Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Fungal Communities During Early Post-Construction Phase of a Desert Steppe Photovoltaic Power Station

Expansion of photovoltaic infrastructure in arid regions raises concerns about soil microhabitat degradation. Very few studies have systematically compared these recovery alternatives in reshaping the soil fungal communities during early recovery. This study investigated short-term effects (less that two-year recovery) of PV infrastructure and restoration (natural/artificial) on soil fungal diversity and enzymatic activities in Ningxia desert steppe. A total of 243 soil samples were analyzed to assess fungal diversity, composition, enzyme activities, and co-occurrence networks. The restoration method significantly affected soil fungal α-diversity and β-diversity in the experimental solar park. Specifically, at each recovery site, soil depth showed significant effect on fungal α-diversity. However, on a fine scale, artificial restoration significantly increased fungal species richness across soil depths. Ascomycota dominated across different sites, followed by Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota. Shared core genera Fusarium, Mortierella, and Geminibasidium were determined in both recovery sites. Sucrase/phenol oxidase (natural) and catalase/sucrase (artificial) were identified as key fungal drivers according to Random Forest models. Co-occurrence analysis suggested neither artificial restoration nor natural restoration has attained the level of natural habitats. Networks of artificial subsoil and natural topsoil were closest to natural habitat. These results emphasize the impact of restoration and PV shading on fungal communities via spatial heterogeneity and enzyme dynamics during initial recovery stage, providing insights for semi-arid ecosystem management under PV development.