N Addition Overwhelmed the Effects of P Addition on the Soil C, N, and P Cycling Genes in Alpine Meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Although human activities have greatly increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs to the alpine grassland ecosystems, how soil microbial functional genes involved in nutrient cycling respond to N and P input remains unknown. Based on a fertilization experiment established in an alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, we investigated the response of the abundance of soil carbon (C), N, and P cycling genes to N and P addition and evaluated soil and plant factors related to the observed effects. Our results indicated that the abundance of C, N, and P cycling genes were hardly affected by N addition, while P addition significantly increased most of them, suggesting that the availability of P plays a more important role for soil microorganisms than N in this alpine meadow ecosystem.

SUBMITTER: Xiao J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9087854 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature