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Contrasting effects of warming and N deposition on soil microbial functional genes in a subtropical forest.
- Source :
-
Geoderma . Feb2022, Vol. 408, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- • Effects of warming and N addition on microbial functional genes were studied. • There was no interaction between warming and N addition on functional genes. • Warming had minimal effect on functional genes associated with soil C and N cycling. • The increase in gene abundance due to N addition was related to pH and available N. Climate warming and nitrogen (N) deposition are expected to increase in the coming decades. The consequences of the interaction between warming and N deposition on forest ecosystems and their functions (i.e., carbon sequestration) remain uncertain. In this study, we examined the composition, diversities, and abundances of soil microbial functional genes in a subtropical forest after four years of exposure to warming and N addition. We found that warming alone did not have a significant effect on the composition, diversities, and abundances of functional genes, suggesting that four years were not long enough to reach the critical threshold that would activate a response to warming from soil functional genes in the subtropical forest. Conversely, warming significantly decreased soil labile carbon (C) content. The application of N in combination with warming significantly enhanced the diversities and abundances of functional genes associated with C and N cycling, leading to an accelerated loss of soil N. Interestingly, the interaction between warming and N addition did not have a significant effect on the diversities and abundances of functional genes associated with C and N cycling. Redundancy analysis indicated that a decrease in pH caused by N addition significantly affected the abundances of those functional genes. Overall, our study fills a research gap by examining the effect of simultaneous warming and N deposition on soil microbial functional genes in subtropical forests. Additionally, the study indicates that microbial functional genes are more sensitive to a combination of warming and N addition than to warming alone. Therefore, the effects of multi-factor global change on soil microbial functional genes cannot be underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00167061
- Volume :
- 408
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Geoderma
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 153751887
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115588