The main driver of soil organic carbon differs greatly between topsoil and subsoil in a grazing steppe.

ABSTRACT: Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics is regulated by a complex interplay of factors such as climate and potential anthropogenic activities. Livestocks play a key role in regulating the C cycle in grasslands. However, the interrelationship between SOC and these drivers remains unclear at different soil layers, and their potential relationships network have rarely been quantitatively assessed. Here, we completed a six-year manipulation experiment of grazing exclusion (no grazing: NG) and increasing grazing intensity (light grazing: LG, medium grazing: MG, heavy grazing: HG). We tested light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) and heavy fraction organic carbon (HFOC) in 12 plots along grazing intensity in three soil layers (topsoil: 0-10 cm, mid-soil: 10-30 cm, subsoil: 30-50 cm) to assess the drive

SUBMITTER: Wu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9353232 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature