Repair of damaged areas in open-pit (opencast) coal mines has emerged as an important environmental concern. Our research investigated the mechanism by which different ecological restoration methods affected soil nematode communities in damaged areas of desert steppe coal mines. Using high-throughput sequencing technology, nematode community composition, diversity, and function were analyzed to determine the response of nematodes to different ecological restoration methods in damaged areas of coal mines. For slope rehabilitation, vegetation blanket restoration exhibited more favorable effects than those exhibited by vegetation bag restoration and natural restoration. For rehabilitation of the platform area under the slope, the diversity of soil nematodes and the soil fauna analysis under alien soil restoration conditions were performed and exhibited similar characteristics to those of the native vegetation. Findings based on Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) multi-level discriminant analysis and determination of shared genera suggest that Paraphelenchus, Cervidellus, Panagrolaimus, Microdorylaimus, Cephalobus, and Ecumenicus may be the key genera of soil nematodes in the damaged ecosystem of open-pit coal mines in the desert steppe. We found that reasonable water and fertilizer management in slope restoration and under-slope platform area restoration may play a key role in the restoration of damaged ecosystems in open-pit coal mines. We comprehensively analyzed the response of soil nematode communities and their functions to different ecological restoration methods, and provided a reference for evaluating the quality of underground ecosystem restoration of damaged areas in abandoned desert steppe open-pit coal mines.

中文翻译：

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沙漠草原露天煤矿受损生态系统的恢复：对土壤线虫群落和功能的影响

露天（露天）煤矿受损区域的修复已成为一个重要的环境问题。我们的研究调查了不同生态恢复方法对荒漠草原煤矿破坏区土壤线虫群落的影响机制。利用高通量测序技术，分析线虫群落组成、多样性和功能，确定线虫对煤矿灾区不同生态修复方法的响应。对于边坡修复，植被毯修复的效果优于植被袋修复和自然修复。为修复斜坡下的平台区，在外来土壤恢复条件下进行了土壤线虫多样性和土壤动物群分析，并表现出与本地植被相似的特征。基于线性判别分析效应大小 (LEfSe) 多级判别分析和共享属确定的结果表明Paraphelenchus、Cervidellus、Panagrolaimus、Microdorylaimus、Cephalobus和Ecumenicus可能是沙漠草原露天煤矿破坏生态系统土壤线虫的关键属。我们发现边坡恢复和坡下台地区恢复中合理的水肥管理可能对露天煤矿受损生态系统的恢复起到关键作用。综合分析了土壤线虫群落及其功能对不同生态修复方式的响应，为评价荒漠草原露天煤矿受损区地下生态系统修复质量提供参考。