Light grazing promotes the accumulation of soil microbial necromass carbon in a desert steppe
This study highlights that light grazing can increase soil MNC accumulation, potentially contributing to organic carbon sequestration in desert steppe ecosystems. The grazing-induced decrease in soil phosphorus is a key factor regulating soil MNC, FNC and BNC in the desert steppe, while the decrease in soil nitrogen is the main driver of MNC and FNC. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing grazing management to enhance soil organic carbon storage in arid grassland ecosystems.
Authors
- Qian Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2767-2857)
- Guodong Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9311-3607)
- Zhiguo Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7159-4200)
- Bingying Wang
- Xin Ju (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0134-1412)
- Tingting Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3886-8887)
Institutions
- Inner Mongolia Agricultural University (CN)
- State Forestry and Grassland Administration (CN)
- Institute of Grassland Research (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Plant Biology
- Published
- 2025-09-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07237-8
- Primary Topic
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Inner Mongolia Agricultural University