Distribution and diversity of organisms in tomb soil excavated in the laboratory: a case study of tomb M88 from Sujialong Cultural Property, China

Abstract

Microbial communities in tomb soil change during archaeological excavation, and these changes can accelerate the deterioration of buried heritage. In this study, a high-throughput sequencing method was used to analyze the soil microbial diversity of tomb M88 from the Sujialong Cultural Property after careful excavation in the laboratory. The phylum of Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Ascomycota predominated in the tomb soil, and the dominant genera, Pseudarthrobacter, Penicillium, and Cladosporium, showed the potential to degrade residual relics in the tomb soil. These findings will help to explore the process of microbial degradation in buried heritage during long-term archaeological excavation and improve careful excavation procedures in the laboratory for further conservation. Additionally, numerous plant species were identified in the tomb soil, and most of the plants belonged to the native vegetation species. However, the identified dominant species, Glycine, Angelica, and Hippophae, should be from residual heritage rather than native species, which may provide clues for the study of funeral customs and cultural exchange in the Zeng State.