Microbial diversity of archaeological ruins of Liangzhu City and its correlation with environmental factors

Abstract

The official listing of the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City as a World Heritage site on July 6, 2019 marked a new milestone in the conservation of earthen ruins. Nevertheless, the problem of microbial deterioration at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City should not be ignored. To address the conservation issues for earthen archaeological ruins, we collected microbial and soil samples from different sites at various seasons, for microbial diversity analysis and correlation analysis with soil physicochemical properties. The results showed that diversity of prokaryotes at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City appeared significant temporal and spatial differences, while diversity of eukaryotes significantly changed with varied geographic locations rather than seasons. Significant correlations were detected between microbial diversity and soil properties, including water content, pH, nutrients as well as metal ions (in particular for calcium, magnesium, and aluminum). All these properties were essential for soil retention. Overall, microorganisms not only affect the appearance of the sites, but also have other potential hazards to the earthen ruins. Our study provided fundamental data on microbial diversity and soi properties of the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City at temporal and spatial scale, which would further contribute to preventive conservation of earthen ruins in humid regions.