Effects of increased nitrogen deposition and changing rainfall patterns on litter decomposition in a desert grassland

Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus addition on litter decomposition and soil enzyme activities with Salix cupularis in an alpine desert ecosystem

“…By changing soil physical and chemical properties, nitrogen and phosphorus can affect the effective use of soil nutrient by extracellular enzymes and regulate the nutrient uptake of plant, and ultimately affect the results of litter decomposition and feedback process (Song et al, 2014;Amend et al, 2015;Creamer et al, 2015;Waldrop et al 2004). At the same time, litter decomposition is a continuous biodegradation process, the factors that dominate the mass loss of litter may change as the decay time of litter progresses (Huo et al, 2019). The addition of exogenous nutrients can usually accelerate the decomposition of litter in the early stage by providing nutrients necessary for microbial activities (Cuchietti et al, 2014), and slow the the decomposition of litter in later stage by change the microbial community and reduce enzyme activity (Cuchietti et al, 2014;Gill et al, 2021;Widdig et al, 2020).…”

Drought Exerted a Stronger Controlling Effect on Soil Carbon Release than Moisturizing in a Global Meta-Analysis

“…Both abiotic and biotic factors are highly important to soil carbon release [12,13]. Specifically, altered precipitation regimes can noticeably change the effects of the water supply on soil or litter substrate leaching and the activities of microbes and plant roots, as well as indirectly, through effects on the chemical components of the soil or litter [14][15][16]. Though the effect of water content on soil respiration is not always linear, and sometimes is logarithmic, quadratic, or parabolic, it is generally believed that soil respiration is significantly higher in moist soil than in dry soil, and can decrease from wet to dry seasons, because of the water demand of microbe or plant metabolism [17,18].…”