Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Fungal Communities During Early Post-Construction Phase of a Desert Steppe Photovoltaic Power Station

Wenqing Zhou (), Guoqing Niu, Bo Ji, Zhanjun Wang and Qi Jiang
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Wenqing Zhou: Institute of Plant Protection, Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan 750002, China
Guoqing Niu: Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Wastes, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource-Saving Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Bo Ji: Institute of Forestry and Grassland Ecology, Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan 750002, China
Zhanjun Wang: Institute of Forestry and Grassland Ecology, Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan 750002, China
Qi Jiang: Institute of Forestry and Grassland Ecology, Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan 750002, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-25

Abstract: Expansion of photovoltaic infrastructure in arid regions raises concerns about soil microhabitat degradation. Very few studies have systematically compared these recovery alternatives in reshaping the soil fungal communities during early recovery. This study investigated short-term effects (less that two-year recovery) of PV infrastructure and restoration (natural/artificial) on soil fungal diversity and enzymatic activities in Ningxia desert steppe. A total of 243 soil samples were analyzed to assess fungal diversity, composition, enzyme activities, and co-occurrence networks. The restoration method significantly affected soil fungal α-diversity and β-diversity in the experimental solar park. Specifically, at each recovery site, soil depth showed significant effect on fungal α-diversity. However, on a fine scale, artificial restoration significantly increased fungal species richness across soil depths. Ascomycota dominated across different sites, followed by Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota. Shared core genera Fusarium , Mortierella , and Geminibasidium were determined in both recovery sites. Sucrase/phenol oxidase (natural) and catalase/sucrase (artificial) were identified as key fungal drivers according to Random Forest models. Co-occurrence analysis suggested neither artificial restoration nor natural restoration has attained the level of natural habitats. Networks of artificial subsoil and natural topsoil were closest to natural habitat. These results emphasize the impact of restoration and PV shading on fungal communities via spatial heterogeneity and enzyme dynamics during initial recovery stage, providing insights for semi-arid ecosystem management under PV development.

Keywords: soil fungal community dynamics; solar farms; ecological restoration; soil enzymatic activity; co-occurrence network; desert steppe ecosystem (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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