Optimized soil bacterial structure following grazing exclusion promotes soil nutrient cycling and plant growth

Wang, Zijie; Deng, Hanwen; Li, Fangdong; Sun, Yan-Lin; Hong, Soon‐Kwan

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2023.104977

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a controlled study of cattle grazing intensity, Verrucomicrobia abundances in soil were reduced with increasing continuous grazing intensity (Xun et al., 2018). In two studies using the grazing exclusion approach, Verrucomicrobia abundances in grassland soils were reduced by livestock grazing (Wang et al., 2023; Zhang & Fu, 2021). In our study, increased labile root exudates from the greater forage biomass (Apfelbaum et al., 2022) and 13% greater SOC stocks (Mosier et al., 2021) reported under AMP management may have reduced abundances of the oligotrophic Verrucomicrobia compared to conventional management.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil microorganisms respond distinctively to adaptive multi‐paddock and conventional grazing in the southeastern United States

White

Yeater

Lehman

2023

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Variable results from studies of the associations between grazing management and soil microbiological properties in grasslands suggest the need for further investigation. We assessed the response of soil microbiological properties to conventional and adaptive multi‐paddock (AMP) grazing management practices at paired farms at five locations in the southeastern United States. We measured total DNA and abundances of fungi and bacteria by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as proxies for soil microbial biomass, potential carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling activities using qPCR of functional genes, and carbon mineralization activities by respiratory assays. Abundances of fungi (p = 0.009) and bacteria (p = 0.001) were greater under AMP management compared to conventional management; however, there was no difference in the fungal/bacterial ratios between management practices. Gene copies encoding for nitrification, denitrification, and phosphate hydrolysis were significantly greater (p < 0.05) under AMP compared to conventional management. Basal soil respiration was elevated (p = 0.004) under AMP compared to conventional management presumptively due to the greater abundance of microbes that were actively transforming plant exudates and residues. In contrast, labile carbon limitation of respiratory activities was greater (p ≤ 0.01) under conventional compared to AMP management indicating decreased processing of soil carbon and formation of microbial biomass. Using discriminant function analysis, the 19 biological response variables successfully classified 94% of the 180 soil samples according to grazing management. In summary, AMP grazing management influenced the numbers and key activities of soil microbes in a distinctive manner that is associated with the retention of soil organic carbon and nitrogen reported in these grazed grasslands.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil microorganisms respond distinctively to adaptive multi‐paddock and conventional grazing in the southeastern United States

White

Yeater

Lehman

2023

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During the growing season, soil moisture under grazing exclusion treatment was less likely to evaporate (Griffin‐Nolan et al, 2023), and also made more efficient use of soil water, nitrogen, and other resources for vegetation growth (Figure 4). However, environmental changes caused by grazing (e.g., pH changes) might lead to the exclusion of plant species, which may decrease the growth of aboveground productivity because of a positive correlation between richness and productivity (Figure 5; Wang, Deng, et al, 2023; Wang, Zhao, et al, 2023). Therefore, future management should focus on sustainable grazing practices, including monitoring and adjusting stocking rates, rotational grazing systems, and implementing rest periods for recovery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As one of the largest terrestrial ecosystems, grassland ecosystems are not only fundamental to the sustainable development of global livestock but also play an important ecosystem service function (Bardgett et al, 2021), as well as play a crucial role in the global carbon balance (Li et al, 2023; Wang, Deng, et al, 2023; Wang, Zhao, et al, 2023). Grassland ecosystems are significantly influenced by multiple global change factors, such as warming and altered precipitation regimes (Zong et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of precipitation and grazing on recovery of plant vegetation in temperate grasslands

Lin,

Zhao,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Grasslands support a rich diversity that plays a pivotal role in ecological balance, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. Grassland ecosystems are facing a loss of biodiversity and a decline in soil function due to precipitation variations caused by climate change. However, variations in grassland species diversity are not clearly known, especially under the combined effects of precipitation and grazing. Based on a 5‐year split‐plot experiment with two grazing regimes (i.e., moderate grazing and grazing prohibition) along with three precipitation controls (ambient precipitation and ±50% precipitation) in Inner Mongolian grasslands, we researched the response of precipitation variability and grazing prohibition to vegetation diversity indices and investigated the response of vegetation community composition and biomass to these factors. Five years results showed that increasing precipitation resulted in a significant increase in the coverage of perennial forbs, annual and biennial plants, and Gramineae. Grazing prohibition and increased precipitation significantly increased biomass and species richness compared to all other treatment combinations. Interestingly, grazing exclusion significantly reduced the percentage of Amaryllidaceae, especially in the presence of altered precipitation. The vegetation community composition of a typical grassland was correlated with soil volumetric water content (VWC), bulk density (SBD) and pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN). VWC, SBD, and TN were found to be the most significant factors affecting vegetation diversity under grazing. Partial canonical ordination revealed that soil moisture, soil bulk density, and SOC had the most significant correlation with vegetation diversity under both grazing prohibition and increased precipitation treatment conditions. These results suggested that alterations in precipitation can change the species composition and ecosystem function of plant communities, leading to a close relationship between species diversity and soil properties. Our results underline the importance of species diversity for soil characteristics and environmental factors in a typical Eurasian steppe ecosystem.

show abstract

“…Grazing exclusion could exert effects on the soil microbial community via changing plant community structure, diversity, and edaphoclimatic factors. For instance, the grazing exclusion-induced increase of bacterial phyla positively correlated with vegetation biomass and diversity, and soil water and nutrient availability (Wang et al, 2023). Another study provided evidence that grazing exclusion significantly increased the relative abundances of microbial families associated with the carbon cycle by enhancing nutrient availability, and increased the abundance of the archaeal ammonia-oxidizing Nitrososphaerae due to the decrease of soil ammonium concentration (Wang, Zhang, et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…However, the impact patterns of grazing exclusion on Qinghai-Tibet grassland remain inconclusive. Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is often referred to be the "Third Pole of the Earth" and the alpine ecosystems in this region are very sensitive to environmental change and human activities (Che et al, 2019;Che, Qin, et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2023). Hence, further research is required to explore the response of microbial communities to grazing exclusion and to guide the recovery of grasslands from degradation and the development of management practices (Yan & Lu, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of grazing in different intensities and 10‐year grazing exclusion on soil bacterial community composition and interaction complexity in alpine grasslands of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Qi,

Chen,

Zhou

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To decrease the detrimental consequences of overgrazing on the sustainability of grassland ecosystems, many countries have developed policies on grazing exclusions. However, compared with grazing, how grazing exclusion modifies soil bacterial community and the associated environmental drivers is inadequately understood. Here, we studied the effects of grazing in different intensities (no grazing, light, moderate, and heavy grazing) and 10 years' grazing exclusion on soil bacteria community and associated environmental factors in the grassland of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. The results showed significant changes in soil bacterial composition among all the treatments. After 10 years' grazing exclusion, the composition of the bacterial community rather than bacterial diversity was significantly different from that in grassland without grazing treatment. Under grazing exclusion, bacterial community composition was regulated by the total nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen. Grazing treatments decreased the complexity of the bacterial co‐occurrence network, but 10 years' grazing exclusion increased the complexity. This study found that grazing in different intensities substantially affected bacterial community structure and diversity, but 10 years' grazing exclusion hardly alleviated the historical grazing effects on the bacterial community structure. The findings of the study extended the understanding of how bacterial communities in grasslands respond to grazing in different intensities and grazing exclusion, providing a crucial scientific foundation for evaluating sustainable grazing management.

show abstract

Optimized soil bacterial structure following grazing exclusion promotes soil nutrient cycling and plant growth

Cited by 7 publications

References 39 publications

Soil microorganisms respond distinctively to adaptive multi‐paddock and conventional grazing in the southeastern United States

Soil microorganisms respond distinctively to adaptive multi‐paddock and conventional grazing in the southeastern United States

Impact of precipitation and grazing on recovery of plant vegetation in temperate grasslands

Effects of grazing in different intensities and 10‐year grazing exclusion on soil bacterial community composition and interaction complexity in alpine grasslands of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About