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Minor responses of soil microbial biomass, community structure and enzyme activities to nitrogen and phosphorus addition in three grassland ecosystems

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Abstract

Background and aims

Human activities have significantly increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) inputs to terrestrial ecosystems. However, the impact of N and P enrichment on soil microbial community structure and functioning in temperate and alpine grassland ecosystems remains unclear.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the responses of soil microbial communities to nutrient (N and P) additions in two temperate and one alpine grassland ecosystems in China. We measured soil chemical properties, microbial community composition (indicated by the phospholipid fatty acids, PLFA) and potential enzyme activities related to carbon (C), N, and P cycling in the peak growing season after 4 years of nutrient addition.

Results

We found that N addition reduced soil pH and increased soil total N content at two meadow sites, P addition increased soil total P content at all three sites, but both N and P additions had minimal effects on soil organic C content. Bacteria and total microbial abundances did not change after N and P additions, while fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) abundances were suppressed by N addition. Moreover, the activity of soil extracellular enzymes involved in C, N and P cycling and their stoichiometric ratios were not responsive to N and P additions, except for inhibition of acid phosphatase by P addition at the temperate meadow site.

Conclusions

Despite significant changes in soil chemistry (e.g., pH and available nutrients), soil microbial biomass (except fungi and AMF abundances), community structure, and enzyme activities (except phosphatase) were generally resistant to 4 years of N and P addition in the three temperate and alpine grassland ecosystems in China.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31622013, 31621091, 31630009, and 31370454). We thank Chao Wang, Wen Xiao and Huifeng Hu for their assistance in the field sampling and lab measurement. We also sincerely thank three anonymous reviewers and the Editor Dr. Sven Marhan for their helpful comments and suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Xiao Chen, Xin Jing, Jin-Sheng He & Biao Zhu

  2. School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, China

    Baihui Hao & Wenhong Ma

  3. Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Xin Jing

  4. Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, VT05405, Burlington, USA

    Xin Jing

  5. State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China

    Jin-Sheng He

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  1. Xiao Chen
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  2. Baihui Hao
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  3. Xin Jing
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  4. Jin-Sheng He
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Correspondence to Biao Zhu.

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Responsible Editor: Sven Marhan.

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Chen, X., Hao, B., Jing, X. et al. Minor responses of soil microbial biomass, community structure and enzyme activities to nitrogen and phosphorus addition in three grassland ecosystems. Plant Soil 444, 21–37 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04250-3

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