Vegetation restoration measures affect soil microbial carbon and nitrogen functions in desertified alpine grassland

doi:10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2025.00037

Journal of Desert Research ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (3): 198-209.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2025.00037

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Vegetation restoration measures affect soil microbial carbon and nitrogen functions in desertified alpine grassland

Wenjing Liu¹^,²(), Yigang Hu³(), Zhenzi He¹^,², Zhenhua Zhang⁴, Yikang Li⁴

^1.Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment 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.MOE Key Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest，Sichuan Normal University，Chengdu 610068，China
^4.Institute of Northwest Plateau Biology，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Xining 810008，China

Received:2024-11-27 Revised:2025-02-28 Online:2025-05-20 Published:2025-06-30
Contact: Yigang Hu

Abstract

Abstract:

To explore the effects of vegetation to restore the measures on carbon and nitrogen cyclings related soil microorganisms in the desertified Tibetan alpine meadow， this study selected artificially revegetated grasslands using herbs and shrubs to restore the desertified alpine grassland. We compared the structures and potential functions of carbon and nitrogen cyclings related soil microbial communities between the two revegetated grasslands using metagenomic sequencing technology. The results showed that vegetation revegetation significantly improved the Shannon-Wiener diversity， richness and evenness of carbon and nitrogen cyclings related soil microbial functional communities， and thereby affected the potential ecological functions. While there was no significant differences in most soil microbial carbon metabolic functions between revegetated grasslands and the natural desert， many nitrogen cycling related functions showed significant difference， indicating that the restoration of soil microbial carbon metabolic functions in the desertified alpine grassland due to revegetation was better than that of nitrogen cycling related functions. The carbon and nitrogen cyclings related soil microbial functional communities were significantly positively associated with the improvements of vegetation and soil environmental conditions. These results showed that despite artificial revegetation restructed the structures of carbon and nitrogen cycles related soil microbial functional communities in desertified alpine grassland， the effects of different revegetation measures on potential carbon and nitrogen functions of soil microbial communities were limited.

Key words: grassland degradation, artificial revegetation, carbon and nitrogen cycling, metagenomics, microbial functional community

CLC Number:

Q938

Wenjing Liu, Yigang Hu, Zhenzi He, Zhenhua Zhang, Yikang Li. Vegetation restoration measures affect soil microbial carbon and nitrogen functions in desertified alpine grassland[J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2025, 45(3): 198-209.

Figures/Tables 9

References 46

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草地类型	碳循环			氮循环
草地类型	丰富度	Shannon-Wiener指数	Simpson指数	丰富度	Shannon-Wiener指数	Simpson指数
天然草地	5 770±292^b	5.82±0.09^a	0.024±0.003^a	661±47^b	5.41±0.07^a	0.011±0.001^a
沙化草地	6 105±227^a	5.12±0.05^b	0.057±0.004^a	746±46^a	4.90±0.05^b	0.039±0.004^a
草本人工草地	6 389±272^a	6.21±0.03^a	0.014±0.001^b	779±31^a	5.74±0.03^a	0.007±0.001^b
灌丛人工草地	6 298±333^a	6.24±0.11^a	0.013±0.002^b	783±73^a	5.73±0.09^a	0.007±0.001^b

草地类型	碳循环			氮循环
草地类型	丰富度	Shannon-Wiener指数	Simpson指数	丰富度	Shannon-Wiener指数	Simpson指数
天然草地	5 770±292^b	5.82±0.09^a	0.024±0.003^a	661±47^b	5.41±0.07^a	0.011±0.001^a
沙化草地	6 105±227^a	5.12±0.05^b	0.057±0.004^a	746±46^a	4.90±0.05^b	0.039±0.004^a
草本人工草地	6 389±272^a	6.21±0.03^a	0.014±0.001^b	779±31^a	5.74±0.03^a	0.007±0.001^b
灌丛人工草地	6 298±333^a	6.24±0.11^a	0.013±0.002^b	783±73^a	5.73±0.09^a	0.007±0.001^b

草地类型	碳循环		氮循环
草地类型	r	P	r	P
天然草地-沙化草地	1	0.004	1	0.004
天然草地-草本人工草地	1	0.004	1	0.004
天然草地-灌丛人工草地	1	0.004	0.98	0.004
沙化草地-草本人工草地	1	0.004	1	0.004
沙化草地-灌丛人工草地	1	0.004	1	0.004
草本人工草地-灌丛人工草地	0.292	0.047	0.644	0.014

草地类型	碳循环		氮循环
草地类型	r	P	r	P
天然草地-沙化草地	1	0.004	1	0.004
天然草地-草本人工草地	1	0.004	1	0.004
天然草地-灌丛人工草地	1	0.004	0.98	0.004
沙化草地-草本人工草地	1	0.004	1	0.004
沙化草地-灌丛人工草地	1	0.004	1	0.004
草本人工草地-灌丛人工草地	0.292	0.047	0.644	0.014

环境因子	碳循环		氮循环
环境因子	r	P	r	P
植被盖度	0.69	0.001	0.65	0.001
植被地上生物量	0.70	0.001	0.63	0.001
植被丰富度	0.67	0.001	0.64	0.002
植被Shannon指数	0.67	0.001	0.64	0.002
土壤pH	0.13	0.107	0.28	0.018
土壤电导率	0.52	0.001	0.67	0.001
土壤容重	0.16	0.135	0.32	0.017
土壤水分	0.62	0.001	0.57	0.001
土壤总有机碳	0.68	0.001	0.62	0.001
土壤全氮	0.34	0.002	0.44	0.001
土壤全磷	-0.11	0.893	-0.04	0.640
土壤铵态氮	0.01	0.405	0.10	0.159
土壤硝态氮	0.62	0.001	0.60	0.001
土壤有效磷	0.35	0.005	0.34	0.006
土壤速效钾	0.23	0.016	0.39	0.002

Vegetation restoration measures affect soil microbial carbon and nitrogen functions in desertified alpine grassland

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