Wang Xiaoting, Du Chenghang, Li Yixuan, Liu Shichao, Zeng Xiangfeng, Li Yongbin, Wang Shaofeng, Jia Yongfeng
Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2025 Aug 15;494:138553. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138553. Epub 2025 May 9.
Soil contamination with heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) threatens soil ecosystem health and function. However, how cross-regional HM contamination influences the structure and function of soil fungal communities remains understudied. We conducted a large-scale soil survey in southern China, using the Nemerow synthetic Pollution Index to assess contamination levels of seven metals (copper, lead, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, zinc and chromium). Soils were classified as low, medium, and high contamination (LC/MC/HC) to examine HM biogeographic patterns and their ecological impacts on soil fungi along the gradient. Cd was the most prevalent contaminant, followed by As in all the studied soils. The combined soil pollution significantly altered fungal community structure, with Cd and Pb identified as key drivers of structural and evenness changes, respectively. Fungal diversity and evenness declined with pollution, accompanied by reduced Staphylotrichum (-0.45 %) and Saitozyma (-1.5 %). Homogeneous selection dominated the assembly processes of soil fungal communities across all contamination levels (contributing 55.8-64.9 %). The most enriched characteristic species included Eurotiomycetes (LC), Sordariales (MC), and Coniochaeta (HC). Pollution-induced habitat heterogeneity enhanced the complexity and stability of fungal symbiotic networks, with 10.0 % more synergistic interactions in highly contaminated soils. The abundance of potential pathogenic fungi increased by 3.0-5.8 % in highly polluted soils compared to low- and moderately polluted soils, indicating possible negative implications for ecosystem health. Our findings provide novel and comprehensive insights into the ecological response of soil fungal communities to HM contamination.
重金属（类金属）污染土壤威胁着土壤生态系统的健康和功能。然而，跨区域重金属污染如何影响土壤真菌群落的结构和功能仍未得到充分研究。我们在中国南方进行了大规模土壤调查，使用内梅罗综合污染指数评估七种金属（铜、铅、镉、砷、镍、锌和铬）的污染水平。将土壤分为低、中、高污染（LC/MC/HC）等级，以研究重金属生物地理模式及其沿梯度对土壤真菌的生态影响。在所有研究土壤中，镉是最普遍的污染物，其次是砷。土壤污染综合作用显著改变了真菌群落结构，镉和铅分别被确定为结构变化和均匀度变化的关键驱动因素。真菌多样性和均匀度随污染程度下降，同时葡萄穗霉属（-0.45%）和齐氏酵母属（-1.5%）减少。在所有污染水平下，均质选择主导了土壤真菌群落的组装过程（贡献率为55.8-64.9%）。最丰富的特征物种包括散囊菌纲（低污染）、粪壳菌目（中等污染）和附球菌属（高污染）。污染导致的栖息地异质性增强了真菌共生网络的复杂性和稳定性，在高度污染土壤中协同相互作用增加了10.0%。与低污染和中等污染土壤相比，高度污染土壤中潜在致病真菌的丰度增加了3.0-5.8%，这表明可能对生态系统健康产生负面影响。我们的研究结果为土壤真菌群落对重金属污染的生态响应提供了新颖而全面的见解。
