Article
Soil Science
Lei Song, Jinsong Wang, Junxiao Pan, Yingjie Yan, Shuli Niu
Summary: This study measured the gross N mineralization rate (GNMR) and related properties in an alpine meadow under chronic nitrogen (N) addition at different soil depths. The results showed that GNMR was negatively correlated with N addition rate and soil available NO3- content, and positively correlated with soil pH and carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N). Acidification, increased N availability, and C limitation all decreased soil N mineralization, with acidification dominating in the topsoil and C limitation dominating in the subsoil. These findings improve our understanding of soil N mineralization with chronic N enrichment at different depths.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mengke Cai, Guang Zhao, Bo Zhao, Nan Cong, Zhoutao Zheng, Juntao Zhu, Xiaoqing Duan, Yangjian Zhang
Summary: Climate warming will significantly impact variations in soil organic carbon, especially in alpine ecosystems. Microbial necromass carbon is a key contributor to stable soil organic carbon pools. However, the accumulation and persistence of soil microbial necromass carbon under different levels of warming are poorly understood.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Baorong Wang, Shaoshan An, Chao Liang, Yang Liu, Yakov Kuzyakov
Summary: Microbial necromass contributes significantly to SOC sequestration, with higher contributions in grassland and forest soils compared to cropland soils. Fungal necromass has a larger contribution to SOC than bacterial necromass, with the ratio of fungal:bacterial necromass increasing from croplands to forests. Additionally, factors such as temperature and soil pH affect the accumulation of fungal and bacterial necromass in different ecosystems.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Shanshan Liao, Xiaodong Nie, Aoqi Zeng, Wenfei Liao, Yi Liu, Zhongwu Li
Summary: Lake drawdown areas, where sediment is exposed due to water level fluctuations, have a significant impact on the carbon cycle. This study examined microbial necromass carbon (MNC) content and its contribution to soil organic carbon (SOC) in different habitats within the drawdown area of Dongting Lake. The results showed that MNC content varied among habitats and was primarily influenced by carbon and nitrogen availability, plant biomass, clay content, and soil moisture. External factors, such as plant and soil properties, played a more crucial role in the long-term accumulation of MNC. These findings enhance our understanding of MNC stability in drawdown areas.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chupei Shi, Carolina Urbina-Malo, Ye Tian, Jakob Heinzle, Steve Kwatcho Kengdo, Erich Inselsbacher, Werner Borken, Andreas Schindlbacher, Wolfgang Wanek
Summary: Increasing global temperatures accelerate soil carbon cycling and promote nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems. Warming differentially affects ecosystem carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus dynamics, intensifying imbalances between soil resources, plants, and soil microorganisms. Long-term soil warming shifts microbial element limitation from carbon to carbon-phosphorus co-limitation, with significant consequences for soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles under warming.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicholas J. Bouskill, Zelalem Mekonnen, Qing Zhu, Robert Grant, William J. Riley
Summary: Following tundra fires, bacterial colonization of soil previously occupied by slower-growing fungi enhances nitrogen cycling.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Leanne Peixoto, Lars Elsgaard, Jim Rasmussen, Jorgen E. Olesen
Summary: The study investigated the impact of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur limitations on carbon mineralization in deep subsoil samples amended with glucose and artificial root exudates. Results showed that mineralization was co-limited by nitrogen and phosphorus, with artificial root exudates containing amino acid-derived nitrogen potentially overcoming the nitrogen limitation in deep subsoils. This highlights the potential role of labile carbon substrates and nutrients from deep-rooted crops in influencing carbon sequestration in subsoil.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jian Li, Zhan-Feng Liu, Ming-Kang Jin, Wei Zhang, Hans Lambers, Dafeng Hui, Chao Liang, Jing Zhang, Donghai Wu, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas, Daniel F. Petticord, David W. Frey, Yong-Guan Zhu
Summary: This study investigates the effects of nutrient addition on soil priming effect (PE), and finds that glucose addition increases soil organic matter decomposition and induces positive priming in both leguminous and non-leguminous forests. The balance between soil available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) affects the PE, which is dependent on the composition of rhizosphere microbial communities.
Review
Ecology
Kate M. Buckeridge, Courtney Creamer, Jeanette Whitaker
Summary: Looking at the necromass continuum, three conclusions are drawn for future research. Firstly, controls on necromass persistence become clearer when viewed through the continuum's lens; secondly, destabilization is the least understood stage with recycling also insufficiently evidenced in many ecosystems; and thirdly, the response of necromass process rates to climate change remains unresolved for most continuum stages and ecosystems.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Xinying Zhang, Juan Jia, Litong Chen, Haiyan Chu, Jin-Sheng He, Yangjian Zhang, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: This study provides regional-scale data on MNC accumulation in alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, showing that the grasslands have low MNC concentrations in SOC due to high aridity and low net primary productivity. The findings highlight the influences of climate and plant factors on MNC accumulation at regional scales.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Yalong Liu, Ping Wang, Guan Cai, Tida Ge, Jingkuan Wang, Georg Guggenberger
Summary: Plant inputs and microbial transformations drive SOC formation and accumulation. Rice paddy is more conducive to SOC accumulation due to anaerobic conditions. The role of microbes and plants in SOC buildup under prolonged rice cultivation has not been well explored.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Suhui Ma, Guoping Chen, Enzai Du, Di Tian, Aijun Xing, Haihua Shen, Chengjun Ji, Chengyang Zheng, Jianxiao Zhu, Jiangling Zhu, Hanyue Huang, Hongbo He, Biao Zhu, Jingyun Fang
Summary: The study found that N deposition has a significant impact on the accumulation of soil microbial residues and their contribution to SOC in different forest ecosystems, specifically affecting the fungal residues and bacterial residues in various forest types. The responses of microbial residue-C in SOC to N addition are dependent on changes in soil total N concentration and the fungi to bacteria ratio under N addition and climate conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yafei Shen, Lei Lei, Wenfa Xiao, Ruimei Cheng, Changfu Liu, Xiaoyu Liu, Hu Lin, Lixiong Zeng
Summary: Soil microbial residues in Pinus massoniana plantations of different ages and depths were characterized using amino sugar biomarkers, revealing variations in their contributions. The age of the plantation and soil depth were found to influence the microbial residue patterns differently.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Yufu Jia, Guoqing Zhai, Shanshan Zhu, Xiaojuan Liu, Bernhard Schmid, Zhiheng Wang, Keping Ma, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: PSR positively affects SOC concentrations at both depths, with different mechanisms driving the relationship in the topsoil versus subsoil.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Shuhai Wen, Jiaying Chen, Ziming Yang, Lei Deng, Jiao Feng, Wen Zhang, Xiao-Min Zeng, Qiaoyun Huang, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Yu-Rong Liu
Summary: Microbial residues play a crucial role in stabilizing carbon in the soil profile and regulating global climate. However, their sensitivity to climatic seasonality, particularly in deep soils, remains largely unknown. In this study, we examined the changes of microbial residues along soil profiles across China and found that they contribute to a larger proportion of soil carbon in deeper soils. Climate has a significant impact on the accumulation of microbial residues, especially in deep soils, while soil properties also influence residue accumulation in surface soils. Summer precipitation is identified as a key factor regulating microbial-driven carbon stability in deep soils. These findings challenge the notion that deep soils can serve as long-term carbon reservoirs to mitigate climate change.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Laura Castaneda-Gomez, Kate Lajtha, Richard Bowden, Fathima Nahidha Mohammed Jauhar, Juan Jia, Xiaojuan Feng, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: Forest ecosystems as global soil carbon reservoirs are affected by climate change factors that change carbon inputs. This study integrated molecular composition data sets of soil organic matter and microbial communities to investigate the effects of detrital input and removal treatments on forest soil carbon dynamics. The results showed that long-term litter additions did not increase soil carbon content, while litter reductions negatively impacted soil carbon concentrations. This highlights the sensitivity of soil carbon biogeochemistry to changes in litter deposition.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hongbiao Zi, Xin Jing, Anrong Liu, Xiaomin Fan, Si-Chong Chen, Hao Wang, Jin-Sheng He
Summary: Climate warming has an impact on plant sexual reproduction, leading to changes in species distribution and community dynamics. The study found that warming overall decreased the number of fruits and increased seed mass, but had little effect on flower number, fruit mass, or seed number. The response of seed mass to warming was regulated by pollination type, with insect-pollinated plants showing a stronger response than wind-pollinated plants. The study also found that warming increased seed mass for nondominant species but not for dominant species. Phylogenetic relatedness did not explain the effects of warming on plant reproductive effort and success. Furthermore, there was a negative relationship between the effects of warming on flowering onset and the responses in terms of fruit and seed number, indicating a cascading effect of plant reproductive development.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Yufu Jia, Zongguang Liu, Lei Zhou, Xiaojuan Liu, Keping Ma, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: Soil organic carbon (SOC) is important for ecosystem carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation, but its sourcing and regulating mechanisms in the rhizosphere remain poorly understood. This study collected rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils under different mycorrhizal tree species and assessed potential mechanisms influencing the distribution of plant and microbial residues. The results showed that rhizosphere SOC had higher concentrations of lignin phenols and amino sugars, especially under ectomycorrhizal trees. These findings highlight differences in and controls on rhizosphere SOC sourcing related to different mycorrhizal tree species.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Yue Cai, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: Microbial necromass accrual via anabolism is an important process contributing to the formation and accumulation of stable soil organic C (SOC). Both substrates and microbial community traits impact the rate and efficiency of microbial biomass production, yet their effects on necromass accumulation patterns and efficiency remain unclear.
BIOLOGY AND FERTILITY OF SOILS
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Tian Ma, Zhiying Yang, Biwan Shi, Wenjing Gao, Yifan Li, Jianxiao Zhu, Jin-Sheng He
Summary: Increased nitrogen and phosphorus inputs have significant effects on soil organic carbon composition and dynamics. However, the responses of plant-derived and microbial-derived SOC components to N and P addition in alpine grasslands are not well understood. A 10-year N and P addition experiment in Tibetan Plateau grasslands revealed that P and N + P addition decreased microbial necromass, while N addition had no significant effect. The addition of P increased lignin phenols in the topsoil, but N addition decreased them in the subsoil. In addition, the ratio of fungi-to-bacteria necromass carbon and amino sugars to lignin phenols decreased with P supply, indicating a potential increase in SOC loss.
Article
Soil Science
Ya Wang, Simin Wang, Chengzhu Liu, Erxiong Zhu, Juan Jia, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: The relationship between soil organic matter (SOM) diversity and soil organic carbon (SOC) persistence is understudied in high-SOC soils such as wetlands. This study investigated shifts in SOM diversity after drainage in three wetland sites of varying SOC concentrations. The results showed that SOM diversity had a non-linear relationship with SOC concentration, with low-SOC wetlands exhibiting an increase in SOM diversity after drainage, while high-SOC wetlands did not show any change. Factors such as plant inputs and microbial processing influenced SOM diversity in high-SOC wetlands. These findings provide new insights into wetland SOC stability in the context of drainage.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andreas Schuldt, Xiaojuan Liu, Francois Buscot, Helge Bruelheide, Alexandra Erfmeier, Jin-Sheng He, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Keping Ma, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Bernhard Schmid, Thomas Scholten, Zhiyao Tang, Stefan Trogisch, Christian Wirth, Tesfaye Wubet, Michael Staab
Summary: Carbon-focused climate mitigation strategies are important in forests, but we need better understanding of their impact on biodiversity. A study using a large dataset from subtropical forests found that aboveground carbon was not strongly related to multitrophic diversity, while total carbon including belowground carbon was a significant predictor. Relationships were nonlinear and strongest for lower trophic levels. Tree species richness and stand age influenced these relationships, suggesting long-term forest regeneration is effective in reconciling carbon and biodiversity targets. This highlights the need to carefully evaluate the biodiversity benefits of climate-oriented management.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hao Wang, Lingfei Yu, Litong Chen, Zhenhua Zhang, Xuefei Li, Naishen Liang, Changhui Peng, Jin-Sheng He
Summary: Hydrological changes under climate warming drive wetland biogeomorphic succession and may result in carbon loss from carbon-rich ecosystems. This study investigated the dynamics of carbon fluxes and soil organic carbon pools during alpine wetland succession on the Tibetan Plateau using a space-for-time approach. The results showed that the shift from mesic meadow to fen changed the seasonality of carbon dioxide and methane fluxes, which was related to plant community composition, soil hydrology, and spring-thaw emission. The findings suggest that biogeomorphic succession and lateral carbon flows are important for understanding the long-term dynamics of wetland carbon footprints.
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Zhen-Huan Guan, Zuonan Cao, Xiao Gang Li, Peter Kuehn, Guozheng Hu, Thomas Scholten, Jianxiao Zhu, Jin-Sheng He
Summary: N addition and winter grazing have different effects on soil P fractions in alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. N addition reduces the contents of resin-Pi and NaOH-Pi, while winter grazing reduces the contents of NaHCO3-Pi and NaOH-Pi. N addition promotes the dissolution of NaOH-Pi, while winter grazing decreases the transformation from inorganic to organic P.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yonghui Wang, Chao Wang, Fei Ren, Xin Jing, Wenhong Ma, Jin-Sheng He, Lin Jiang
Summary: While anthropogenic eutrophication is known to impair aboveground stability, its effects on belowground stability remain poorly understood. In a nitrogen and phosphorus addition experiment in a Tibetan alpine grassland, the synchronization of grasses, the most abundant plant functional group, reduced their stability, which in turn impaired aboveground stability, but this was a poor predictor of belowground stability responses. This suggests that the ecological consequences of nutrient enrichment on ecosystem stability cannot be accurately predicted from the responses of aboveground components, highlighting the need for a better understanding of belowground ecosystem dynamics.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qiufang Zhang, Wenkuan Qin, Jiguang Feng, Xiaojie Li, Zhenhua Zhang, Jin-Sheng He, Joshua P. Schimel, Biao Zhu
Summary: The paucity of investigations on carbon dynamics in soils with warming makes it difficult to evaluate the feedback of terrestrial carbon to climate change. In this study, the researchers examined microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and found that CUE decreased with soil depth, primarily controlled by soil carbon availability. However, experimental warming had limited effects on microbial CUE and soil carbon availability.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erxiong Zhu, Zongguang Liu, Simin Wang, Yiyun Wang, Ting Liu, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: The binding of organic carbon (OC) to minerals is crucial for the persistence of soil organic carbon (SOC), which is necessary for long-term sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide into soils. However, the relative importance of metal oxides and silicate clay in SOC protection remains unclear, limiting our ability to predict and protect this important reservoir of persistent SOC.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhen-Huan Guan, Zuonan Cao, Xiao Gang Li, Thomas Scholten, Peter Kuehn, Lin Wang, Rui-Peng Yu, Jin-Sheng He
Summary: Plants can modulate their phosphorus acquisition strategies to adapt to varying soil phosphorus availability. When soil phosphorus is low, nitrogen addition increases the release of carboxylates from plant roots and leads to a higher percentage of colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), along with decreased root length and specific root length (SRL). When soil phosphorus is higher, nitrogen addition increases the plant's demand for phosphorus, accompanied by an increase in root diameter and phosphatase activity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zijian Shangguan, Xin Jing, Hao Wang, Huiying Liu, Huijie Gu, Jin-Sheng He
Summary: This meta-analysis found a mismatch between above-ground plant biodiversity and below-ground microbial biodiversity in response to climate warming and anthropogenic activities in alpine grasslands, with plant biodiversity being more sensitive. In the context of future global change, plant biodiversity may be at greater risk than soil microbial biodiversity. Different responses of biodiversity under different experimental and environmental conditions should be distinguished, and more attention is needed on biodiversity conservation in alpine steppe, or areas with warmer and drier environmental conditions, high-intensity fertilization, or heavy grazing.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)