Deciphering the active bacteria involving glucose-triggered priming effect in soils with gradient N inputs

Abstract

The soil priming effect, which refers to the alteration of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition due to labile carbon (C) inputs, is widely acknowledged for its impact on C storage in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the impact of chronic nitrogen (N) fertilizer on soil priming effect, particularly in agroecological systems, remains unclear. Here, we utilized soils subjected to varying levels of N fertilization (0, 140, 280, 470, and 660 kg N ha⁻¹ y⁻¹), which were collected from a long-term experimental site. Enzyme activity related to C, N, and phosphorus (P) acquisition was measured using the fluorometric method. Additionally, DNA-based stable isotope probing with ¹³C-labeled glucose was conducted to explore the role of active bacterial communities (16S rRNA gene analysis) on the priming effect in soils with different N fertilization histories. Glucose addition enhanced the decomposition of native SOM and induced positive priming effects in all soils, which were amplified by the historical N application level. Activity of C-related enzymes essential for soil C decomposition increased following glucose addition, which was positively correlated with the soil priming effect. Active bacterial taxa, primarily Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria, were capable of assimilating exogenous glucose-C or native SOM-C. Notably, bacteria assimilating glucose exhibited higher abundance-weighted average ribosomal RNA gene operon copy number than those assimilating SOM, indicating the role of r-strategists in accelerating SOC turnover and increasing C loss. These findings highlight the role of active microbial community attributes on the soil priming effects. This study provides new insights into the intricate processes of C transformation in soils subjected to long-term N management in agroecosystems.