Vegetation affects pool size and composition of amino acids in Tibetan alpine meadow soils

Feng, Yunjiang; Wang, Jing; Yuan, Kun; Zong, Wenzhen; Guo, Ding

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.09.018

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…at seasonal and monthly scales on the Tibetan Plateau (Feng et al 2018). SON was the major form of soil soluble nitrogen (TSN), accounting for 50% of TSN, and soil pH was negatively correlated with the different forms of SON, and air relative humidity and temperature in growing season were the most significant factors impacting SON (Wang et al 2015).…”

Section: Temporal Variability Of Soc and Tnmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in soil microbial biomass and regulating factors in an alpine meadow site on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

2019

Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The change in soil microbial biomass (SMB) content and its direct links to soil organic matter (SOM) and environmental factors are not well understood for high-elevation regions. Therefore, this research investigated the temporal variation of SMB and its relationship with SOM and environmental factors in an alpine meadow site on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents in alpine meadows showed monthly and seasonal variations and were higher in colder months, and the soil C/N ratio was higher in winter and in autumn than it was in the other seasons (P < 0.05). In addition, the changes in the SMB C and SMB N contents were notable at monthly and seasonal scales, whereas the SMB C and SMB N contents were higher in the winter and spring than they were in the other seasons (P < 0.05); the ratio of SMB C/SOC was higher in spring than it was in the other seasons; the ratio of the SMB N/TN content was higher in cold or cool months than it was in the other months; and the ratio of the SMB C/SMB N was highest in August (P < 0.05). Moreover, the SMB C and SMB N contents were significantly positively correlated to the SOC and TN contents (P < 0.01), and the SMB content was also significantly positively correlated to soil water content and air temperature (P < 0.05), or to soil bulk density and soil pH (P < 0.05). The results suggested that the change in the SMB in the alpine meadows was highly regulated by the SOC and TN and by monthly and seasonal changes in the soil bulk density, the soil pH, soil moisture, and air temperatures.

show abstract

Section: Temporal Variability Of Soc and Tnmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in soil microbial biomass and regulating factors in an alpine meadow site on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

2019

Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other studies in the same study site showed that warm‐season grazing induced higher secondary compounds in forage (e.g., amino acids, tannins, and total phenols; Feng et al. ). The difference in pika burrow density and zokor mound density between trial years can possibly be attributed to differences in weather (Moritz et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Pika burrow and zokor mound density and their relationship with grazing management and sheep production in alpine meadow

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) and plateau zokors (Myospalax baileyi) occur naturally in the alpine meadow of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). Their feeding and burrowing activities affect plant composition and soil properties (e.g., soil carbon accumulation and soil nitrogen cycling), but research to study the complex interactions between small mammals, livestock, and habitat is currently lacking. We conducted a sheep grazing trial to determine the effect of grazing management on pika burrow and zokor mound density, and the relationships between sheep production and pika burrow and zokor mound density. The grazing management approaches were warm‐season rotational grazing at 24 and 48 sheep months (SM)/ha, cold‐season rotational grazing at 24 and 48 SM/ha, seasonal continuous grazing at 24 SM/ha, and whole‐year continuous grazing at 48 SM/ha. The results of this study suggested that warm‐season rotational grazing at low stocking rate did not significantly change both pika and zokor densities. Cold‐season rotational grazing at both high and low stocking rates and seasonal continuous grazing at low stocking rate led to an increase in zokor mound density, but not pika burrow density. Whole‐year continuous grazing at high stocking rate increased both pika and zokor densities. The influence of pika and zokor activities on sheep production was complex and differed between grazing management. Sheep liveweight gain peaked at moderate pika burrow and zokor mound density at low stocking rate under both warm‐ and cold‐season rotational grazing. The threshold values of pika density were about 110 and 70 burrows per hectare in warm and cold seasons, respectively. The threshold value of zokor density was about 400 mounds per hectare in the cold season. In contrast, under high stocking rate regardless of management approach, sheep liveweight gain declined significantly as both pika burrow and zokor mound density increased. This paper provides a theoretical understanding and experimental evidence for sustainable grazing management and restoration of degraded grassland by local herders and policymakers.

show abstract

“…S3). While unexpected, this result is consistent with results from soil extractions at our site – arginine was among the most abundant amino acids in soil extracts (Weintraub & Schimel, 2005a) – and with soil extractions from northern hardwood forest soils in Michigan (Rothstein, 2010), in an alpine meadow in the eastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, China (Feng et al ., 2018), in a subalpine grassland in Australia (Warren & Taranto, 2010), and in a temperate beech forest in Austria after wetting dry soils (Leitner et al ., 2017b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amino acids dominate diffusive nitrogen fluxes across soil depths in acidic tussock tundra

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Organic nitrogen (N) is abundant in soils, but early conceptual frameworks considered it nonessential for plant growth. It is now well recognised that plants have the potential to take up organic N. However, it is still unclear whether plants supplement their N requirements by taking up organic N in situ: at what rate is organic N diffusing towards roots and are plants taking it up? We combined microdialysis with live‐root uptake experiments to measure amino acid speciation and diffusion rates towards roots of Eriophorum vaginatum. Amino acid diffusion rates (321 ng N cm−2 h−1) were c. 3× higher than those for inorganic N. Positively charged amino acids made up 68% of the N diffusing through soils compared with neutral and negatively charged amino acids. Live‐root uptake experiments confirmed that amino acids are taken up by plants (up to 1 µg N g−1 min−1 potential net uptake). Amino acids must be considered when forecasting plant‐available N, especially when they dominate the N supply, and when acidity favours proteolysis over net N mineralisation. Determining amino acid production pathways and supply rates will become increasingly important in projecting the extent and consequences of shrub expansion, especially considering the higher C : N ratio of plants relative to soil.

show abstract

Vegetation affects pool size and composition of amino acids in Tibetan alpine meadow soils

Cited by 19 publications

References 67 publications

Change in soil microbial biomass and regulating factors in an alpine meadow site on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Change in soil microbial biomass and regulating factors in an alpine meadow site on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Pika burrow and zokor mound density and their relationship with grazing management and sheep production in alpine meadow

Amino acids dominate diffusive nitrogen fluxes across soil depths in acidic tussock tundra

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About