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Soil microbial properties and plant growth responses to carbon and water addition in a temperate steppe: the importance of nutrient availability.
| Content Provider | CiteSeerX |
|---|---|
| Author | Ma, Linna Huang, Wenwen Guo, Chengyuan Wang, Renzhong Xiao, Chunwang |
| Abstract | Background: Global climatic change is generally expected to stimulate net primary production, and consequently increase soil carbon (C) input. The enhanced C input together with potentially increased precipitation may affect soil microbial processes and plant growth. Methodology/Principal Findings: To examine the effects of C and water additions on soil microbial properties and plant growth, we conducted an experiment lasting two years in a temperate steppe of northeastern China. We found that soil C and water additions significantly affected microbial properties and stimulated plant growth. Carbon addition significantly increased soil microbial biomass and activity but had a limited effect on microbial community structure. Water addition significantly increased soil microbial activity in the first year but the response to water decreased in the second year. The water-induced changes of microbial activity could be ascribed to decreased soil nitrogen (N) availability and to the shift in soil microbial community structure. However, no water effect on soil microbial activity was visible under C addition during the two years, likely because C addition alleviated nutrient limitation of soil microbes. In addition, C and water additions interacted to affect plant functional group composition. Water addition significantly increased the ratio of grass to forb biomass in C addition plots but showed only minor effects under ambient C levels. Our results suggest that soil microbial activity and plant growth are limited by nutrient (C and N) and water availability, and highlight the importance of nutrient |
| File Format | |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Water Addition Soil Microbial Property Temperate Steppe Plant Growth Plant Growth Response Soil Microbial Activity Nutrient Availability Microbial Activity Carbon Addition Methodology Principal Finding Water Effect Soil Nitrogen Microbial Community Structure Soil Carbon Second Year Water-induced Change Soil Microbial Process Limited Effect Experiment Lasting Minor Effect Northeastern China Soil Microbe Enhanced Input Plant Functional Group Composition Microbial Property Global Climatic Change Soil Microbial Biomass Soil Microbial Community Structure Addition Plot First Year Nutrient Limitation Net Primary Production Water Availability Ambient Level |
| Content Type | Text |
