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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (1): 151-161.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2024.00089

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Effects of altitude gradient on soil microbial carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometric characteristics in Maxian Mountain ecosystem

Yuqian Li1,2(), Xuyang Wang1,2(), Hongdong Lin3, Xiaoming Mou1,2, Weiyuan Liu4, Jie Lian1,2, Yuqiang Li1,2   

  1. 1.Naiman Desertification Research Station,Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China
    2.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China
    3.Management and Conservation Center of Xinglong Mountain National Nature Reserve,Yuzhong 730100,Gansu,China
    4.Naiman Banner Big Willow State-owned Sand Control Forest Farm,Naiman Banner 028300,Inner Mongolia,China
  • Received:2024-08-28 Revised:2024-09-24 Online:2025-01-20 Published:2025-01-13
  • Contact: Xuyang Wang

Abstract:

In order to investigate the changing patterns of soilmicrobial carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus ecological stoichiometry in mountain ecosystems along the altitude gradient and the factors affecting them, we selected alpine grassland (AG), subalpine scrub (SS), alpine scrub (AS) and alpine meadow (AM) along the altitude gradient of the Maxian Mountains as the research objects, and analyzed the changes in the characteristics and factors affecting the ecological stoichiometry of the soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and other physicochemical indicators at different altitudes in the landscape of Maxian Mountains. By measuring soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and other physicochemical indicators at 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm levels, we analyzed the characteristics and influencing factors of soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and their ecological stoichiometry in the landscape of Maxian Mountain at different altitudes. The results showed that: (1) soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) contents showed a significant increase along the altitude and decreased significantly with the increase of soil depth, the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content of the surface soil (0-20 cm) increased significantly along the altitude, and microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) content showed a decreasing and then increasing trend along altitude, and the content of MBC in deep soil (20-40 cm) decreased first and then increased along the altitude, and reached the minimum value in the subalpine shrub, and the MBP content increased first and then decreased with the elevation, and reached the maximum value in the subalpine shrub. (2) Soil C∶P and C∶N showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing along the elevation, and the maximum values appeared in the alpine scrub (36.16 and 11.88), and the maximum value appeared in the alpine scrub. Surface soil MBN∶MBP showed an increasing and then decreasing trend with elevation, and the maximum value appeared in the subalpine scrub (9.16), MBC:MBN increased significantly along the elevation as a whole, and deep soil MBC∶MBP showed a decreasing and then increasing trend with elevation, and the minimum value appeared in the subalpine scrub (8.40). (3) Soil pH, electrical conductivity and underground biomass were significantly correlated with soil-microbial carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and ecological stoichiometry, and pH was a key driver of the elevation distribution pattern of soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and their stoichiometry. In conclusion, the changes of soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and its ecological stoichiometry along the altitude gradient are the result of the comprehensive effects of soil nutrients and environmental factors. This study is of great significance to reveal the response mechanism of soil nutrient cycling to environmental change in mountain ecosystems.

Key words: altitude gradient, Maxian Mountains, soil microbial biomass, ecological stoichiometry

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