Impact of Transition from Natural Grasslands Steppe to Monoculture Artificial Grasslands on Soil Food Webs in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Abstract

Addressing the imbalance of the livestock–forage–environment system on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), the extensive replacement of natural grasslands with artificial grasslands has been pursued to enhance forage yield and quality. Recognizing their pivotal role in soil ecology, soil nematodes serve as sensitive indicators of the soil ecosystem structure and function. In this context, we embarked on a field investigation aimed at discerning the impact of varying artificial grasslands on soil nematode communities and food webs, with the intent of identifying an optimal forage species through the lens of soil nematode dynamics in the temperate steppe of the QTP. Our findings indicate that artificial grasslands, on the whole, tend to augment the soil nematode diversity—as reflected in the increased Margalef richness—and modify the community structure. Notable enhancements were observed in the abundance of bacterivores and omnivores, the fungivore and omnivore biomass carbon, and the connectance within fungal and bacterial channels. Specific insights reveal that grasslands established with Elymus nutans and Elymus sinosubmuticus notably boost the Margalef richness, omnivore biomass carbon, and both functional and structural metabolic footprints, with E. sinosubmuticus grasslands uniquely elevating the fungal channel connectivity. Elymus sibiricus grasslands, in particular, were associated with increased fungivore biomass carbon and metabolic footprints, as well as increased connectance in fungal and omnivore–predator channels. In summation, E. sibiricus, E. nutans, and E. sinosubmuticus emerge as superior choices for artificial grassland cultivation on the QTP, as suggested by soil nematode indicators. The adoption of mixed-species sowing incorporating these three candidates potentially offers enhanced benefits to the soil food web, although this hypothesis warrants further investigation.