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Liao J, Dou Y, Wang B, Gunina A, Yang Y, An S, Chang SX. Soil stoichiometric imbalances constrain microbial-driven C and N dynamics in grassland. Sci Total Environ 2024; 924:171655. [PMID: 38492605 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Grassland restoration leads to excessive soils with carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents that are inadequate to fulfill the requirements of microorganisms. The differences in the stoichiometric ratios of these elements could limit the activity of microorganisms, which ultimately affects the microbial C, N use efficiencies (CUE, NUE) and the dynamics of soil C and N. The present study was aimed at quantifying the soil microbial nutrient limitation and exploring the mechanisms underlying microbial-induced C and N dynamics in chrono-sequence of restored grasslands. It was revealed that grassland restoration increased microbial C, N content, microbial C, N uptake, and microbial CUE and NUE, while the threshold elemental ratio (the C:N ratio) decreased, which is mainly due to the synergistic effect of the microbial biomass and enzymatic stoichiometry imbalance after grassland restoration. Finally, we present a framework for the nutrient limitation strategies that stoichiometric imbalances constrain microbial-driven C and N dynamics. These results are the direct evidence of causal relations between stoichiometric ratios, microbial responses, and soil C, N cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaojiao Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Ministry of Water Resources, CAS, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yanxing Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Ministry of Water Resources, CAS, Yangling 712100, China.
| | - Baorong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Ministry of Water Resources, CAS, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Anna Gunina
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China; National Observation and Research Station of Earth Critical Zone on the Loess Plateau, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China.
| | - Shaoshan An
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Ministry of Water Resources, CAS, Yangling 712100, China.
| | - Scott X Chang
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Canada.
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