Integrating Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Functional Prediction to Assess Land-Use Impacts in a Cold-Region Wetland Ecosystem

This study investigated the effects of land-use change and wetland restoration on soil microbial community diversity, structure, and function in a cold-region wetland ecosystem. Soil samples from six land-use types were analyzed for key physicochemical and biochemical properties, including soil wate...

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Main Authors: Junnan Ding, Shaopeng Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Life
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/6/972
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author Junnan Ding
Shaopeng Yu
author_facet Junnan Ding
Shaopeng Yu
author_sort Junnan Ding
collection DOAJ
description This study investigated the effects of land-use change and wetland restoration on soil microbial community diversity, structure, and function in a cold-region wetland ecosystem. Soil samples from six land-use types were analyzed for key physicochemical and biochemical properties, including soil water content, pH, total nitrogen, soil organic carbon (SOC), and enzymatic activities. Significant differences in carbon and nitrogen availability were observed, with restored wetland soils showing higher SOC and moisture levels, while agricultural soils exhibited elevated nitrate concentrations. Bacterial community composition was estimated based on 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, and microbial functional profiles were predicted using Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) and BugBase. Bacterial communities were dominated by <i>Proteobacteria</i>, <i>Actinobacteriota</i>, and <i>Acidobacteriota</i>, with significant shifts among land-use types. Redundancy analysis revealed that SOC, SWC, total nitrogen (TN), and pH were key drivers of community differentiation. Functional prediction showed enrichment of fermentation and anaerobic metabolism in restored wetlands, while aerobic carbon metabolism dominated in agricultural and forest soils. These findings demonstrate that wetland restoration improves both taxonomic and functional diversity. While ecosystem multifunctionality and resilience were not directly quantified, the observed increases in microbial richness, functional group diversity, and enzymatic activity suggest enhanced ecological capacity and potential for system stability in cold-region wetlands.
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spelling doaj-art-44547266ef6d4e3a92f2f0ab73e80a5c2025-08-20T03:27:25ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292025-06-0115697210.3390/life15060972Integrating Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Functional Prediction to Assess Land-Use Impacts in a Cold-Region Wetland EcosystemJunnan Ding0Shaopeng Yu1Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Cold Region Wetland Ecology and Environment Research, Harbin University, Harbin 150086, ChinaHeilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Cold Region Wetland Ecology and Environment Research, Harbin University, Harbin 150086, ChinaThis study investigated the effects of land-use change and wetland restoration on soil microbial community diversity, structure, and function in a cold-region wetland ecosystem. Soil samples from six land-use types were analyzed for key physicochemical and biochemical properties, including soil water content, pH, total nitrogen, soil organic carbon (SOC), and enzymatic activities. Significant differences in carbon and nitrogen availability were observed, with restored wetland soils showing higher SOC and moisture levels, while agricultural soils exhibited elevated nitrate concentrations. Bacterial community composition was estimated based on 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, and microbial functional profiles were predicted using Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) and BugBase. Bacterial communities were dominated by <i>Proteobacteria</i>, <i>Actinobacteriota</i>, and <i>Acidobacteriota</i>, with significant shifts among land-use types. Redundancy analysis revealed that SOC, SWC, total nitrogen (TN), and pH were key drivers of community differentiation. Functional prediction showed enrichment of fermentation and anaerobic metabolism in restored wetlands, while aerobic carbon metabolism dominated in agricultural and forest soils. These findings demonstrate that wetland restoration improves both taxonomic and functional diversity. While ecosystem multifunctionality and resilience were not directly quantified, the observed increases in microbial richness, functional group diversity, and enzymatic activity suggest enhanced ecological capacity and potential for system stability in cold-region wetlands.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/6/972land-use transitionsoil microbial community structurediversityfunctional predictioncold-region wetlandenvironmental drivers
spellingShingle Junnan Ding
Shaopeng Yu
Integrating Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Functional Prediction to Assess Land-Use Impacts in a Cold-Region Wetland Ecosystem
Life
land-use transition
soil microbial community structure
diversity
functional prediction
cold-region wetland
environmental drivers
title Integrating Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Functional Prediction to Assess Land-Use Impacts in a Cold-Region Wetland Ecosystem
title_full Integrating Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Functional Prediction to Assess Land-Use Impacts in a Cold-Region Wetland Ecosystem
title_fullStr Integrating Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Functional Prediction to Assess Land-Use Impacts in a Cold-Region Wetland Ecosystem
title_full_unstemmed Integrating Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Functional Prediction to Assess Land-Use Impacts in a Cold-Region Wetland Ecosystem
title_short Integrating Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Functional Prediction to Assess Land-Use Impacts in a Cold-Region Wetland Ecosystem
title_sort integrating soil physicochemical properties and microbial functional prediction to assess land use impacts in a cold region wetland ecosystem
topic land-use transition
soil microbial community structure
diversity
functional prediction
cold-region wetland
environmental drivers
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/6/972
work_keys_str_mv AT junnanding integratingsoilphysicochemicalpropertiesandmicrobialfunctionalpredictiontoassesslanduseimpactsinacoldregionwetlandecosystem
AT shaopengyu integratingsoilphysicochemicalpropertiesandmicrobialfunctionalpredictiontoassesslanduseimpactsinacoldregionwetlandecosystem