Pioneer vegetation shapes soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem functions in riparian sand mining sites
4 affiliations
- 1Xinyang Huai River Catchment Riparian Zone Carbon Neutralization Engineering Technology, Xinyang Agriculture and Forestry University
- 2School of Resource and Environment, Henan Institute of Science and Technology
- 3Henan Jigongshan Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, The Forest Science Research Institute of Xinyang
- 4Sumy national agrarian university
Abstract
Pioneer vegetation initiates the recovery of degraded ecosystem; However, its influence on soil microbial communities in riparian sand mining sites remains poorly understood. Four naturally established pioneer plant species (Artemisia scoparia, Imperata cylindrica, Saccharum arundinaceum, and solitary trees) were selected in a representative sand mining site along the Huai River, and systematically investigated soil microbial community structure, assembly processes, co-occurrence network stability, and functional potential to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of pioneer vegetation on soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions. The results showed that pioneer vegetation types shaped distinct soil microbial communities, with bacterial communities more responsive than fungi. Total carbon (TC), total phosphorus (TP), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) collectively explaining 76.8% of the variation in bacterial community composition. Microbial community composition exhibited strong vegetation-specific patterns. A. scoparia plots significantly enriched Actinobacteria, whereas solitary tree plots significantly enriched Basidiomycota. Network stability varied markedly with vegetation type; Functional prediction revealed that bacterial nitrogen cycling potential was significantly modulated by vegetation type, with nitrification potential being significantly lowest in I. cylindrica. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that vegetation type indirectly influenced soil multifunctionality via regulating soil physical properties, with contrasting pathways in bacterial and fungal models. Our findings suggest potential ecological mechanisms by which pioneer plants influence early ecosystem recovery in degraded riparian zones through the “plant-soil-microbe” continuum, thus providing a scientific basis for functional trait-based ecological restoration.
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BibTeX
@article{yan2026pioneer,
title = {{Pioneer vegetation shapes soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem functions in riparian sand mining sites}},
author = {Tengfei Yan and Zhengxin Wang and Yanxiang Shan and Jing Wang and Daochun Liu and Yevheniia Kremenetska and Xiang Lv},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-60211-8},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-60211-8},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Pioneer vegetation shapes soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem functions in riparian sand mining sites
AU - Tengfei Yan
AU - Zhengxin Wang
AU - Yanxiang Shan
AU - Jing Wang
AU - Daochun Liu
AU - Yevheniia Kremenetska
AU - Xiang Lv
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-60211-8
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-60211-8
AB - Pioneer vegetation initiates the recovery of degraded ecosystem; However, its influence on soil microbial communities in riparian sand mining sites remains poorly understood. Four naturally established pioneer plant species (Artemisia scoparia, Imperata cylindrica, Saccharum arundinaceum, and solitary trees) were selected in a representative sand mining site along the Huai River, and systematically investigated soil microbial community structure, assembly processes, co-occurrence network stability, and functional potential to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of pioneer vegetation on soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions. The results showed that pioneer vegetation types shaped distinct soil microbial communities, with bacterial communities more responsive than fungi. Total carbon (TC), total phosphorus (TP), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) collectively explaining 76.8% of the variation in bacterial community composition. Microbial community composition exhibited strong vegetation-specific patterns. A. scoparia plots significantly enriched Actinobacteria, whereas solitary tree plots significantly enriched Basidiomycota. Network stability varied markedly with vegetation type; Functional prediction revealed that bacterial nitrogen cycling potential was significantly modulated by vegetation type, with nitrification potential being significantly lowest in I. cylindrica. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that vegetation type indirectly influenced soil multifunctionality via regulating soil physical properties, with contrasting pathways in bacterial and fungal models. Our findings suggest potential ecological mechanisms by which pioneer plants influence early ecosystem recovery in degraded riparian zones through the “plant-soil-microbe” continuum, thus providing a scientific basis for functional trait-based ecological restoration.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -