Taxonomic and functional analysis of a soil contaminated with heavy metals

Mining activities, although they affect relatively small areas, have a great environmental impact as they are an important source of trace metals. Mining sites have scarce vegetation and typical Mediterranean climate events, such as intense rainfall, can transport metals and metalloids to lower altitudes by runoff, what leads to the presence of zones with different contamination levels. The accumulation of metals caused by these mining activities profoundly alters the structure, composition and function of the soil microbial community. Several studies have reported that some groups of microorganism tend to disappear after an intense mining activity, whereas other groups usually adapt to these harsh conditions using metal resistance mechanisms (Epelde et al 2015; Cheng et al 2017; Fernandez-Calviño et al 2011). The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of soil contamination on the structure, composition and function of the soil microbial community. in order to provide information for future studies of bioremediation and phytoremediation of contaminated areas