-27 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/msb 20 comprehensive analysis of microbial communities and their functions. By understanding the native microbial communities in saline-alkali soils, researchers can identify key microbial players and their interactions, which can then be mimicked or enhanced in SynComs (Shi et al., 2019). 2.3 Advantages of using SynComs for soil health restoration The use of SynComs offers several advantages for the restoration of soil health in saline-alkali environments, Enhanced microbial diversity and functionality (Figure 2), SynComs can be designed to include a diverse array of microbial species, each contributing unique functions that collectively enhance soil health. For instance, the inclusion of bacteria that produce plant growth-promoting hormones, degrade organic pollutants, or fix nitrogen can lead to improved soil fertility and structure. SynComs can be tailored to address specific soil health issues, such as salinity, alkalinity, or heavy metal contamination. By incorporating microorganisms that are specifically adapted to these stressors, SynComs can more effectively remediate contaminated soils (Zhang et al., 2021). SynComs offer a biological solution to soil health restoration that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. The use of naturally occurring or genetically modified microorganisms reduces the need for chemical inputs and minimizes the risk of secondary pollution. Figure 2 Maximizing SynCom diversity by adjusting the initial proportion of the community (Adopted from Coker et al., 2022) Image caption: A) Representation of the 11 community starting ratios used in this study, including relative (top) and absolute (bottom) abundance. (B) Shannon diversity index for each community ratio, 2 and 6 days combined. (C) PCA of robust Aitchison distances between communities at different starting ratios. (D) Number of sequencing reads per sample passing quality filtering for PMA- and mock-treated conditions (Student’s t-test; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001). (E) PCA of Aitchison distances between PMA- and mock-treated communities. (F) Heatmap of taxonomic composition of the five community ratios after 16 h of growth (Adopted from
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