Abstract
Changes in nitrogen (N) deposition and precipitation can strongly influence grassland ecology. However, the combined effects of N and water addition on soil fungal genetic diversity, and especially the underlying influencing factors, are not well understood. We investigated the response of soil fungal α diversity to experimental N and water addition in a northern Chinese steppe. We found that N addition alone exceeding N100 (100 kg N·ha−1·yr−1) significantly increased soil fungal α diversity. However, when water was added, soil fungal diversity did not significantly change following N enrichment. Structural equation modelling (SEM) results indicated that N addition increased soil fungal α diversity, while N addition combined with irrigation maintains soil fungal diversity that would otherwise be enhanced by N addition. This results from reversing the correlation between soil fungal diversity and plants\\\\soil physicochemical properties. Our results provide evidence that the effects of N deposition regarding soil fungal diversity might be overestimated if we ignore variations in water availability.
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