Characterization of ECM fungal community under three different vegetation restorations in iron tailing

Vegetation restoration is an effective method to improve the ecological environment of mine tailings, which has a profound impact on the potential ecological functions of soil fungal communities, yet little is known about its beneficial effect on soil ectomycorrhizal fungal community. In this study, the responses of soil characteristics and soil ectomycorrhizal fungal community diversity and structure to different revegetation, as well as the contribution of soil factors to soil ectomycorrhizal community were investigated in Liaoning Province, China. As we anticipated, the vegetation restoration significantly improved soil nutrients. What’s more, compared to PKSZ and PSC, RPL could better improve soil TC, TN, TP, and AP. In addition, soil ectomycorrhizal community diversity in RPL was greater than PKSZ and PSC. NMDS analyses indicated that soil ectomycorrhizal community significantly differed depending on different revegetation types. Thus, these results indicated that RPL could be a suitable species for the revegetation of iron mine tailings. The experiment provided theoretical basis for evidence for ecological restoration of iron mine tailings using local plant species.