Response of Soil Microbial Communities to Warming and Clipping in Alpine Meadows in Northern Tibet

Haorui Zhang,Guangyu Zhang,Shaowei Li,Gang Fu

doi:10.3390/su12145617

Abstract

In order to explore responses of soil microbial communities among different alpine meadows under warming and clipping, soil microorganisms of three alpine meadow sites (low altitude: 4313 m, alpine steppe meadow, 30°30′ N, 91°04′ E; mid-altitude: 4513 m, alpine steppe meadow, 30°31′ N, 91°04′ E; and high altitude: 4693, alpine Kobresia meadow, 30°32′ N, 91°03′ E) were measured using the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) method. Both warming and clipping significantly reduced PLFA content and changed the community composition of soil microbial taxa, which belong to bacterial and fungal communities in the alpine Kobresia meadow. Warming significantly reduced the soil total PLFA content by 36.1% and the content of soil fungi by 37.0%; the clipping significantly reduced the soil total PLFA content by 57.4%, the content of soil fungi by 49.9%, and the content of soil bacteria by 60.5% in the alpine Kobresia meadow. Only clipping changed the total fungal community composition at a low altitude. Neither clipping nor warming changed the microbial community composition at a moderate altitude. Soil temperature, soil moisture, and pH were the main factors affecting soil microbial communities. Therefore, the effects of warming and clipping on soil microbial communities in alpine meadows were related to grassland types and soil environmental conditions.

Highlights

Microbes, as decomposers of ecosystems, participate in the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycle and energy flow in various types of ecosystems around the world, which are important drivers of biogeochemical cycles [1,2]
The composition and function of the grassland ecosystem are often affected by human activities and climate change [6,7,8,9]
Studying the change mechanism of soil microbial communities under experimental warming, grazing, and their interaction can provide a theoretical basis for grazing management of grassland ecosystems and the construction of a multi-functional ecological security barrier [10,11]

Summary

Introduction

As decomposers of ecosystems, participate in the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycle and energy flow in various types of ecosystems around the world, which are important drivers of biogeochemical cycles [1,2]. The grassland ecosystem is one of the most common types of terrestrial ecosystems, and grazing is an important usage of land [4,5]. The composition of soil microbial communities in grassland ecosystems can reflect the changes in soil ecological environment under the influences of grazing and human activities and the changes in the composition and function of the grassland ecosystem. The composition and function of the grassland ecosystem are often affected by human activities and climate change [6,7,8,9]. Studying the change mechanism of soil microbial communities under experimental warming, grazing, and their interaction can provide a theoretical basis for grazing management of grassland ecosystems and the construction of a multi-functional ecological security barrier [10,11]

Objectives

Methods

Results