Characteristics of sediment microbial community structure under different vegetation types with various restoration...

Planting aquatic vegetation serves as a core ecological strategy for lake restoration. Aquatic vegetation regulates the material cycle and energy flow in lake wetland systems via the secretion of secondary metabolites and the input of litter, thereby exerting an important impact on the succession and stability of sediment microbial communities. This study examined the sediment archaeal and bacterial communities in the Hongze Lake wetland, taking into account for both different vegetation covers and varying restoration durations. Employing high-throughput sequencing technology, we found the total bacterial diversity increased significantly at the 10-year restoration stage. The relative abundance of eutrophic Proteobacteria increased under each vegetation cover across different restoration durations, while the oligotrophic Chloroflexi declined. Network analysis indicated that the connectivity, stability, and complexity of the total archaeal and bacterial communities under Typha orientalis and Nelumbo nucifera covers increased significantly. Sediment organic carbon and nutrients are key factors shaping the composition of total bacterial and archaeal communities. This study elucidated the variation characteristics of sediment microbial community composition and diversity under different vegetation types and restoration durations, which contributed a more thorough comprehension of the impacts and underlying mechanisms of vegetation restoration on the structure and function of lake wetland ecosystems.