Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculum and N2-fixing plants in ecological reclamation of arid mining areas: nutrient limitation of the moss biocrust microbiome

Yun Guo; Yinli Bi; Puning Li; Tao Liu; Li Xiao; Peter Christie

doi:10.1007/s11356-024-35041-8

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculum and N₂-fixing plants in ecological reclamation of arid mining areas: nutrient limitation of the moss biocrust microbiome

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Oct 10. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-35041-8. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yun Guo¹, Yinli Bi^#^{2

3

4}, Puning Li^{5

6}, Tao Liu¹, Li Xiao^{5

6}, Peter Christie^{1

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China. ylbi88@126.com.
³ College of Geology and Environment, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China. ylbi88@126.com.
⁴ Institute of Ecological Environment Restoration in Mine Areas of West China, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China. ylbi88@126.com.
⁵ College of Geology and Environment, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China.
⁶ Institute of Ecological Environment Restoration in Mine Areas of West China, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 39384675
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-35041-8

Abstract

Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry can reflect the ability of soil microorganisms to acquire energy and nutrients and to determine their response to environmental stresses. However, the drivers of metabolic limitation of the moss biocrust microbiome during the ecological restoration of coal mining areas are poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, enzymatic stoichiometry modeling and high-throughput sequencing were used to simultaneously determine moss biocrust microbial metabolic limitation and its relationship with moss biocrust nutrients and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) diversity in five arid and semi-arid revegetation types (Hippophae rhamnoides, Amorpha fruticosa, Cerasus humilis, Cerasus szechuanica, and Xanthoceras sorbifolium) and two microbial treatments (AMF-inoculated and uninoculated). The activities of moss biocrust carbon (C)-, nitrogen (N)-, and phosphorus (P)-acquiring enzymes and organic carbon fractions in the AMF-inoculated treatment were significantly higher than those in the uninoculated control. Moss biocrust microbial community C and P limitations were observed in the five revegetation types, with lower limitation in general in the AMF-inoculated treatment. Dinitrogen-fixing plants (Amorpha fruticosa and Hippophae rhamnoides) significantly mitigated moss biocrust microbiome C and P limitation, especially in the AMF-inoculated treatment. Furthermore, partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) shows that moss biocrust organic carbon fractions (- 0.73 and - 0.81 of the total effects, respectively) and AMF diversity (- 0.73 and - 0.81 of the total effects) had negative effect on microbial C and P limitation, suggesting that more efficient active nutrients and AMF diversity are important factors alleviating limitation of moss biocrust microbial metabolism. This indicates that moss biocrust microbial communities under N₂-fixing species with AMF inoculation were more stable under environmental stress; thus, AMF inoculation and/or N₂-fixing plants may be recommended as preferred options for the ecological restoration of arid mining areas.

Keywords: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Coal mining area; Extracellular enzyme activity; Microbial metabolic limitation; Moss biocrusts; Vegetation recovery.

Abstract

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