Abstract: Reclamation is a key measure to restore the damaged ecosystems in opencast coal mines, and the herbaceous communities differ among reclamation patterns in reclaimed areas. Three permanent plots with different reclamation patterns, WⅠ (Picea meyeri + Picea wilsonii + Hippophae rhamnoides), SⅠ (Robinia pseudoacacia + Pinus tabuliformis) and SⅢ (R. pseudoacacia + Ulmus pumila + Ailanthus altissima), were established to investigate niche breadth and niche overlap of dominant herb species, based on the analysis of herbaceous community composition and diversity in Antaibao Opencast Coal Mine. The results showed that Asteraceae, Poaceae and Leguminosae were the dominant herb families,  and WⅠ had the highest species diversity. As for community succession, the herbs tended to develop from annual to perennial and xerophyte to semixerophyte. Roegneria kamoji, Artemisia sieversiana, and Agrostis matsumurae had the widest niche breadth, being the most important dominant species. Niche breadth was positively related to importance value (IV); however, niche breadth and IV differed among the three plots, due to differences in reclamation patterns, site conditions and physiological properties of herb species. In addition, niche overlap value was larger between species with wider niche breadth values. On the contrary, species with narrower niche breadth values had smaller niche overlap value.

Key words: phosphatase gene., successive rotation plantation, phenolic acids, phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms, metagenome sequencing