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Interactive effects of lead (Pb) contamination and soil acidification on the structure and composition of fungal and bacterial communities
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DOI：10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.107245.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Industrial pollution often leads to soil contamination by heavy metals and acidifying compounds, which can disrupt microbial community structure and potential functions. This study investigates the combined effects of lead (Pb) contamination and soil acidification on microbial diversity and community composition in boreal forest soils. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using black spruce (Picea mariana) seedlings grown in natural forest soil under two levels of pH and three levels of Pb, and combinations of Pb with pH. Microbial communities were characterized by sequencing the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS2 regions. For bacteria, soil acidification emerged as the dominant factor shaping the communities, significantly reducing soil Shannon diversity of 0.22 units and richness of 158 species, while Pb and the interaction between the two factors had significant but smaller effects. We detected several bacteria that were less abundant in the acid treatment, including Bradyrhizobium and the Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia group. Fungal communities were less strongly influenced by soil pH than bacterial communities but showed contrasting responses to the treatments: acidification increased fungal diversity, whereas high Pb exposure decreased fungal diversity. However, fungal community composition was less responsive to the treatments, although some Pb-tolerant fungal taxa, such as Thelephora and Umbelopsis, were more abundant under elevated Pb conditions. These taxa may have contributed to the overall limited impact of Pb on soil, rhizosphere, and root communities in our study. Root-associated communities of both bacteria and fungi showed stronger resilience than soil and rhizosphere communities, likely due to host protection. These findings identify soil pH as the primary driver of microbial sensitivity in boreal soils exposed to acidification and Pb-enriched treatments, while Pb plays a secondary role by altering taxa abundance with limited effects on overall community diversity.
Keywords:
Soil microbiome
Rhizosphere
Heavy metals
Soil acidification
Bacterial and fungal diversity
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