Diversity and community structure of culturable arsenic-resistant bacteria across a soil arsenic gradient at an abandoned tungsten-tin mining area

► We examine the arsenic-resistant bacterial community along a soil arsenic gradient. ► The bacterial diversity was inversely related to the soil arsenic content. ► The relative frequency of Firmicutes increased with increasing soil arsenic content. ► Strains with enhanced tolerance to As(III) predominated over the As(V)-tolerant ones.