Objective The physicochemical properties of aeolian sandy soil in deserts can accurately reflect soil natural characteristics and environmental health status. However, key scientific questions regarding the patterns of its particle size distribution (PSD), the status of heavy metal contamination (HMC), and whether and how changes in PSD affect HMC remain to be clarified. Methods Aeolian sandy soil at different depths were collected from mobile dunes and natural shrublands of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus (Maxim. ex Kom.) S. H. Cheng, Hedysarum scoparium (Fisch. & C. A. Mey.), Oxytropis aciphylla Ledeb., Nitraria tangutorum Bobrov, and Haloxylon ammodendron (C. A. Mey.) Bunge in the Ulan Buh Desert. The PSD patterns of the aeolian sandy soil were revealed using particle size statistical parameters and fractal theory. HMC of the soil was evaluated using the contamination factor (PI ), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and improved Nemerow index (NI ). Redundancy analysis (RDA) and structural equation model (SEM) were used to elucidate how PSD changes affected HMC. Results 1) The mean particle size (MZ ), sorting coefficient (σ), skewness (Sk), and kurtosis (KG ) of the aeolian sandy soil all showed significant changes with increasing soil depth. N. tangutorum and H. scoparium shrublands significantly increased and decreased the MZ of the aeolian sandy soil, respectively (p<0.05). 2) Natural shrublands decreased the mono-fractal dimension (D) and the entropy dimension (D1) of the multi-fractal spectrum of the aeolian sandy soil, while increasing the capacity dimension (D0) and the D1/D0 ratio. This indicated that shrublands increased the proportion of coarse particles, the PSD range, and the degree of dispersion, but decreased the PSD uniformity. The effects were most pronounced under A. mongolicus and H. scoparium shrublands. 3) Overall, the HMC of the aeolian sandy soil was relatively light, and the influence of different shrublands on HMC did not show a clear consistent pattern. 4) RDA and SEM results indicated that increases in fine particle content and KG, along with the decrease in MZ of the aeolian sandy soil, were the main reasons for the reduction in HMC, and these reasons were categorized into direct and indirect effects. Conclusion Changes in fine particle content, MZ, and KG of aeolian sandy soil under shrublands are the main factors influencing HMC, and the effect of changes in fine particle content is the most significant. The findings provide a scientific basis for clarifying the inherent properties and environmental health status of aeolian sandy soil.
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