Variations of soil biochemical properties and fungal diversity in alpine coal mine residue hills during vegetation restoration

Abstract:

[Objective] To study the variations of soil fungal diversity in the coal mine residue hills with vegetation restored for different years.[Methods] We selected the soil on the coal mine reside hills of Jiangcang Mine with different planting years (2, 4, and 6 years) as the research object, measured the soil chemical property and enzyme activity, and used high-throughput sequencing methods to measure the soil fungal diversity. [Results] As the duration of restoration increased, significant differences were observed in soil pH, total potassium, and organic matter. The activities of enzymes such as sucrase, urease, catalase, and phosphatase gradually increased, which enhanced the fungal richness and diversity in soil. The variations were more obvious after four years of restoration. The fungi were primarily dominated by Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, with saprophytic fungi accounting for 43.2%–89.7%. Nitrogen content and soil enzyme activity were the key factors influencing fungal diversity in the grasslands of the coal mine area in Jiangcang. [Conclusion] Vegetation restoration can improve the chemical properties and fungal diversity in soil.