Microbial Dynamics in Desert Ecosystems
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 686
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Desert ecosystems are an important component of terrestrial ecosystems. Microbial communities drive the material cycling and energy flow in desert systems and determine the sustainability of the net primary productivity of desert systems. Globally, desert areas often feature vast desert belts spanning large areas. Against the background of climate change, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, drought and desertification have seriously threatened the regional living environment. During the long-term process of desert adaptation, desert microorganisms adapt to environmental changes and drive the feedback effects of desert systems. Therefore, understanding the distribution and pattern of desert microbial communities is of great significance for us to deeply understand the ecological processes of desertification.
Microorganisms are surprisingly rich and diverse in desert ecosystems around the world. In these environments, microorganisms have to endure various physical and chemical stresses, including low water potential, carbon and nitrogen deficiency, and extreme temperatures. These extensive and extreme ecological adaptations are closely related to the strategies of desert microorganisms such as dormancy, energy reserves, and energy collection. As a core component of desert ecosystems, desert microorganisms participate in important ecological processes within regional ecosystems, can quickly sense changes in environmental factors, reflect changes in environmental quality and ecosystem function, and thus can be used to evaluate ecosystem stability and improve ecological functions. In this Special Issue, we further explore the important role of desert microorganisms from aspects such as the distribution characteristics, physiological and ecological adaptations, community diversity, and influencing factors of desert microorganisms in arid and semi-arid regions, with the aim of providing references for the application of desert microorganisms in ecological restoration in this region and looking forward to future research directions.
For this Special Issue, we welcome submissions of reviews, articles (original research), communications, and perspectives on topics including, but not limited to, the following:
- Diversity, functions, and environmental drivers of microbial communities in different habitats of deserts such as soil, plants, and seeds.
- Responses and adaptation strategies of desert microbial communities to drought characteristics.
- Primary and secondary metabolism in microbial physiology, growth, and survival of organisms within the desert environment.
- Desert microbiomes in a changing world, and microbially influenced global changes.
Dr. Xiaoying Rong
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- microbial diversity
- drought
- arid and semiarid regions
- adaptation
- functional regulation
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
