Response of soil microbial biomass and microbial entropy to desertification in desert grassland

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.201908.009

Abstract

Abstract: Using an approach of spatial sequence instead of temporal succession, we investigated the variation and driving factors of soil microbial biomass and microbial entropy in desert grasslands across four different desertification stages (grassland, fixed dune, semi-fixed dune and mobile dune) in Yanchi County, Ningxia, China. The results showed that soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus reduced by 46.1%, 80.8% and 30.0% from grassland to mobile dunes, respectively. The soil microbial entropy (qMBC, qMBN, and qMBP) decreased but soil-microbial stoichiometry imbalance (C:N_imb, C:P_imb and N:P_imb) generally increased with the development of desertification. There were significantly positive relationship between soil microbial biomass nitrogen and C:N_imb, soil microbial biomass phosphorus and C:P_imb, while negative relationship between soil microbial biomass nitrogen and N:P_imb. The RDA result showed that soil ecological stoichiometry (C:N, C:P) had the strongest negative effect on soil microbial entropy carbon (qMBC). Soil microbial biomass and microbial entropy were significantly affected by desertification in desert grassland.

WU Xiu-zhi, LIU Bing-ru, YAN Xin, LIU Ren-tao, AN Hui. Response of soil microbial biomass and microbial entropy to desertification in desert grassland[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2019, 30(8): 2691-2698.

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