Variations of fungal communities in lead-zinc tailings located in Northwestern China

Investigation of microbial community structures is critical for situ-remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils. For this purpose, we used high-throughput 18S rRNA sequencing method to analyze soil fungal communities in the Shanping village (SPC) and Yanzibian (YZB) tailings situated in northwestern China. The relationships of the fungal community and the environmental factors, including heavy metals and soil chemical properties were analyzed. The results showed that the fungal community richness and diversity in the soils were both trending as control soil > contaminated soil. The compositions and relative abundances of the fungal populations in the two tailings were different, however the dominant fungal phyla of which were almost the same, mainly including Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Calcarisporillomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Rozellomycota. Further, the Canonical correlation analysis and spearman correlation analyses revealed that Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, TP, NO3--N, TN, and/or pH were predominantly positive correlation factors for the most abundant fungal phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Together, we have sorted out certain fungal species, such as s_unclassified_p_Ascomycota, s_unclassified_c_Sordariomycetes, s_Talaromyces_solicola, and s_Cutaneotrichosporon_curvatus, which are probably tolerant to heavy metals in these specific tailing soils. Overall, our results have provided an initial perspective of the fugal community variations of these specific tailing ponds.

Automated summary

Investigation of microbial community structures in heavy metal contaminated soils is crucial for their remediation. In this study, high-throughput sequencing method was used to analyze soil fungal communities in two tailings located in northwestern China. The richness and diversity of fungal communities in the contaminated soils were lower compared to control soils. The dominant fungal phyla were found to be similar in both tailings, including Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Heavy metals and soil chemical properties were found to be positive correlation factors for these dominant fungal phyla.