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Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Soil Carbon-Fixing Microbial Diversity on Different Slopes in a Degraded Alpine Meadow.

ABSTRACT: Autotrophic carbon-fixing bacteria are a major driver of carbon sequestration and elemental cycling in grassland ecosystems. The characteristics of the response of carbon-fixing bacterial communities to nitrogen (N) addition in degraded alpine meadows are unclear. In this study, it was investigated that the effects of N addition in three levels [they are low (LN), middle (MN), and high (HN) with N supplement of 2, 5, and 10 g N⋅m^-2⋅a^-1, respectively] on soil carbon-fixing bacteria on different slopes in a degraded alpine meadow in the Yellow River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The results showed that there were significant differences in the abundance of some low abundance genera of carbon-fixing bacteria on the same slope (P < 0.05), but the differences in the abundance of various phyla and dominant genera were not significant. MN on gentle slopes significantly reduced the Chao1 index and observed species (P < 0.05), whereas N addition on steep slopes had no significant effect on the diversity. The abundance of the Cyanobacteria phylum and 28 genera of identified carbon-fixing bacteria differed significantly between slopes (P < 0.05), and observed species of carbon-fixing bacteria were significantly higher on steep slopes than on gentle slopes (P < 0.05). Factors affecting the carbon-fixing bacteria community structure include slope, N addition, ammoniacal nitrogen (N-NH₄ ⁺), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil water content (SWC), pH, soil C:N ratio, and microbial C:N ratio. Slope, N addition, soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, and stoichiometric ratio did not significantly affect the carbon-fixing bacteria diversity. Thus, the effect of exogenous N addition on carbon-fixing bacteria in degraded alpine meadows was dependent on slope conditions, and the response of carbon-fixing bacteria abundance and species number to N addition on gently slope sites was threshold-limited.

SUBMITTER: Li C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9263980 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThe degradation of alpine meadows has induced substantial losses of soil organic carbon (SOC) on the Tibetan Plateau. A commonly-used method for rehabilitating degraded alpine meadows in this region is establishing cultivated grasslands through sowing seed mixtures, but its impact on the biochemical stability of SOC has remained inadequately explored.MethodsIn this study, a total of 20 composited 0-20 cm soil samples were collected from a heavily degraded alpine meadow (DM) and three adjacent cultivated grasslands established for 3 years (CG3), 12 years (CG12), and 17 years (CG17) on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, and the SOC pool was separated into labile C pool I (LOC I), labile C pool II (LOC II), and recalcitrant C pool (ROC) in order to investigate changes in contents of SOC fractions that have different biochemical stabilities after the establishment of cultivated grassland.ResultsAlthough the establishment of cultivated grasslands led to increases in soil total organic C content, the increase was only significant in samples with 17 years of cultivation. We found that the contents of the three SOC fractions were higher at CG3 and CG12 compared with those in the DM, and the differences were only significant for soil LOC II. By comparison, 17 years of cultivation led to significant increases in all of the SOC fraction contents. The results implied that different cultivation years had distinct impacts on SOC fractions in cultivated grasslands, and longer cultivation years contributed to accumulated soil ROC. The recalcitrance index of SOC in the DM was higher than that at CG3 and CG12, but lower than that at CG17. This was possibly due to the generally low litter quality of cultivated grasslands, which led to a slow release of complex compounds to soils. Moreover, it was observed that soil C:N ratio was a potential indicator of SOC biochemical stability because of their close correlation.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the long-term establishment of cultivated grasslands on DM is a promising solution to recovering both the quantity and stability of SOC on the Tibetan Plateau.

Project description:Background:Soil microbial communities and their associated enzyme activities play key roles in carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil microbial communities are sensitive to resource availability, but the mechanisms of microbial regulation have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we tested the mechanistic relationships between microbial responses and multiple interacting resources. Methods:We examined soil carbon properties, soil microbial community structure and carbon-related functions under nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal (litter removal (NL), root trench and litter removal (NRL)) in a pure Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in northern China. Results:We found that nitrogen addition affected the soil microbial community structure, and that microbial biomass increased significantly once 100 kg ha-1 a-1 of nitrogen was added. The interactions between nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal significantly affected soil bacteria and their enzymatic activities (oxidases). The NL treatment enhanced soil microbial biomass under nitrogen addition. We also found that the biomass of gram-negative bacteria and saprotrophic fungi directly affected the soil microbial functions related to carbon turnover. The biomass of gram-negative bacteria and peroxidase activity were key factors controlling soil carbon dynamics. The interactions between nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal strengthened the correlation between the hydrolases and soil carbon. Conclusions:This study showed that nitrogen addition and plant inputs removal could alter soil enzyme activities and further affect soil carbon turnover via microbial regulation. The increase in soil microbial biomass and the microbial regulation of soil carbon both need to be considered when developing effective sustainable forest management practices for northern China. Moreover, further studies are also needed to exactly understand how the complex interaction between the plant and below-ground processes affects the soil microbial community structure.

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Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Soil Carbon-Fixing Microbial Diversity on Different Slopes in a Degraded Alpine Meadow.

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