Characteristics of soil arthropod communities and soil health in ‘Shushanggan’ apricot forests after soil bioengineering remediation in the riparian zone of the Ili River Valley evaluation

To investigate the impact of riparian soil bioengineering restoration on the soil ecological environment, this study used soil arthropods as bioindicators to assess and monitor the restoration effects in the ‘Shushanggan’ apricot orchard. The aim was to explore and develop long-term, sustainable restoration strategies to ensure the stability of soil quality., this study focused on the ‘Shushanggan’ apricot forests located in the Guozigou River, a tributary of the Ili River in Huocheng County, Yili Prefecture. The restoration sites with different durations of 4, 8, 10, and 14 years were selected, while the surrounding uncultivated land served as the control. The soil arthropods were separated using a dry-funnel extraction method, and the community characteristics of soil arthropods were investigated, employing the soil biological quality (QBS-ar) index for soil health assessment. The results revealed that in both spring and summer, the total number of soil arthropods was highest in the 14-year-old ‘Shushanggan’ apricot forests, while the highest number of species was observed in the 4-year-old forests. The similarity coefficient of soil arthropod communities between the uncultivated land and ‘Shushanggan’ apricot forests indicated extreme dissimilarity during spring and ranged from extremely dissimilar to moderately similar during summer, displaying a substantial disparity between the two seasons. The QBS-ar index of soil arthropods was highest in the 14-year-old ‘Shushanggan’ apricot forests, indicating better soil health in the surface soil compared to the deeper layers. These findings demonstrate that soil biotechnology has improved the soil ecological environment in riverbanks, resulting in significant changes in the community structure of soil arthropods. It has also contributed to an increase in soil arthropod diversity and improved soil health. Thus, this study provides scientific evidence for soil biotechnology restoration in the Ili River Valley, management of ‘Shushanggan’ apricot forests, and soil ecological conservation.