Soil metagenome of microbial communites in mining-disturbed and natural forests in the subarctic, Canada Metagenome
The restoration of mining-impacted forests in the subarctic relies heavily on the establishment of resilient self-sustaining native plants and their associated microbial communities. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to investigate the influence of metal mining disturbance on the functions and community structure of below-ground microbial communities. We collected soil samples from mining disturbed and natural environments to investigate the microbial community functional response to mining disturbance. The determination of signature functions would be useful for engineering the indigenous soil microbes for the enhanced restoration and revegetation of mining-disturbed subarctic forests.