Applied Soil Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Spatial dynamics of soil algae: Insights into abundance, community structure, and ecological roles in mixed biocrusts across China","authors":"Chao Chang ,&nbsp;Li Gao ,&nbsp;Arash Zamyadi ,&nbsp;Hao Wang ,&nbsp;Ming Li","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105974","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105974","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil algae, encompassing cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microalgae, along with heterotrophic microorganisms, are vital components of the surface soil microbiome. They play a key role in maintaining soil ecosystem balance, enhancing soil health, and supporting ecological restoration. Despite their significance in terrestrial ecosystems, our understanding of soil algal distribution on a continental scale remains limited. In this study, we collected soil algae from mixed crusts in 57 regions across China to investigate their distribution patterns, identify key influencing factors, and assess their impact on soil ecosystem functions using high-throughput sequencing technology and qPCR. Our findings showed that soil cyanobacteria were more abundant than eukaryotic microalgae at all sample sites, with a relative abundance ranging from 77.85 % to 99.99 %. Interestingly, the Shannon diversity of cyanobacteria, green algae, and diatoms decreased from south to north, while their abundance (based on qPCR) increased in the same direction. All types of algal communities exhibited significant distance-decay relationships; however, the estimated distance-decay slopes varied among different algal types. Canonical principal coordinate analysis revealed significant differences in the community composition of soil cyanobacteria and green algae across climatic zones, accounting for 10.9 % and 11.8 % of the variation, respectively. Random forest analysis indicated that climatic factors (including MAT and MAP) are the main predictors of soil algal diversity, while edaphic factors (soil pH, VP, TP, and TN) influence their abundance. Moreover, variance partitioning analysis suggested that purely environmental factors explained more variation than dispersal limitation in soil algal communities. Structural equation modeling indicated a significant positive correlation between the diversity and abundance of cyanobacteria, green algae, and diatoms, and ecosystem multifunctionality, with both biotic and abiotic factors accounting for 17 % to 24 % of the variation in soil multifunctionality. Overall, our study highlights the biogeographical characteristics of soil algae and their roles in soil ecosystem functions. Future research should further explore the presence and functions of soil algae in different soil ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 105974"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143445768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil-dependent fate of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Listeria monocytogenes after incorporation of digestates in soil microcosms","authors":"Sophie Michel-Le Roux ,&nbsp;Christine Ziebal ,&nbsp;Gaëtan Pinsard ,&nbsp;Sophie Sadet-Bourgeteau ,&nbsp;Anaïs Oliva ,&nbsp;Pascal Piveteau","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105965","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105965","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Digestates are valuable by-products of anaerobic digestion. They can be used as fertilisers/soil improvers in agriculture. We collected six digestates from anaerobic digestors fed with biomass of diverse origins and analysed the occurrence of the process indicator bacteria <em>E. coli</em> and the three pathogens <em>Salmonella enterica</em>, <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae sensu lato</em> (<em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em> Species Complex, KpSC) and <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> (Lm). <em>Salmonella enterica</em> was absent in all digestates. Low copy numbers of KpSC were PCR detected in all digestates. In digestate SMS, <em>E. coli</em> was present at low concentration (50 CFU/g), and <em>K. pneumoniae sensu stricto</em> (Kp) along with Lm were detected and isolated after selective enrichment. We designed microcosm experiments to investigate the fate of these pathogens following the application of the digestates to three soils with contrasting edaphic characteristics. After 42 days incubation, <em>S. enterica</em> was not detected in any microcosms, and <em>E. coli</em> was found only in microcosms with silty clay loam soil supplemented with SMS digestate. The frequency of molecular detection of KpSC varied, while Lm was PCR detected only once in the silty clay loam soil supplemented with SMS digestate. Further experiments with artificially contaminated digestate demonstrated that the fate of Kp and Lm was dependent on soil type and that their detection duration correlated with their initial concentration in the digestate. Additionally, we explored an integrated statistical analysis framework to uncover the relationship between soil microbial diversity and the occurrence of KpSC. This last analysis highlighted both the potential of microbial communities to act as natural barrier against pathogens, and the complexity of microbial community dynamics affecting the pathogen's presence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 105965"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143445771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mixed eucalyptus plantations in southern subtropical China effectively stabilized the rhizosphere-associated bacterial network and facilitated soil ecological function","authors":"Yahui Lan ,&nbsp;Han Zhang ,&nbsp;Yaqin He ,&nbsp;Chenyang Jiang ,&nbsp;Jiazhen Deng ,&nbsp;Shaoming Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105963","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105963","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the simultaneous reduction in the amount of nitrogen (N) fertilizer required in commercial stands, mixed eucalyptus/legume plantations are highly suitable for sustainable development. However, in forest ecosystems, information on the mechanisms underlying the improvement in soil ecosystem function and changes in rhizosphere-associated bacterial communities driven by management measures involving N application and mixed plantations simultaneously is limited. We assessed the effects of fertilizer regime (0, 70, 140, and 210 kg N hm⁻²) and planting pattern (pure plantation or mixed plantation) on soil characteristics and rhizobacterial communities after 6.5 years of field experiments in southern subtropical China. We found that under N application and mixed plantation, the pH value, organic carbon, total N, NO₃⁻-N, NH₄⁺-N, and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) of rhizosphere soil increased considerably. The mixed plantation favored an increase in the microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) content and a decrease in the MBC/MBN ratio at the medium N (MN) level (140 kg N hm⁻²). Urese activity and bacterial α diversity (Chao1 and Shannon indices) also presented the highest values at the MN level, and their values decreased at the high N level (210 kg N hm⁻²). Nevertheless, neither N application nor planting pattern significantly affected bacterial α diversity. Overall, the rhizosphere-associated bacterial co-occurrence network exhibited higher values of clustering and modularity due to the MN application and mixed plantation, which also facilitated soil fertility and soil ecosystem function. According to structural equation modeling, soil fertility, soil enzyme activity, and co-occurrence network modularity had stronger total effects on rhizosphere bacterial α diversity when driven by the planting pattern than when driven by N application. These findings provide valuable insights into forest management practices to enhance soil ecological function and promote sustainable management in industrial forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 105963"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143437725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial inoculants drive disease suppression and rhizosphere modulation for effective management of pepper phytophthora blight","authors":"Muye Xiao ,&nbsp;Xuchen Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaozhong Wang ,&nbsp;Wencai Lu ,&nbsp;Tong Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuheng Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105971","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105971","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Peppers (<em>Capsicum annuum</em> L.) are globally important vegetable crops, yet their production is often compromised by diseases like pepper Phytophthora blight (PPB). Microbial inoculants offer a promising strategy to enhance plant growth and prevent pathogen invasion by establishing diverse core microbial communities in the rhizosphere. This study investigated the efficacy of microbial inoculants, particularly <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> and <em>Trichoderma harzianum</em>, in controlling PPB and enhancing pepper growth under both greenhouse and field conditions. Both individual and combined applications of <em>B. subtilis</em> and <em>T. harzianum</em> significantly suppressed PPB and improved pepper yield. Furthermore, we assessed how these inoculants influenced soil microbial diversity and community structure, identifying key components of the soil microbiome that contribute to disease suppression. The observed suppression of pathogens and promotion of growth were primarily associated with the recruitment of beneficial microbial groups, such as <em>Agromyces</em>, <em>Nocardiopsis</em>, <em>MND1</em>, <em>Gaiella</em>, <em>Iamia</em>, <em>Massilia</em>, <em>Micromonospora</em>, <em>Fusarium</em>, <em>Gibberella</em>, and <em>Gibellulopsis</em>. These findings suggest that microbial inoculants, particularly in combination, can effectively manage PPB and enhance crop productivity through modulation of the rhizosphere microbiome. This study provides valuable insights into the application of microbial inoculants for sustainable pepper production and disease management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 105971"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143445767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization improved crop yield by influencing rhizosphere nitrogen transformation processes","authors":"Chunxiao Wu ,&nbsp;Furong Wei ,&nbsp;Benshuai Yan ,&nbsp;Guobin Liu ,&nbsp;Guoliang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105968","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105968","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil nitrogen (N) transformation plays a crucial role in enhancing farmland productivity. However, the impacts of long-term N and phosphorus (P) fertilization on soil N transformation and crop yield in farmland remain unclear. This study investigated the mechanisms by which crop root exudates, microbial N function genes, and soil N transformation characteristics influenced crop yield under different N and P fertilization regimes over 26 years. The results revealed that long-term N and P fertilization significantly increased millet root exudates and soil nutrient contents. Specifically, dicarboxylic acid exudates, total N, and ammonium N prominently affected the composition of microbial N function genes. Moreover, N and P fertilization markedly increased the abundance of genes responsible for soil N fixation and nitrification. The abundance of soil nitrification (<em>amoA1</em>, <em>amoA2</em>, and <em>nxrA</em>) and ammonification (<em>ureC</em>) functional genes substantially influenced soil nitrification and N mineralization rates. Enhanced soil N transformation rates facilitated N uptake of millet, and crop yield increased with the increasing of soil N transformation rates and nitrification genes abundance. Essentially, long-term N and P fertilization increased crop yield mainly by enhancing the root organic acid exudates, increasing the abundance of functional genes such as <em>amoA2</em>, <em>nxrA</em>, and <em>ureC</em>, and elevating soil available N content. This study emphasizes the importance of the rhizosphere N transformation process for the sustainable agricultural development of the Loess Plateau region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 105968"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143429409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Straw amendment induced contrasting net carbon balance in subtropical paddy and adjacent upland soils","authors":"Ping Zhou ,&nbsp;Xue Li ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Lai ,&nbsp;Xiaobin Guo ,&nbsp;Jinshui Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105959","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105959","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in agricultural fields is of vital importance to mitigate climate change. Straw amendment is a promising practice for improving SOC sequestration through direct input of organic materials. Subtropical paddy soils have higher SOC levels than upland soils, but whether or not the decomposition of straw C and the net soil C balance contribute to higher SOC levels in paddy soils remains unknown. Here, two typical subtropical paddy soils derived from highly weathered granite and quaternary red clay, as well as adjacent upland soils, were incubated at 25 °C and 45 % water holding capacity for 180 days. Two treatments of soil alone (Control) and soil with straw amendment (M) were conducted. About 18–21 % of straw C evolved as CO₂ in paddy soils, which was significantly lower than in upland soils (23–28 %). Additionally, straw amendment induced weaker priming effect (PE) in paddy (5–9 %) than in upland (17–37 %) soils. However, more straw C was incorporated into SOC in paddy (29–33 %) than in upland (26–29 %) soils. Consequently, straw C led to a positive net C balance in paddy soils (from 128 to 372 mg C kg⁻¹), but a negative net C balance in upland soils (from −313 to −111 mg C kg⁻¹). The straw C incorporated into SOC was distributed mainly in the humus C, Fe/Al–SOC, particulate organic C fractions, and macro-aggregates (2000–250 μm),with higher proportions of 14–15 %, 17–24 %, 15–21 %, and 10–13 % in paddy than those of 11–13 %, 13–18 %, 9–17 %, and 3–7 % in upland soils, respectively. Straw amendment to subtropical paddy soils may offset the SOC losses and result in net SOC sequestration via the reduction of substrate mineralization, weaker PE, and stronger physicochemical protection of SOC than in upland soils. On the contrary, straw amendment to subtropical upland soils is not conducive to SOC sequestration. This study highlights the contrasting roles of straw decomposition in subtropical paddy and upland soils. It suggests that straw amendment is a reasonable management practice to improve net SOC accumulation in paddy soils, but this practice may not be suitable in upland soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105959"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143429164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Opposing island biogeographic effects of turnover and nestedness on beta-diversity of soil faunal communities between woodland and deforested grassland","authors":"Zengyan Li ,&nbsp;Zengke Zhang ,&nbsp;Anna Yang ,&nbsp;Sufeng Pan ,&nbsp;Junyong Zheng ,&nbsp;Ling Mou ,&nbsp;Wensheng Chen ,&nbsp;Tian Zhang ,&nbsp;Liyi Zhou ,&nbsp;Wenhui You ,&nbsp;David A. Wardle ,&nbsp;En-Rong Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105966","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105966","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human land use intensification is increasing biodiversity loss worldwide through fragmenting contiguous natural habitats into spatially isolated patches of varying sizes. However, it is poorly known as to how the area and isolation of patches operate to jointly alter biological community composition for contrasting land use types, particularly for belowground organisms. Oceanic islands that vary in human activities provide an ideal model system for examining how patch area and isolation affects community dissimilarity resulting from land use change. We conducted a paired sampling design that included both natural woodland (i.e. land covered with woody plants, including trees and shrubs) and degraded grassland for each of 20 islands differing in area and remoteness in the largest archipelago of Eastern China. We used this design to investigate how island area and remoteness shape the community dissimilarity of soil fauna between woodland and grassland directly and indirectly through changing climatic and habitat properties. The dissimilarity of soil fauna communities for each island was estimated by measuring total beta (β) diversity and its turnover and nestedness components between woodland and grassland. We found that land use change did not decrease taxa richness but did alter community composition overall. There was no relationship of island area with community dissimilarity when it was estimated by total β-diversity, due to contrasting responses of its turnover and nestedness components to island area. Soil faunal compositional dissimilarity between woodland and grassland along the area gradient was mainly related to the gain and loss of unique taxa in grassland. On small islands, nestedness was the primary contributor to total β-diversity, due to a loss of soil fauna taxa as habitats shifted from woodland to grassland, and suggests that natural habitats serve as refuges for soil organisms. Meanwhile on larger islands, turnover was the main contributor to total β-diversity, suggesting that diverse land uses can increase biodiversity across habitats. Additionally, high habitat differences combined with favorable climatic conditions (such as low wind speed) on larger islands facilitated species turnover but diminished nestedness. Meanwhile island remoteness did not affect total β-diversity or its components, but it did significantly enhance the negative impact of land-use conversion on the abundance of larger-bodied taxa. These findings suggest that island area, and therefore landscape patch area, play a crucial role in shaping the dissimilarity of soil faunal communities that stem from human land use change. Our results highlight that partitioning total β-diversity into its turnover and nestedness components is essential for understanding the impact of land use change on soil faunal community composition in fragmented habitats.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105966"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143420325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms overwhelm denitrifiers in determining the efficacy of DMPP in upland soils","authors":"Jilin Lei ,&nbsp;Donghan Yang ,&nbsp;Yingying Sun ,&nbsp;Saihong Wang ,&nbsp;Qianyi Fan ,&nbsp;Junhui Yin ,&nbsp;Rui Liu ,&nbsp;Qing Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of nitrification inhibitors (NIs) like 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) in agricultural systems can effectively reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions and nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching, but their effectiveness varies across different soils. This microcosm experiment evaluated the efficacy of DMPP and its impact on soil microbial communities in four upland soils in Northern China (Tianshui: TS, Shihezi: SHZ, Heze: HZ and Daxing: DX). Results indicated that DMPP exhibits varying inhibitory effects on N₂O emissions across different soils. The key microbes mediating N₂O emissions, particularly ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), are the primary contributors to this variability. Specifically, DMPP led to a substantial reduction in N₂O emissions in TS soil, inhibiting 81.3 % of emissions by suppressing both ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA). In SHZ soil, a 56.5 % reduction was observed, primarily attributed to decreased AOB <em>amo</em>A abundance. DX soil exhibited a 48.6 % reduction, linked to decreased AOA <em>amo</em>A abundance and an increase in <em>nos</em>Z-N₂O reducers. Conversely, HZ soil showed the lowest reduction at 27.7 %, where DMPP stimulated the abundance of <em>nir</em>S-type denitrifiers while inhibiting unclassified Nitrosomonadales, the dominant AOB genus, which correlated positively with the net nitrification rate. Additionally, DMPP positively influenced norank Crenarchaeota-AOA in TS soil, and <em>Bradyrhizobium</em>-<em>nos</em>Z and <em>Saccharothrix</em>-<em>nar</em>G in HZ soil, all negatively associated with N₂O emissions. Soil properties such as total nitrogen, organic matter (SOM), ammonium (NH₄⁺), pH, and available phosphorus (AP) levels significantly shaped microbial responses to DMPP. These findings underscore the importance of soil-specific characteristics in optimizing DMPP application strategies for reducing N₂O emissions in upland soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105955"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143420324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potassium organomineral fertilizer alters the microbiome of a sandy loam tropical soil","authors":"Caroline Figueiredo Oliveira ,&nbsp;Lucas William Mendes ,&nbsp;Luís Reynaldo Ferracciú Alleoni","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105960","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105960","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil fertility depends on a series of physical, chemical, and biological factors that interact to create an environment favorable to plant growth. In conditions of low fertility, mineral and organic fertilizers are commonly used in agricultural systems. However, studies on the impact of these fertilizers on the soil microbiota are limited, particularly those focusing on fertilizers containing potassium, a crucial plant macronutrient. In this study, we evaluated how potassium organomineral fertilizer (OMF) influences soil bacterial and fungal communities compared to potassium chloride (KCl), a conventional agricultural source in the humid tropics. Both the conventional particle size and the ground form used to produce OMF were examined. Samples of a sandy loam Typic Hapludox were incubated with the fertilizers, and the bacterial and fungal communities were assessed through sequencing of the 16S rRNA and ITS regions, respectively. OMF reduced the richness and diversity of bacterial and fungal communities, and this effect was attributed to the nutrient composition of OMF, rich in calcium and magnesium, which were absent in other treatments. Different fertilizers selected specific bacterial and fungal phyla, demonstrating their ability to influence community structure. Notably, OMF favored Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota, while KCl increased the abundance of Actinobacteriota and Firmicutes. The granulometry of KCl also influenced the soil microbial community, with smaller granules having greater soil contact, thus affecting chemical conditions and microbial composition. The OMF treatment enriched several bacterial genera, including <em>Microvirga</em>, <em>Phenylobacterium</em>, and <em>Azospirillum</em>, while increasing only the fungal genus <em>Ascobolus</em>. While OMF application reduced microbial richness and diversity, it favored specific microbial groups beneficial for agriculture, such as those involved in organic compound degradation and nitrogen cycling. These compositional changes may have significant implications for nutrient cycling and soil organic matter decomposition, highlighting the need for further studies to understand the underlying mechanisms and broader ecological impacts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105960"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143420413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impacts of shrub branch shelter and nitrogen addition on soil microbial activity and plant litter decomposition in a desert steppe","authors":"Xiongkui Lin ,&nbsp;Rebecca L. Schneider ,&nbsp;Stephen J. Morreale ,&nbsp;Hongmei Wang ,&nbsp;Jianping Li ,&nbsp;Zhigang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.105956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shrub encroachment and nitrogen (N) deposition have become two critical factors that cause global grassland ecosystems degradation. However, the combined effects of shrub branch shelter and N deposition on soil microbial activity and litter decomposition in grasslands remain obscure. This study adopted four branch shelter levels of 0 % (no shelter), 30 %, 50 % and 70 % as the main plots, and four N additions including 0 g m⁻² a⁻¹, 10 g m⁻² a⁻¹, 20 g m⁻² a⁻¹ and 40 g m⁻² a⁻¹ as subplots in a Northwest China desert steppe. Subsequently, soil temperature, soil moisture, pH, N content, activities of C and N cycling-related enzymes, and microbial community structure between 0 and 5 cm were determined post 2 years, and litter decomposition from dominant plants was also determined. The results demonstrated that N additions increased the soil inorganic N content, but decreased soil pH value. However, branch shelters enhanced soil moisture, yet had no effect on soil pH value and N content. As results, N additions inhibited soil N cycling-related enzyme activities, but branch shelters accelerated the activities of the most tested extracellular enzymes. Branch shelters also presented opposite potentials to N additions in affecting soil microbial community structure. Overall, shrub shelters counteracted the negative effects of nitrogen deposition on soil enzyme activity and microbial community structure. Consequently, both branch shelter and N addition promoted litter decomposition. Therefore, branch shelter could be used as feasible measures to restore degraded grasslands caused by shrub encroachment and N deposition in arid and semiarid areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8099,"journal":{"name":"Applied Soil Ecology","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 105956"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143420412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}