Physicochemical characteristics and microbial communities of rhizosphere in complex amendment-assisted soilless revegetation of gold mine tailings

Abstract

Amendment-assisted soilless revegetation is a promissing ecological restoration method of mine tailings because of its eco-friendliness and low-cost. However, it is difficult to establish the plant community during ecological restoration because of its nutrient deficiency and heavy metal toxicity. In this study, the complex amendment, consisting of 1% peat, 1% sludge and 4% bentonite, was used to assist tall fescue to revegetate gold mine tailings. The variation in physicochemical characteristics and microbial community diversity and composition of rhizosphere tailings were investigated. The complex amendments significantly promoted tall fescue growth with an increase of 35.33% in shoot length and 27.19% in fresh weight. The improved plant growth was attributed to the reduction in heavy metal accumulation and the variation in the characteristics of rhizosphere tailing microecology. The heavy metal concentrations in plant tissues were decreased by 27.71–53.44% in the amended groups. Compared with the control, the available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) levels in TA (without plant cultivation) and TPA (with plant cultivation) were also enhanced by 36.67–49.09% and 42.21–71.47%, respectively. Besides, the amendments introduced more exclusive operational taxonomic units (OTU) and increased the relative abundance of ecologically beneficial microbes in the rhizosphere. Overall, this study provides insight into amendment-assisted soilless revegetation and its effects on microecology to expand ecological restoration of gold mine tailings.