A plant species persisting under desertification is associated with a distinct rhizosphere bacterial community

Desertification challenges the dryland environments and strongly influences soil microbial communities and plant establishment. However, some plant species persist in soils under desertification, potentially maintaining localized microbial niches. This study evaluated the bacterial community associated with the rhizosphere of Cuphea cf. micrantha naturally growing in soil under desertification for three decades in Gilbués, Piauí, Brazil. Bacterial communities were characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and compared between rhizosphere and surrounding desertified soil. Although bacterial richness and Shannon diversity did not differ between compartments, community composition clearly separated between soil and rhizosphere. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes dominated both compartments, whereas several bacterial genera were differentially enriched in the rhizosphere, including Massilia, Acinetobacter, Rubrobacter, Streptomyces, Pseudonocardia, and Bradyrhizobium . In contrast, only Bacillus and Ramlibacter were enriched in desertified soil. Rhizosphere bacterial networks were more complex and contained a higher proportion of specialist taxa than soil networks. These findings show that C. cf. micrantha was associated with a distinct rhizosphere bacterial community in an area affected by prolonged and severe desertification. The rhizosphere of naturally surviving plants may therefore function as a localized biological refuge, potentially contributing to ecosystem resilience and representing a microbial starting point for the recovery of severely degraded drylands.