Analysis of Soil and Microbial Characteristics and Microbial Response in Rare Earth Mining Areas in Jiangxi Province, China.

Abstract There is a certain connection between the microbial community and functional flora in rare earth mining areas, but the pollution characteristics and pollution metabolic pathways in the mining area are still unclear. The conditions of heavy metals, rare earth elements, and microorganisms after the mining of rare earth mines were studied in this paper. It was found that after mining, all the sampling areas showed low pH and low total organic carbon(TOC), accompanied by high iron and aluminum concentrations. The development of vegetation is closely related to the development level of microorganisms. In the complex environment of rare earth mining areas, the Proteobacteria showed an absolute competitive advantage. In the process of mine environmental recovery, the relative abundance of Acidobacteria will increase significantly, but with the further development of restoration, the relative abundance of Firmicutes in rare earth mining areas will gradually decrease. There are many genera of bacteria related to the N cycle and heavy metal metabolism in the study area, indicating important metabolic pathways of ammonia nitrogen and heavy metals in rare earth mining areas. At the same time, the study found that there are bacterial genera that promote plant nitrogen fixation in the area, further revealing the nitrogen cycle.