Revegetation of the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir leads to increased soil bacterial diversity.
As one of the most active components in soil, bacteria can affect soil physicochemical properties, its biological characteristics, and even its quality and health. We characterized dynamics of the soil bacterial diversity in planted (with Taxodium distichum) and unplanted soil in the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir (TGDR), in southwestern China, in order to accurately quantify the changes in long-term soil bacterial community structure after revegetation. Measurements were taken annually in situ in the TGDR over the course of 5 years, from 2012 to 2016. Soil chemical properties and bacterial diversity were analyzed in both the planted and unplanted soil. After revegetation, the soil chemical properties in planted soil were significantly different than in unplanted soil. The effects of treatment, time, and the interaction of both time and treatment had significant impacts on most diversity indices. Specifically, the bacterial community diversity indices in planted soil were significantly higher and more stable than that in unplanted soil. The correlation analyses indicated that the diversity indices correlated with the pH value, organic matter, and soil available nutrients. After revegetation in the riparian zone of the TGDR, the soil quality and health is closely related to the observed bacterial diversity, and a higher bacterial diversity avails the maintenance of soil functionality. Thus, more reforestation should be carried out in the riparian zone of the TGDR, so as to effectively mitigate the negative ecological impacts of the dam. Vegetating the reservoir banks with Taxodium distichum proved successful, but planting mixed stands of native tree species could promote even higher riparian soil biodiversity and improved levels of ecosystem functioning within the TGDR.
['Ren|Qingshui|Q|', 'Li|Changxiao|C|', 'Yang|Wenhang|W|', 'Song|Hong|H|', 'Ma|Peng|P|', 'Wang|Chaoying|C|', 'Schneider|Rebecca L|RL|', 'Morreale|Stephen J|SJ|']
D001419:Bacteria D044822:Biodiversity D002681:China D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources D012987:Soil D012988:Soil Microbiology D032489:Taxodium D014197:Trees D014881:Water Supply
Revegetation Bacterial diversity Taxodium distichum Hydro-fluctuation zone T-RFLP The Three Gorges Reservoir Region