Vegetation restoration is a key means to address the issue of ecosystem degradation. Understanding whether using natural or artificial restoration methods for vegetation restoration in the semi-arid region is beneficial for the sustainable development of the ecosystem, which can provide a reference for the selection of restoration models in this region. This study explored the degree and intensity of the correlation among plants, soil and microorganisms under different restoration methods. Through structural equation models and analysis of soil microbial composition and function, we found that the plant diversity using the natural restoration was greater than that in the artificial restoration. By using the natural restoration method, the soil and microbial indicators were decoupled from the plant diversity, while by using the artificial restoration method, the soil and microbial indicators were coupled with the plant diversity. Different restoration methods jointly shaped the diversity pattern of the plant community through the path of bacterial diversity-soil carbon-plant morphological traits-plant diversity (which is the main path) and the path of soil nutrients-plant diversity. The composition and functional groups of microorganisms also affected the diversity pattern of plants, and the symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with nitrogen fixation in locust may have played a major role in the plant community assembly, which promoted the growth of locust and occupying more ecological niches, thereby affecting the colonization of other plants.

vegetation restoration,Community assembly,Microbial diversity