Responses of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Communities to Long-Term Mining and Passive Restoration.

ABSTRACT: Mining activities cause strong soil alterations, such as heavy metal (HM) pollution, which decreases the diversity of plant communities and rhizospheric microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. The polymetallic Paramillos de Uspallata mine in the Andes Mountains, the first mining exploitation in Argentina, provides a unique scenario to study AM fungal resilience after long-term disturbance following over 40 years of inactivity. This study aimed to analyze mycorrhizal status and AM fungal communities in the mine and a nearby unexploited area and to evaluate their associations with soil parameters to elucidate life history strategies. Long-term exposure to elevated Fe, Pb, Zn, and Ag concentrations and high electrical conductivity (EC, 5.46 mS/cm) led to the dominance of

SUBMITTER: Utge Perri SY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11859955 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature