Succession of Microbial Communities in Waste Soils of an Iron Mine in Eastern China

Abstract

The reclamation of mine dump is largely centered on the role played by microorganisms. However, the succession of microbial community structure and function in ecological restoration of the mine soils is still poorly understood. In this study, soil samples with different stacking time were collected from the dump of an iron mine in China and the physicochemical characteristics and microbial communities of these samples were comparatively investigated. The results showed that the fresh bare samples had the lowest pH, highest ion concentration, and were the most deficient in nutrients while the acidity and ion concentration of old bare samples decreased significantly, and the nutritional conditions improved remarkably. Vegetated samples had the weakest acidity, lowest ion concentration, and the highest nutrient concentration. In the fresh mine soils, the iron/sulfur-oxidizers such as Acidiferrobacter and Sulfobacillus were dominant, resulting in the strongest acidity. Bacteria from genera Acidibacter, Metallibacterium, and phyla Cyanobacteria, WPS-2 were abundant in the old bare samples, which contributed to the pH increase and TOC accumulation respectively. Acidobacteriota predominated in the vegetated samples and promoted nutrient enrichment and plant growth significantly. The microbial diversity and evenness of the three types of soils increased gradually, with more complex microbial networks, suggesting that the microbial community became more mature with time and microorganisms co-evolved with the mine soils.

Microbial features of mature and abandoned soils in refractory clay deposits

“…In our research Bradyrhizobium was found in mature soil. In acid fresh mine soils, the iron/sulfur-oxidizers such as Acidiferrobacter and Sulfobacillus were reported [ 44 ].…”

Functional diversity of microbial communities in herbaceous vegetation patches in coal mine heaps

“…The belowground microbial functional diversity is determined by dynamic, multi‐level interactions occurring between soil microbes, plants (mainly roots and biomass), and other organisms (e.g., mezofauna and endophytes). The greater the plant biodiversity, the greater the heterogeneity of organic compounds delivered to the soil, leading to a higher taxonomic and functional diversity of soil microorganisms (Ezeokoli et al, 2020; Kane et al, 2020; Kompała‐Bąba et al, 2021; Woźniak et al, 2023; Zhang et al, 2021).…”

“…Knowledge about the pioneer microorganisms accompanying the early stages of vegetation succession on the coal mine heaps is scarce. Due to adverse physicochemical and nutritional conditions, the first colonizers are photosynthetic algae, chemolithotrophic and extremophilic bacteria, and methanogenic archaea (Bąba et al, 2016; Patel & Behera, 2011; Rahmonov et al, 2022; Wang et al, 2018; Woźniak, 2010; Woźniak et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2021). Together with organic particles and seeds brought by the wind, animals, and humans, these pioneer microorganisms might be the source of soil organic carbon for saprophytic chemoorganotrophs (Li et al, 2015; Urbanová et al, 2011; Zhang et al, 2021).…”

“…Due to adverse physicochemical and nutritional conditions, the first colonizers are photosynthetic algae, chemolithotrophic and extremophilic bacteria, and methanogenic archaea (Bąba et al, 2016; Patel & Behera, 2011; Rahmonov et al, 2022; Wang et al, 2018; Woźniak, 2010; Woźniak et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2021). Together with organic particles and seeds brought by the wind, animals, and humans, these pioneer microorganisms might be the source of soil organic carbon for saprophytic chemoorganotrophs (Li et al, 2015; Urbanová et al, 2011; Zhang et al, 2021). Eventually, the occurrence of microbial communities and the accumulation of fine material by weathering, provide the conditions for the germination of propagules of pioneer plant species (Harantová et al, 2017; Kompała‐Bąba et al, 2019; Rahmonov et al, 2022; Woźniak et al, 2015).…”

Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, Russia

“…The microbial communities present there are dominated by the genera Acidiferrobacter and Sulfobacillus. In old bare samples, Acidibacter, Metallibacterium, and Cyanobacteria are abundant, while the phylum Acidobacteriota prevails in the vegetated samples and promotes nutrient enrichment and plant growth significantly [13]. The assessment of the microbiological and chemical spatial distribution within two tailing basins from a tungsten mine has shown that the tailings sediments core microbiome contained members of the family Anaerolineacea and the following genera: Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Cellulomonas, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, and Rothia [14].…”