Study on Soil Enzymes of Typical Plant Communities in Ecological Reconstruction Wetland

This study comparatively assessed soil enzyme activities in three constructed plant communities and one natural community in the Chongxi tidal flat wetland of the Yangtze River Estuary. The results demonstrated that rhizosphere soil in Alnus trabeculosa plantations exhibited significantly higher alkaline phosphatase, protease, urease, and catalase activities compared to artificial communities dominated by Phragmites communis, Salix matsudana, and Taxodium distichum (P<0.01). Vertical distribution analysis revealed that protease and urease activities markedly decreased with depth (61.93% reduction on average), while catalase activity remained stable. Alkaline phosphatase activity generally declined with depth but displayed a distinct peak at 15–30 cm. Notably, rhizosphere soil enzyme activities were 1.07–2.84 times higher than non-rhizosphere levels. These findings highlight Alnus trabeculosa as a keystone species for enhancing soil biogeochemical functions in estuarine wetland restoration.

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