Regulation of Microbial Necromass Carbon in Restoring Alpine Meadows: Key Roles of Soil Properties and Fungal Network Stability

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtag109

J Plant Ecol ›› Advance articles DOI:10.1093/jpe/rtag109

Regulation of Microbial Necromass Carbon in Restoring Alpine Meadows: Key Roles of Soil Properties and Fungal Network Stability

Mengmeng Wen^a,b, Sha Zhou^f, Wanyu He^c, Xue Zhao^a,b, Minghui Meng^a,b, Jieying Wang^a,b, Jun Wang^a,b,c,e*, Fazhu Zhao^a,b,c,d*

a College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China;
b Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China;
c Carbon Neutrality College (Yulin), Northwest University Xi'an, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China;
d Shaanxi Xi'an Urban Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Xi'an, China;
e State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, China;
f Xi'an Botanical Garden of Shaanxi Province (Institute of Botany of Shaanxi Province), Xi'an, China
^*Correspondence: J. Wang and F.Z. Zhao
Email: wangj@nwu.edu.cn and zhaofazhu@nwu.edu.cn
Tel & Fax: 86-15229276980 & 86 29-88308417

Received:2025-12-16 Revised:2026-04-14 Accepted:2026-05-07 Published:2026-05-21
Supported by:
This work was supported by the Central Government to Guide Local Science & Technology Development in Qinghai Province (2025ZY007) and the Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai Province (2025-ZJ-969T).

土壤性质与真菌网络稳定性调控高寒草甸恢复过程中微生物残体碳的积累

Abstract

Abstract: Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) is an important component of the soil carbon sink in alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, we still know little about how soil properties and the microbial community regulate MNC during ecosystem restoration. This study examined the temporal dynamics of MNC components (bacterial and fungal) and microbial network stability across a 20-year restoration chronosequence (1, 5, 7, 13, and 20 years). The contents of bacterial necromass carbon (BNC), fungal (FNC), and total MNC increased rapidly during the early restoration phase, peaking at 7 years, followed by a decline in later stages. At this peak stage, bacterial network stability reached a relatively high level, in contrast to significantly lower fungal network stability. Random Forest modeling identified soil water content, particulate organic carbon, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen as dominant abiotic predictors of MNC. Biotically, fungal network stability was a key determinant, showing a significant negative correlation with MNC accumulation. This pattern was linked to the dynamics of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Collectively, these results reveal that MNC sequestration is jointly regulated by soil resource availability and fungal community stability, providing new insights into the microbial mechanisms underlying soil carbon recovery in restored alpine ecosystems.

Key words: Alpine grassland, Microbial necromass carbon, Fungal community, Network stability

摘要：
微生物残体碳（MNC）是青藏高原高寒草甸土壤碳汇的重要部分。然而，在生态系统恢复过程中，土壤性质与微生物群落如何调控MNC尚不明确。本研究利用跨越20年的恢复年限序列（恢复1、 5、 7、 13和20年），分析了MNC组分（细菌残体碳和真菌残体碳）及微生物网络稳定性的时间动态。结果表明，在恢复早期，细菌残体碳、真菌残体碳以及总MNC含量均快速增加，于第7年达到峰值，随后在恢复后期下降。在第七年，细菌网络稳定性维持在较高水平，而真菌网络稳定性则显著降低。随机森林分析显示，土壤含水量、颗粒有机碳、土壤有机碳和全氮是MNC的主要非生物预测因子。在生物因素方面，真菌网络稳定性是关键影响因子，并与MNC积累量呈显著负相关，这可能受到外生菌根真菌丰度的影响。综上所述，本研究揭示了MNC的固存受土壤理化性质和真菌群落稳定性的共同影响，为理解高寒生态系统恢复过程中土壤碳固存的微生物机制提供了新的见解。

关键词: 高寒草甸, 微生物残体碳, 真菌群落, 网络稳定性

Mengmeng Wen, Sha Zhou, Wanyu He, Xue Zhao, Minghui Meng, Jieying Wang, Jun Wang, Fazhu Zhao. Regulation of Microbial Necromass Carbon in Restoring Alpine Meadows: Key Roles of Soil Properties and Fungal Network Stability[J]. J Plant Ecol, DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtag109.

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