Effects of phytomanagement of heavy metal polluted sites with woody plants on functional activity and functional genes abundance and diversity of soils

Phytomanagement of heavy metal polluted soils with woody plants is considered a sustainable management option for restoring polluted sites while preserving the soil resource. Like any plant, woody plants establish complex interactions with soil microbiome by shaping the microbial community composition through rhizodepositions, which select microbial physiological groups which increase the nutrients available in the rhizosphere. Beside the fundamental role in nutrient cycling, the rhizosphere microbiome improves water and nutrient uptake, produces plant promoting factors such as phytohormones, and protects plants from pathogens. Plant microbe interactions in the rhizosphere of woody plants are more complex than those of herbaceous plants because they create a more complex phytosphere effect, due to their longer life cycles, deeper rooting, and by creating a persistent canopy conditioned micro-environment. While woody plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere have been studied in forest ecosystems or their effects on forest productions, interactions during phytomanagement interventions are less known.