Mine drainage leads to the reshaping of the spatial patterns of soil extracellular econzymatic stoichiometry and microbial resource limitation

Abstract

Abstract Global environmental changes have brought significant attention to the ecological problems caused by mine drainage. Mine drainage alters the physicochemical properties of soil, which can, in turn, influence its ecological function. However, the impact of mine drainage on soil ecoenzymatic carbon–nitrogen-phosphorus (C-N-P) stoichiometry and the spatial distribution of microbial resource limitations(i.e., carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorus limitation) across various soil depths and distances from discharge points is not well understood. Therefore, we investigated the variations in physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, extracellular enzyme activities, and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry of soils at varying distances and depths surrounding mine water discharge areas. Furthermore, microbial resource limitations were measured through vector analysis of ecoenzymatic stoichiometry. The results showed that mine drainage significantly enhanced soil extracellular enzyme activity. While the discharge had no substantial impact on ecoenzymatic stoichiometry across different distances, significant changes were observed at various soil depths. Specifically, ecoenzymatic stoichiometry decreased consistently with increasing soil depth. spatial distribution of microbial resource limitations in the study area were predominantly phosphorus-limited, with P limitation intensifying with greater soil depth. Overall, these findings improve our knowledge of how mine drainage influences soil ecoenzymatic stoichiometry and the spatial distribution of microbial resource constraints, providing insights for future ecological management strategies.