Abstract:Objective To investigate the structural characteristics of microbial communities in the soil samples with varying salt types and their associations with salt ions, thus laying a theoretical foundation for the amelioration of saline-alkali soil.Methods Soil samples were collected from three regions: Shijiazhuang (LC), Hengshui (SZ), and Cangzhou (HX) at 38°N. The total soluble salt content (TSS), salt ions, enzyme activities, and microbial community structures were measured. Mantel analysis was performed to examine the correlations between soil salt characteristics and microbial community structures.Results In the LC, SZ, and HX regions, the levels of soil electric conductivity, TSS, Na+, Cl-, SO42-, and NO3- showed a significant increasing trend, while the activities of four soil enzymes (invertase, alkaline phosphate, urease, and catalase) exhibited significant decreases, indicating that nutrient cycling was inhibited in saline-alkali soil. The β diversity of bacteria and fungi exhibited significant differences among the soil samples of three salt types. The α diversity of both bacteria and fungi in SZ showed significant differences from that in LC. In HX, the abundance of halophilic phyla such as Gemmatimonadota and Myxococcota, as well as the taxa with the function of ureolysis, significantly increased, while that of nitrogen-fixing taxa decreased. Mantel analysis indicated that salt ions such as Na+ and Cl- had significantly negative correlations with microbial community composition but positive correlations with halophilic bacteria, such as Gemmatimonadota.Conclusion Microbial communities in the soil samples with different salt types exhibited significant differences. Salt ions drove structural changes of microbial communities in soil by inhibiting non-halophilic microorganisms and selectively enriching halophilic species. The alterations in microbial communities and the reduction in soil enzyme activities are key factors contributing to the impairment of nutrient cycling and supply in saline-alkali soil. This study lays a theoretical foundation for the regulation of key microbial populations in the amelioration of saline-alkali soil.