Abstract
Vegetation restoration is an available way to ameliorate degraded lands. In order to study the response of soil microbes to vegetation restoration in coal mining subsidence areas, the composition and distribution of soil microbes were discussed through three plots: unsubsided area (CA), new subsided area (NSA), and old subsided area (OSA) with different vegetation restoration time in Huabei coal mine. Meanwhile, changes in soil catalase and urease activity were explored and the correlation between soil bacteria, fungi, and environmental factors was analysed. The results demonstrated that Nitrospira was the dominant bacteria in all areas sampled. Microorganisms in the 0–20 cm and 40–60 cm soil layers of OSA had the highest Simpson index, whereas the index in NSA was lowest (at all soil depths). The catalase activity in NSA was significantly higher than that in CA, and there was no significant difference in catalase activity with soil depth, while the urease activity declined gradually with increasing soil depth. The urease activity in the 20–60 cm soil layer of NSA and OSA was significantly higher than that of CA. Furthermore, the distribution of bacteria was mainly affected by soil organic matter, available potassium, available phosphorus, and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, whereas pH and catalase activity mainly affected fungal distribution. These results implied that soil catalase activity in NSA and urease activity in the 20–40 cm soil layer of NSA and OSA were significantly enhanced after vegetation restoration, and that long-term plant restoration could improve soil fertility and soil microbial community diversity in coal mining areas.
Highlights
China is the largest coal producer and consumer in the world
Nitrospira accounted for the highest proportion in each sample, this indicates that Nitrospira was the dominant genus of bacteria in the samples, which is consistent with the research conclusions done by Tobin et al [33]
It can be found that Nitrospira was being the most dominant in all samples, and the proportion of Nitrospira in soil increased with the increase of vegetation restoration years
Summary
With the rapid development of its social economy, the demand for energy has accelerated, and coal mining activities have correspondingly increased. By the end of 2013, the subsidence area caused by coal mining exceeded 400,000 ha and was still increasing at a rate of 2.7–4.1 million ha per year [4]. Groundwater seepage, water pollution, vegetation degradation, and soil erosion and deterioration are the grim challenges faced by the subsided areas [5,6,7].
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