Effects of redox potential on soil cadmium solubility: Insight into microbial community

Abstract Understanding the role of microbes in the solubility of cadmium (Cd) is of fundamental importance for remediation of Cd toxicity. The present study aimed to identify the microbes that involved in regulating Cd solubility and to reveal possible mechanisms. Therefore, microbial communities were investigated through high-throughput sequencing approach, the molecular ecological network was constructed and metagenomes were predicted. Our results indicated that redox conditions affected both the solubility of soil Cd and the microbial communities. Anaerobic microbes, such as Anaerolineaceae, did not only play important roles in shaping the microbial community in soils, but might also be involved in regulating the Cd solubility. Two possible mechanisms that how Anaerolineaceae involved in Cd solubility are (1) Anaerolineaceae are important organic matter degraders under anoxic conditions and (2) Anaerolineaceae can co-exist with methane metabolism microbes, while methane metabolism promotes the precipitation of soluble Cd. Thus, application of Anaerolineaceae in bioremediation of soil Cadmium contamination is a potential approach. The study provided a novel insight into the role of microbial community in the regulation of Cd solubility under different redox conditions, and suggested a potential approach for the remediation of soil Cd contamination.