Abstract
Microbial communities and tailings multifunctionality are prerequisites for iron tailings’ eco-engineering into technosols, but how organic matter supplementation improves these remains unclear. This study explored multifunctional enhancement, microbial enrichment, and driving mechanisms via microcosm experiments with fulvic acid (FL), rice husk (RC), and FL + RC (FLRC). Over 60-day incubation, tailings’ multifunctional index showed exponential growth in FL treatment and pseudo-first-order kinetics in RC/FLRC, attributed to the stronger organic matter decomposition potential in FL (3 × 10− 3) than RC (1.4 × 10− 4) and FLRC (0). Network analysis revealed rare microorganisms (relative abundance < 1%, bacterial genera of Sericytochromatia and Parasegetibacter, fungal genera of Fusarium and Cystobasidium) had the strongest correlations with physicochemical factors (r = 0.97), indicating the rare microorganisms instead of dominant taxa drive tailings multifunctionality. Mantel tests revealed external carbon sources regulate the tailings carbon cycle via pgk, cellulase, and pdh genes, while the microenvironment directly propels it through cs, g6pd, ms and cat genes. Collectively, these findings clarify the key drivers regulating ecological functions of iron tailings, providing a sustainable strategy for tailings ecological restoration and resource utilization.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education Scientific Research Project (No.25JK0439), Doctoral Research Projects of Shangluo University(No.23SKY022).
Funding
This work was supported by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education Scientific Research Project (No.25JK0439), Doctoral Research Projects of Shangluo University(No.23SKY022).
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Liu, H., Zhang, X., Liu, M. et al. Iron tailings rehabilitation via organic matter supplement: multifunctionality dynamics, microbial community, and enhancement mechanism.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-55048-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-55048-0
Keywords
- Iron tailings
- Organic amendments
- Multifunctional indices
- Functional microorganisms
- Carbon metabolism
Source: Ecology - nature.com
