The inhibitory effect of cadmium and/or mercury on soil enzyme activity, basal respiration, and microbial community structure in coal mine–affected agricultural soil

Purpose The Cd and Hg contents in soils can be elevated due to coal mining. To estimate the effects of these two heavy metals on soil enzymes and the key microbial groups, coal mine–affected agricultural soils were cultured for 30 days with Cd and/or Hg.