Snow-cover loss attenuates the effects of N addition on desert nutrient cycling and microbial community.

ABSTRACT: Desert ecosystems are sensitive to nitrogen (N) deposition. Considering snow is an important source of soil water, which is vital for plant growth and the biogeochemical cycle in desert areas. The effects of N deposition on biological soil crusts (BSCs) could be impacted by the removal of snow-cover. Here, we established a split-plot experiment in the Gurbantunggut Desert to examine the effects of snow-cover treatments on soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and the bacterial community under various N addition. The removal of snow-cover reduced the soil nutrients with light and moderate N addition, it also reduced the activities of urease (URE) and alkaline phosphatase (PHOS). The structural equation model (SEM) result indicated that low soil moisture (SMO) under snow-uncover inhibited the b

SUBMITTER: Yang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10400093 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature