1. Phenolic compounds weaken the impact of drought on soil enzyme activity in global wetlands
- Author
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Tong Li, Leming Ge, Ruotong Zhao, Changhui Peng, Xiaolu Zhou, Peng Li, Zelin Liu, Hanxiong Song, Jiayi Tang, Cicheng Zhang, Quan Li, Meng Wang, and Ziying Zou
- Subjects
drought ,wetland ecosystems ,peat ,resilience ,polyphenols ,enzymatic sensitivity ,Microbiology ,QR1-502 - Abstract
Soil enzymes play a central role in carbon and nutrient cycling, and their activities can be affected by drought-induced oxygen exposure. However, a systematic global estimate of enzyme sensitivity to drought in wetlands is still lacking. Through a meta-analysis of 55 studies comprising 761 paired observations, this study found that phosphorus-related enzyme activity increased by 38% as result of drought in wetlands, while the majority of other soil enzyme activities remained stable. The expansion of vascular plants under long-term drought significantly promoted the accumulation of phenolic compounds. Using a 2-week incubation experiment with phenol supplementation, we found that phosphorus-related enzyme could tolerate higher biotoxicity of phenolic compounds than other enzymes. Moreover, a long-term (35 years) drainage experiment in a northern peatland in China confirmed that the increased phenolic concentration in surface layer resulting from a shift in vegetation composition inhibited the increase in enzyme activities caused by rising oxygen availability, except for phosphorus-related enzyme. Overall, these results demonstrate the complex and resilient nature of wetland ecosystems, with soil enzymes showing a high degree of adaptation to drought conditions. These new insights could help evaluate the impact of drought on future wetland ecosystem services and provide a theoretical foundation for the remediation of degraded wetlands.
- Published
- 2024
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