The legacy effects of mycorrhizal fungal inoculation alleviate soil nitrogen limitations by modulating the homeostasis of extracellular enzymes and fungal function in arid mining regions

Abstract Re‐vegetation types and the application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in regulating soil conditions and enhancing vegetation cover during ecological restoration in the northern arid mining area. However, the impact of AMF on the balance of soil–plant–microbial ecosystems through its influence on microbial activities remains unclear. Therefore, we studied the influence of AMF on soil nutrient limitation and the soil fungal community in five different vegetation types in the Daliuta reclamation area. Through the measurement of soil extracellular enzyme activity and the analysis of soil fungal communities by high‐throughput sequencing, we found that the ratio of lnBG:ln(NAG + LAP):lnAP in the AMF sample was closer to 1:1:1, and the soil ecological enzyme stoichiometry was more balanced. The results of enzyme vector showed that AMF inoculation could alleviate the restriction of soil nitrogen nutrients. The results of high‐throughput sequencing showed that AMF improved the diversity of soil fungal community by regulating the composition of soil fungal community, and finally alleviated the nitrogen restriction during decomposition. Functional prediction of soil fungi using FUNGuild indicated that the soil fungi present were mainly saprophytic , saprophytic–symbiotic , and pathotroph–saprophytic–symbiotic trophic types. AMF reduced the percentage of pathotroph fungi and also tended to transform saprophytic into saprophytic–symbiotic type. The findings suggest that mycorrhizal reclamation can enhance the homeostasis of extracellular enzyme dynamics by optimizing fungal community structure and modulating fungal functionality, thereby alleviating microbial nutrient constraints and improving plant adaptability to arid environments. This article provides a theoretical underpinning for eco‐friendly mining construction and sustainable ecological development in arid mining areas.