Essential Site Maintenance: Authorea-powered sites will be updated circa 15:00-17:00 Eastern on Tuesday 5 November.
There should be no interruption to normal services, but please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any issues.

loading page

Winter grazing, not fencing or unicast, promotes stability of microbial community and function in the Qilian Mountains of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau
  • +6
  • Sichen Pan,
  • Caiyun Luo,
  • Xin Chen,
  • Dongdong Chen,
  • Qi Li,
  • Fuquan He,
  • Yukun Zhang,
  • Li Zhang,
  • Liang Zhao
Sichen Pan
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Caiyun Luo
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Xin Chen
Minzu University of China
Author Profile
Dongdong Chen
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Qi Li
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Fuquan He
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Yukun Zhang
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Li Zhang
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Author Profile
Liang Zhao
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile

Abstract

Microorganisms play a key role in maintaining the stability of vegetation-soil-microbial systems and terrestrial geochemical processes in alpine meadows. To investigate the effects of different management practices on the structure and function of microbial communities, the present study used metagenomic sequencing to investigate the structure and function of soil microbial communities in the southern Qilian Mountains of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in response to the management practices of fenestration (FE), winter grazing (WG), transition zone between natural and artificial grasslands (TZ), and artificial unicast oats (AU). The management measures significantly changed vegetation diversity and soil physicochemical properties. The prokaryotic community structure was considerably similar in FE and WG, as well as in TZ and AU. Near-natural (FE) and artificial establishment (AU) disturbances changed the fungal community structure. Enzymes related to carbon metabolism did not respond significantly to the management measures, whereas those related to nitrogen metabolism did not respond significantly in TZ and AU. The relative abundance of enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism was higher under TZ and AU than under FE and WG. We concluded that grassland management measures altered the structure of aboveground graminoid and leguminous vegetation communities and belowground biomass allocation, resulting in changes in K uptake, causing significant changes in the structure of fungal communities and nitrogen-metabolizing enzymes; moderate disturbance (WG) was beneficial for maintaining the stability of microbial communities in alpine grasslands.
Submitted to Land Degradation & Development
16 May 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
16 May 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
20 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
16 Aug 20241st Revision Received
19 Aug 2024Submission Checks Completed
19 Aug 2024Assigned to Editor
19 Aug 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
24 Aug 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
01 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
10 Sep 20242nd Revision Received
11 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
11 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
11 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
13 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
21 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Accept