Light grazing enhances microbial-mediated nitrogen transformation in desert steppe soils
Light grazing in desert steppe ecosystems partially maintains microbial nitrogen cycling potential by supporting the abundance of nitrogen functional genes and preserving microbial community structure, despite an overall decline in nitrogen mineralization under grazing. These results suggest that low-intensity grazing may help mitigate grazing-induced suppression of nitrogen availability and plant uptake.
Authors
- Aimin Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9221-7933)
- Guodong Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9311-3607)
- Qian Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3628-0377)
Institutions
- Inner Mongolia Agricultural University (CN)
- Ministry of Agriculture (EE)
- Institute of Grassland Research (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Plant Biology
- Published
- 2025-10-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07356-2
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.37
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia
- Inner Mongolia Agricultural University