Impact of Large-Scale Afforestation on Surface Temperature: A Case Study in the Kubuqi Desert, Inner Mongolia Based on the WRF Model

Actinotalea soli sp. nov., isolated from Kubuqi Desert soil

A Gram-stain positive, facultatively anaerobic, motile rod-shaped strain, BY-33^T, was isolated from a soil sample obtained from the Kubuqi Desert, PR China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity revealed that strain BY-33^T was most closely related to the genus Actinotalea, including Actinotalea ferrariae CF5-4^T (98.2 % similarity), 'Actinotalea subterranea' HO-Ch2^T (98.0 %), Actinotalea solisilvae THG-T121^T (97.6 %), 'Actinotalea bogoriensis' 69B4^T (97.5 %), Actinotalea fermentans M^T (97.3 %) and 'Actinotalea carbonis' T26^T (97.0 %). The strain grew at 0‒37 °C (optimum, 28-30 °C) and pH 6.0-11.0 (optimum, pH 9.0-10.0) and with 0‒8.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3.0%) on tryptic soy agar. It had catalase activity, but no oxidase activity. The polar lipids of strain BY-33^T contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylinositol mannosides. The major respiratory quinone of strain BY-33^T was MK-10 (H₄). Its major fatty acids were anteiso-C_15 : 0, anteiso-C_15 : 1 A and C_16 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain BY-33^T was 73.0 mol% based on total genome calculations. The average nucleotide identity scores between the genomic sequences of strain BY-33^T and the other species of the genus Actinotalea were found to be low (ANIm <85.0 %, ANIb <77.0 % and OrthoANIu <78.0 %). Furthermore, the digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between strain BY-33^T and the closely related species ranged from 20.5 to 21.0% and from 62.2 to 72.2 %, respectively. Based on the results of phylogenetic, phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses, it is concluded that strain BY-33^T represents a novel species within the genus Actinotalea, for which the name Actinotalea soli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BY-33^T (=CGMCC 1.17460^T=KCTC 49362^T).

Sutcliffiella deserti sp. nov., isolated from desert soil

A Gram-stain-positive, facultative anaerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterial strain, DG-18T, was isolated from desert soil sampled at the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia, China. Strain DG-18T grew at 4–40 °C (optimum, 25–30 °C), at pH 8.0–10.0 (optimum, pH 9.0) and with 0–8.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 2.0%). 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed strain DG-18T within the genus Sutcliffiella of the family Bacillaceae with Sutcliffiella halmapala DSM 8723T (98.2%), Sutcliffiella zhanjiangensis JSM 099021T (97.6%), Sutcliffiella horikoshii DSM 8719T (97.4%), Sutcliffiella catenulata 18CT (96.6 %) and Sutcliffiella cohnii NBRC 15565T (96.5%) as its closest relatives. The major respiratory quinone of strain DG-18T was MK-7 and the major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. Its major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 1  ω10c. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain DG-18T was 38.7 mol% based on total genome calculations. The average nucleotide identity score between the genomic sequence of strain DG-18T and that of S. halmapala DSM 8723T was 76.7 %. The Genome-to-Genome Distance Calculator showed that the DNA–DNA hybridization value for strain DG-18T and S. halmapala DSM 8723T was 21.8%. Based on the polyphasic taxonomic data, strain DG-18T represents a novel species of the genus Sutcliffiella , for which the name Sutcliffiella deserti sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DG-18T (=GDMCC 1.17773T=KCTC 43170T).