Effects of biological soil crust succession on soil nutrients, microbial community composition in desert regions
Received date: 2024-05-26
Revised date: 2024-07-16
Online published: 2024-11-27
Biological soil crusts (BSCs), a critical component of dryland ecosystems, mediate interactions between biotic and abiotic factors on the soil surface. This study examines the soil physicochemical properties, microbial community composition, and enzyme activities of different types of BSCs—algae-dominated (AC), lichen-dominated (LC), and moss-dominated (MC)—along with the underlying soil layers (0-2 cm and 2-5 cm) at the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, Inner Mongolia, China. We analyzed variations in microbial community composition and enzyme activities during BSCs succession and explored the relationship between these dynamics and soil physicochemical properties. Results revealed that the contents of soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), silt, clay, and electrical conductivity (EC) in both crust and underlying soils increased significantly as BSCs progressed toward moss dominance, while these variables decreased with greater soil depth. Conversely, pH, bulk density, and sand content exhibited opposing trends. The total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), as well as bacterial and fungal PLFAs, were highest in MC and lowest in AC, with MC exhibiting 24%, 15%, and 39% higher values than AC, respectively. Compared to AC, the fungal-to-bacterial PLFAs ratio (F:B) in MC increased by 20%. The microbial community composition in the 0-2 cm and 2-5 cm soil layers followed similar patterns, though all parameters significantly declined with depth. Enzyme activities—sucrase, catalase, cellulase, amylase, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase—showed an upward trend with BSCs succession, but decreased with soil depth. Further analysis revealed that microbial community composition and enzyme activities were significantly positively correlated with SOC, N, P, EC, and clay content, but negatively correlated with pH, bulk density, and sand content. Structural equation modeling suggested that changes in soil chemical properties driven by BSCs succession were the key determinants of microbial community structure and enzyme activities.
HE Haoyu , LIU Wei , CHANG Zongqiang , HOU Chunmei , SUN Liwei , CHI Xiuli . Effects of biological soil crust succession on soil nutrients, microbial community composition in desert regions[J]. Arid Land Geography, 2024 , 47(10) : 1724 -1734 . DOI: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.322
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