Microbial functional changes mark irreversible course of Tibetan grassland degradation.
Nat Commun
; 13(1): 2681, 2022 05 13.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35562338
ABSTRACT
The Tibetan Plateau's Kobresia pastures store 2.5% of the world's soil organic carbon (SOC). Climate change and overgrazing render their topsoils vulnerable to degradation, with SOC stocks declining by 42% and nitrogen (N) by 33% at severely degraded sites. We resolved these losses into erosion accounting for two-thirds, and decreased carbon (C) input and increased SOC mineralization accounting for the other third, and confirmed these results by comparison with a meta-analysis of 594 observations. The microbial community responded to the degradation through altered taxonomic composition and enzymatic activities. Hydrolytic enzyme activities were reduced, while degradation of the remaining recalcitrant soil organic matter by oxidative enzymes was accelerated, demonstrating a severe shift in microbial functioning. This may irreversibly alter the world´s largest alpine pastoral ecosystem by diminishing its C sink function and nutrient cycling dynamics, negatively impacting local food security, regional water quality and climate.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Pradera
/
Microbiota
Tipo de estudio:
Systematic_reviews
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nat Commun
Asunto de la revista:
BIOLOGIA
/
CIENCIA
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Alemania