Revegetation approach and plant identity unequally affect structure, ecological network and function of soil microbial community in a highly acidified mine tailings pond

Little is known about the relative importance of revegetation approach and plant identity in shaping soil microbial community in mine wastelands under remediation. To bridge this critical knowledge gap, we established > 5,000 m2 of vegetation on a highly acidified (pH < 3) Pb/Zn mine tailings pond employing both capped and direct revegetation, and then we profiled the structure, ecological network and function of soil microbial communities associated with two dominant plant species of the vegetation via high-throughput sequencing. This study had important implications for the understanding of microbial ecology in mine wastelands and the further development of effective revegetation schemes.