Effects of different artificial vegetation restoration modes on soil microbial community structuree in the soil erosion area of southern China

Investigating the effects of diverse artificial vegetation restoration methods on soil microbial communities is important for understanding soil health and achieving sustainable utilization of vegetation resources. In this study, the surface soil samples (0–10 cm) of three artificial vegetation restoration modes were selected as the research object which included the fenced forest, the arbor-shrub-grassland, and the chestnut forest in the soil and water loss area of South China. Three artificial vegetation restoration modes have significantly increased both the abundance and diversity of bacteria and fungi in areas affected by soil erosion, thus contributing to the stabilization of the ecosystem. Specifically, the arbor-shrub-grassland mode demonstrated the most significant improvements. Soil alkali nitrogen (71.10%, P = 0.000) and organic matter content (63.30%, P = 0.001) emerged as the primary factors driving this increase in bacterial and fungal diversity. After restoration, the composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities in soil erosion areas has undergone significant changes. However, it was observed that only the arbor-shrub-grassland mode could induce a shift in dominant bacterial species from Chloroflexi to Acidobacteria. Variations in soil bacterial and fungal community compositions across different modes were attributed to differences in soluble organic carbon (65.80%, P = 0.002) and soil bulk density (49.00%, P = 0.010). In conclusion, the increased fungal abundance and the bacterial shift observed in the arbor-shrub-grassland mode underscore its superior effectiveness in rehabilitating degraded soils, compared to both the fenced forest and the chestnut forest modes.