Effects of Different Native Plants on Soil Remediation and Microbial Diversity in Jiulong Iron Tailings Area, Jiangxi

Abstract

Phytoremediation is an important solution to heavy metal pollution in soil. However, the impact of plants on microbial communities in contaminated soil also requires attention. Community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) based on the Biolog™ EcoPlate and high-throughput sequencing were used to study the soil microbial community in this article. The rhizosphere and bulk soil samples of six native species were collected from the iron mine tailings on Jiulong Mountain, Jiangxi Province. According to the average well color development (AWCD), all plants improved the activity and diversity of the contaminated soil microbial community to varying degrees. Cunninghamia lanceolate is considered to have good effects and led to the appearance of Cunninghamia lanceolata > Zelkova schneideriana > Toona ciliata > Alnus cremastogyne > Cyclobalanopsis myrsinifolia > Pinus elliottii. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index and principal component analysis (PCA) show that the evenness and dominance of soil microbial communities of several plants are structurally similar to those of uncontaminated soil (UNS). The results of high-throughput sequencing indicated that the bacterial community diversity of C. lanceolata, A. cremastogyne, and P. elliottii is similar to UNS, while fungal community diversity is different from UNS. C. lanceolata has a better effect on soil nutrients, C. myrsinifolia and P. elliottii may have a better effect on decreasing the Cu content. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of native plants on microbial communities in soils and the soil remediation capacity. Mortierellomycota was the key species for native plants to regulate Cu and microbial community functions. Native plants have decisive influence on microbial community diversity.

Mulching in lowland hay meadows drives an adaptive convergence of above- and below-ground traits reducing plasticity and improving biomass: A possible tool for enhancing phytoremediation

“…Finally, and more importantly, the mulching treatment seems to favor the development of a higher number of metal-tolerant plant species, which in turn could enhance the phytoremediation of polluted soils. Our findings thus indicate that the mulching practice can be a suitable method for the remediation of heavy metal-polluted soils, confirming comparable observations in forest soils (Kiikkilä et al, 2001) and the high potential of native plants for phytoremediation (Nouri et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2022). All together these findings led us to partially support our fourth hypothesis.…”

Biochemical, Catabolic, and PGP Activity of Microbial Communities and Bacterial Strains from the Root Zone of Baccharis linearis in a Mediterranean Mine Tailing

“…The Cu content and pH in the bulk samples were similar to those reported by Ginocchio et al [19] for mine tailings in a closely located area within the same study area. The total contents of Fe and Cu, as well as the available Zn, were lower in the root zone compared to the bulk soil, which is similar to that reported in the literature when assessing Cu and Zn contents in the rhizosphere and bulk soil in mine tailings [12,13]. Contrarily, Ginocchio et al [59] reported higher Cu content beneath B. linearis shrubs in metal(loid) contaminated soils, attributing it to the physical retention of metal-enriched particles by the plant leaves.…”

“…Numerous studies have reported the presence of microbial groups in mine tailings, particularly in the rhizosphere of different plant species, which play roles in essential ecological processes [11]. Several studies have found a prevalence of Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, and other taxa in various mine tailings, exhibiting advantageous traits for plant growth and development [11][12][13]. In this context, microbial communities act as pioneer colonizers, playing pivotal roles in elemental transformation, carbon and nitrogen fixation, and the enhancement of mineral soil fertility and plant growth [14].…”

Review on the Impact of Iron Tailings on the Environment and Its Prevention and Control Strategies

“…Soil pollution occurs when pollutants accumulate in the soil, surpassing its self-purification ability [29]. Various forms of soil pollution arise from mineral resource development, including heavy metal pollution, organic matter pollution, solid waste pollution, and nuclear pollution.…”