Dataset Information

The soil bacterial and fungal diversity were determined by the stoichiometric ratios of litter inputs: evidence from a constructed wetland.

ABSTRACT: Plant litter is an important component in wetland ecosystems, and the role of plant litter decomposition is considered to be important for wetland ecosystem functions and services. However, the consequences of litter inputs have seldom been experimentally tested in real ecosystems such as constructed wetlands (CWs). The enriched nutrients in CWs might weaken the role of litter inputs on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling. Here, we conducted a two-month field experiment to examine the effects of litter inputs on the soils in CWs. Our results showed that litter inputs significantly affected soil microbial (bacterial and fungi) diversities and properties (soil total nitrogen and nitrogen isotopes), and litter species with higher stoichiometry ratios, i.e. C/N, C/P and N/P led to higher microbial diversities. However, litter species had no or weak effects on microbial activities (CO2 and CH4 flux) or on the relative abundance of microbial communities, indicating that other environmental factors in such a CW might have stronger effects on those factors than litter inputs. These results highlighted the importance of submerged plant litter in nutrient-rich wetland ecosystems and provide potential tools for managers to improve the ecosystem functions and/or services via altering microbial diversities.

SUBMITTER: Ping Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6761198 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The soil bacterial and fungal diversity were determined by the stoichiometric ratios of litter inputs: evidence from a constructed wetland.

Ping Yunmei Y Pan Xu X Li Wei W Wang Jinzhi J Cui Lijuan L

Scientific reports 20190925 1

Plant litter is an important component in wetland ecosystems, and the role of plant litter decomposition is considered to be important for wetland ecosystem functions and services. However, the consequences of litter inputs have seldom been experimentally tested in real ecosystems such as constructed wetlands (CWs). The enriched nutrients in CWs might weaken the role of litter inputs on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling. Here, we conducted a two-month field experiment to examine the effects of li ...[more]

PMID: 31554880

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Project description:The ecological stoichiometric characteristics of soil elements have greatly enhanced our understanding of the circulation of soil nutrients. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the alteration of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometric ratios in deep soil after afforestation. To examine the variations in stoichiometric ratios of soil elements with different vegetation types, restoration times, and soil depths, we collected soil samples from grassland, Caragana korshinskii shrubland, and Picea asperata forestland at different stand ages (10a, 25a, and 40a) in Xining City, which is located on the Loess Plateau. Our results showed that, at 25a, the carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) and carbon-to-phosphorus (C:P) ratios were significantly higher in the grassland soil than under other vegetation types, whereas the nitrogen-to-phosphorus (N:P) ratio had no significant difference among the three vegetation types. At 40a, the ratios of soil C:N, C:P, and N:P in the shrubland were the highest. With the increasing of the restoration time, the ratios of soil C:N, C:P, and N:P in grassland with 25a became higher than for 40a or 10a. The ratios in the shrubland were highest at 40a, followed by 25a and then 10a, while the ratios in the forestland showed no significant difference. At 40a, the soil C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios of shrubland were highest at the soil depth of 40-100 cm. The soil C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios showed positive correlations with soil ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen, and the soil N:P ratios showed a negative correlation with soil available phosphorus. Plant diversity significantly influenced the soil stoichiometric ratio of the upper soil layer. In the upper soil layer (0-40 cm), species richness showed a positive correlation with soil C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios, and the Margalef index exhibited a positive correlation with soil C:N and C:P ratios. The results of this study indicate that the stoichiometric ratio and nutrient availability of Caragana korshinskii shrubland were the highest over time. Therefore, these findings can be served as a valuable reference for local revegetation and ecological restoration.

Project description:BackgroundVegetation succession is one of the major driving processes of grassland degradation. Stoichiometry significantly contributes to vegetation dynamics. However, a knowledge gap exists in how soil nutrients and root enzymes influence the stoichiometric ratio to affect vegetation dynamics.MethodsTo address these questions, we selected a dominant species (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.) and a degraded-dominant species (Artemisia frigida Willd.) under different management regimes (enclosure and grazing) on the Inner Mongolia steppe. We measured (i) plant nutrient concentrations, (ii) root enzymes and (iii) soil nutrients to investigate how the selected plant species responded to grazing.ResultsThe results show that: (i) N and P concentrations and the C:N:P ratio in different organs are significantly affected by grazing, and there is variation in the plant species' response. Grazing significantly increased N and P in the leaves and stems of L. chinensis and the stems and roots of A. frigida. (ii) Grazing significantly increased the activities of glutamine synthase but decreased the activities of acid phosphatase in L. chinensis. The nitrate reductase and acid phosphatase activities significantly increased in A. frigida under grazing conditions. (iii) Grazing decreased the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available nitrogen, but increased the available phosphorus in the soil.ConclusionWe conclude that A. frigida is better adapted to grazing than L. chinensis, possibly because of its relatively increased stem and root growth, which enhance population expansion following grazing. Conversely, L. chinensis showed increased leaf and stem growth, but suffered nutrient and biomass loss as a result of excessive foraging by livestock, which severely affected its ability to colonize. Root enzymes coupled with soil nutrients can regulate plant nutrients and stoichiometric ratios as an adaptive response to grazing. Thus, we demonstrated that stoichiometric ratios allow species to better withstand grazing disturbances. This study provides a new understanding of the mechanisms involved in grazing-resistance within a plant-soil system.

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Dataset Information

The soil bacterial and fungal diversity were determined by the stoichiometric ratios of litter inputs: evidence from a constructed wetland.

Publications

The soil bacterial and fungal diversity were determined by the stoichiometric ratios of litter inputs: evidence from a constructed wetland.

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