show Abstracthide AbstractThe study area is located in the Altun Shan National Nature Reserve on the northern edge of the QTP in China. From 2019 to 2021, we sampled four high-altitude pristine saline lakes in the Altun mountain (Lake Aqqikkol, Lake Ayakkum, Lake Jingyu and Lake Wusuxiao) multiple times. The sampling period covered the entire year, including April, July, October and November. The study will improve our current understanding of the prokaryotic community in previously uncharacterized high-altitude pristine saline lakes.