This paper is the result of environmental geological survey engineering.
[Objective]As a refractory soil protein secreted by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) is an important component of long-term carbon storage and widely distributed in sediment of terrestrial ecosystem. The distribution of GRSP in coastal wetlands is still not well documented. In this study, the spatial distribution of GRSP in the sediments of the typical wetlands along the Bohai Sea coasts in China were characterized, and the distribution of GRSP in different wetland habitats and its relation to sediment weathering in wetlands were discussed.
[Methods] Particle size, major elements and GRSPs of 166 surface samples (0-5 cm) and 4 sediment cores (~35 cm long) in the wetlands of the Liaohe delta (LHD), Beidagang Lake(BDG)and Yellow River delta (YRD) were tested, and the corresponding chemical index of alteration (CIA) was calculated.
[Results]The GRSP in surface sediments were significantly affected by the vegetation types, ranged from 0.06 to 11.31 mg/g, with an average of (2.35±0.16) mg/g; The sediments in the three study areas were mainly silty sand and sand, the distribution range of CIA values were 44.79-69.59, some areas reached moderate chemical weathering; The concentrations of GRSP were significantly correlated with CIAs (R=~0.49, p<0.01). In general, CIA increased first with increasing GRSP until the GRSP concentrations reached a certain critical level.
[Conclusions]The distribution of GRSP concentrations in coastal wetland sediments was affected by habitat differences, and its correlation with CIA indicated that AMF and its metabolites play potential ecological functions during the processes of geological weathering.
Highlights: The interactions between glomalin-related soil protein and geological processes were revealed; The potential ecological functions of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were elucidated.