Soil warming during winter period enhanced soil N and P availability and leaching in alpine grasslands: A transplant study.

ABSTRACT: Alpine meadows are strongly affected by climate change. Increasing air temperature prolongs the growing season and together with changing precipitation patterns alters soil temperature during winter. To estimate the effect of climate change on soil nutrient cycling, we conducted a field experiment. We transferred undisturbed plant-soil mesocosms from two wind-exposed alpine meadows at ~2100 m a.s.l. to more sheltered plots, situated ~300-400 m lower in the same valleys. The annual mean air temperature was 2°C higher at the lower plots and soils that were normally frozen at the original plots throughout winters were warmed to ~0°C due to the insulation provided by continuous snow cover. After two years of exposure, we analyzed the nutrient content in plants, and changes in soil bacterial co

SUBMITTER: Kastovska E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9345486 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature