Selective Pressure of Heavy Metals on Soil Microbial Taxa near a Smelting Area.

ABSTRACT: Soil pollution by heavy metals (HMs) poses a major threat to soil quality and human health, with mining and smelting industries identified as key sources. Soils around smelters are often considered polluted hotspots, being generally unsuitable for agricultural activities. Although many studies have identified microbial taxa able to survive in such environments, most have focused on relatively low HM concentrations. The purpose of the study was to assess the ecological risk and to evaluate the diversity and structural shifts in microbial communities, as well as to predict key metabolic pathways associated with HM resistance in soils near Pb-Zn smelter in Bulgaria. The soils ranged from low-risk to disastrous, with cadmium (Cd) identified as the primary contributor to soil toxicity. High-thr

SUBMITTER: Nikolova R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12737216 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature