Rest-grazing in spring affects the soil microbial community mainly by altering plant diversity

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtae110

J Plant Ecol ›› 2025, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (1): rtae110.DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtae110

• Research Articles •

Rest-grazing in spring affects the soil microbial community mainly by altering plant diversity

Min Zhang¹, Jun Wen^1,2, Xiaoli Wang^1,*, Cancan Zhao³, Yuan Ma¹, Yushou Ma¹ and Shixiong Li¹

¹State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Academy of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
²Research Institute of Qinghai Water Resources and Hydropower Technology Co., LTD, Xining 810001, China
³International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China

^*Corresponding author. E-mail: wxl.yu@163.com

Received:2024-07-10 Accepted:2024-11-18 Online:2025-03-13 Published:2025-02-01
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32260327, U21A20183 and U21A20186) and the ‘Western Light’ Young Scholars Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chief Scientist Program of Qinghai Province (2024-SF-101).

春季休牧通过改变植物多样性影响土壤微生物群落

Abstract

Abstract: Soil microorganisms play a crucial role in alpine grassland ecosystem as indicators of environmental change. Rest-grazing in spring has been shown to effectively curb grassland degradation, and while the effects on plants and soil have been widely studied, the response of soil microbial communities and the underlying driving factors remain unclear. In this study, two types of winter-spring pastures, steppe meadow (StM) and swamp meadow (SwM), were conducted for rest-grazing and grazing in spring, and vegetation community characteristics, soil properties and microbial community composition were measured to investigate the response of soil microbial communities to rest-grazing and its mechanisms. The results showed that rest-grazing in spring significantly increased above-ground biomass and soil organic carbon in alpine grasslands. In the steppe meadow, microbial groups were lower in the first year of rest-grazing compared to grazing but higher in the second year. In the swamp meadow, microbial groups and the ratio of Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria were higher under rest-grazing than under grazing. Stress indices in both grassland types were lower under rest-grazing than under grazing. Fungi showed an increasing trend with above-ground biomass (P < 0.05), while total PLFAs, bacteria, and actinomycetes increased with below-ground biomass (P < 0.05). Variance partitioning analysis (VPA) revealed that the combination of soil and vegetation properties explained 40.87% of the variation in the soil microbial community. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that species diversity (Simpson index), vegetation coverage, soil total phosphorus, and bulk density were significant influencing factors, with species diversity explaining the largest proportion of variation (60%). In summary, rest-grazing in spring can beneficially affect the soil microbial community by improving plant diversity and restoring soil properties in alpine grasslands.

Key words: rest-grazing in spring, soil microbial community, environmental factors, alpine grassland, Qilian Mountains

摘要：
土壤微生物是陆地生态系统重要的分解者，具有多重生态与环境功能，且是最为敏感的环境变化指示因子，在高寒草地生态系统中起到重要作用。春季休牧可有效遏制草地退化，尽管在这个过程中植物和土壤的研究较为广泛，但土壤微生物群落对该措施的响应及其内在驱动因子尚不明确。为此，本研究选择了两种冬春牧场，即草原草甸和沼泽草甸，进行春季休牧和放牧处理的野外控制试验。通过磷脂脂肪酸(PLFAs)方法测定微生物群落变化，并结合植被群落特征和土壤性质分析其内在机制。结果表明，春季休牧能显著提高高寒草地的地上生物量和土壤有机碳。在草原草甸，除真菌外的土壤微生物各类群在休牧第1年低于放牧处理，而在第2年则高于放牧处理。在沼泽草甸，微生物各类群和革兰氏阳性菌与阴性菌的比值(G+:G-)均高于放牧处理。休牧后的胁迫指数均低于放牧处理。真菌随地上生物量增加呈上升趋势，总微生物量、细菌和放线菌则随地下生物量增加呈上升趋势。方差分解结果显示，土壤和植被特征共同解释了土壤微生物群落40.87%的变异，冗余度分析结果表明，物种多样性(Simpson指数)、植被盖度、土壤全磷和容重是显著影响微生物群落的因子，其中物种多样性解释了60%的变异。上述结果意味着春季休牧可以通过改善高寒草地植物多样性和恢复土壤特性，从而对土壤微生物群落产生有益影响。

关键词: 春季休牧, 土壤微生物, 环境因子, 高寒草甸, 祁连山

Min Zhang, Jun Wen, Xiaoli Wang, Cancan Zhao, Yuan Ma, Yushou Ma, Shixiong Li. Rest-grazing in spring affects the soil microbial community mainly by altering plant diversity[J]. J Plant Ecol, 2025, 18(1): 1-15.

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Rest-grazing in spring affects the soil microbial community mainly by altering plant diversity

春季休牧通过改变植物多样性影响土壤微生物群落

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